The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend three days in Morocco at the end of February as part of their royal engagements.
As the itinerary published by the Daily Mail reveals, the royal couple will dedicate their time to meeting with charities and not-for-profit organizations that are doing exceptional work in the fields of education and of tackling gender inequality.
As the Daily Mail states, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will start the journey with a so-called Guard of Honour, a celebratory display performed by members of the military. This event will be hosted by Thomas Reilly, the British Ambassador to Morocco, and his wife. It is set to take place on Saturday evening at the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport.
On Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will head over to the small town of Asni — a town located near the foothills of the High Atlas Mountain. Here the couple will learn more about the work of Education For All, a charity championing better educational opportunities for young women from rural areas. After being greeted by the founder of the programme, Michael McHugo, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will visit the EFA boarding school. To get to know the young pupils, Meghan will also partake in a special Henna ceremony. After this, the royal couple will attend a formal reception hosted by Thomas Reilly.
On Monday the royal couple will travel to Rabat — the capital of the country — to learn more about the exceptional work conducted by the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports. This charity provides support to children with special needs, and so Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will spend the day joining the kids for a horse-grooming session and a riding demonstration. After these, the royal couple will also attend a cooking demonstration, a traditional Moroccan arts and crafts display, and a social entrepreneurs forum.
The trip will end on Monday, February 25.
Ever since the so-called “tour from hell,” British royals have been hesitant with paying official visits to Morocco. In 1980, Queen Elizabeth’s visit to King Hassan II almost ended in a diplomatic disaster, leaving relations somewhat icy between the two nations. An Express article uses a quote by Robert Hardman to explain what had taken place.
“It was a unique state visit in that nothing that had previously been arranged actually took place as arranged.”
Though the disagreement was resolved, Elizabeth II has refrained altogether from returning to the country ever since. Hopefully, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will be much more fortunate, beating the bad luck the members of the royal family tend to associate with Morocco.