Prince Harry & Meghan To Visit Colombia's First 'Free Town' Amid Claim They're Being 'Manipulated'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to embark on a trip to Colombia, where they will visit the country's first "free town" and experience its renowned music festival.

However, their highly anticipated trip has been clouded by controversy, with citizens accusing the Colombian government of using the couple's star power to divert attention from a string of scandals.

A royal expert likened Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to a "quasi-royal" tour and also claimed that the Duke of Sussex wants to use the trip to boost his wife's status.

Details about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's itinerary on their trip to Colombia are beginning to come out.

According to a report, the couple will visit the country's first "free town" for escaped enslaved people and witness a music festival in Cali.

Harry and Meghan would be shown around the small town of San Basilio de Palenque, which UNESCO declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

The town, which has a population of around 3,500, was founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century. This means its community and cultural space are heavily influenced by its African heritage.

San Basilio de Palenque is a popular day trip for tourists from Cartagena and is the only surviving Palenque secret fort village.

Colombian politician Alejandro Eder, who is the mayor of Cali, also disclosed that the couple will visit the Petronio Alvarez Festival on Sunday.

The festival is held every August as a celebration of Afro-Colombian music and culture in Latin America.

Eder made the revelation while speaking at a tourism congress earlier this month, saying, "They are going to come to Cali and spend a day in the city."

"They're going to visit the Petronio Alvarez Festival in the city and they're also going to visit other social initiatives," he added, per the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan's Colombia visit has sparked controversy amongst its citizens, who think they're being used as "political pawns" to divert attention from the scandals that have trailed the regime.

Although Colombia's Vice President Francia Marquez said the couple will have an "exceptional opportunity to engage with elders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians... and illuminate Colombia's role as a beacon of culture and innovation," a Bogota lawyer told the Daily Mail that they're being "manipulated."

"I'm sure Meghan and Harry mean well, but everyone here is talking about how obviously they are being manipulated," the source said.

The lawyer added, "Of course, their star power will be used to bring attention to poor people and certain areas of culture in Colombia... but the reality is the Colombian government has been drowning in scandal since it came in two years ago. They need something to appease people at home and make them look good abroad."

The couple's trip has been likened to a "quasi-royal" tour, which Harry allegedly wants to use to "elevate Meghan Markle to the status accorded to her."

Speaking to The Telegraph, royal author Anna Pasternak said there was a "real parallel" of non-working royals being invited by foreign governments as "private citizens" and accepting.

She compared the Sussexes' upcoming trip to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's infamous 1937 trip to Germany following the abdication crisis.

"They accepted [the invitation] because Edward felt so hurt and angered by the way Wallis had been rejected by the Royal family, and he desperately wanted her to experience the pomp and ceremony of a royal tour," the royal expert said.

"He wanted Wallis to be addressed as HRH and for people to curtsy to her. I'm not suggesting that Harry wants the pomp and ceremony of a Royal tour, but there is a feeling that he'd like [to elevate] Meghan to the status accorded to her," she added.

Pasternak further explained that the former working royals "really value the approval of the people of the country they're visiting."

"They can go and be honored in their own right. When you have this quasi-royal status, you're seen internationally as a royal, and you're treated as such on tour, but you don't have the protection of the Foreign Office," she continued.

The royal author also emphasized that the trip "is a high-risk tour for" Harry and Meghan.