The Duchess of Sussex has been rushed through her visit to an indoor market in Fiji’s capital due to concerns about the large crowd that had come to greet her in the relatively confined space.
Meghan chatted with one vendor and briefly greeted others at the Suva Market on Wednesday, where she spent about half of her allocated 15 minutes before she was whisked through by security personnel concerned by the dark, confined space and large turnout.
Meghan managed to meet with some of the female vendors at the market who have been involved in the UN Women’s project “Markets for Change.” Vendors were selling watermelons, pineapples and other fruit at the market, as well as handicrafts and fans.
A Kensington Palace spokeswoman said her visit was cut short due to crowd management issues.
“She met everyone she was meant to meet and left,” a royal aide told the Press Association.
“On advice she was taken out due to crowd management issues.”
Meghan, who is four months pregnant, and husband Prince Harry are on the 9th day of their 16-day tour of the South Pacific. Harry was not scheduled to visit the market, and was instead unveiling a plaque at a forest site home to species such as the Fiji tree frog.
Now that the first week of the royal tour watch is over, here are all the highlights.
Earlier on Wednesday, Meghan gave a speech at the University of the South Pacific where she talked about the excitement of attending university and the importance of education for women and girls in developing countries.
“Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive,” the duchess said.
“And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.”
She said she was only able to attend university thanks to scholarships, financial aid programs and paid work on campus, but that it was, without question, worth the effort.
On Tuesday, the couple attended a state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel and Harry said Fiji and Britain shared a love of rugby and a sense of humor.
“This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couple,” Harry said.
“My grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years. But this visit is also an opportunity to learn more about the future of Fiji, your economic growth, sustainable tourism development and social enterprises.”
The couple is scheduled to visit Tonga on Thursday before returning to Sydney on Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games, Harry’s brainchild and the focus of their tour. The couple will then finish their trip with a four-day visit to New Zealand.
Did you hear about the Suva Market security scare? What did you think?