Meghan Markle beams as she arrives at heavily-guarded Colombian theatre to give special speech

Meghan Markle beamed as she arrived at a heavily-guarded theatre supported by Prince Harry, where she will deliver a speech on female empowerment on the final day of their tour in Colombia.

The Duchess of Sussex looked glamorous in a sleeveless white shirt and jewelled skirt as she greeted those inside the Municipal Theatre in the city of Cali at the Afro women and power forum and she shook hands with those in the audience as a proud Harry looked on. Following all of their previous engagements in Colombia, security was tight around the theatre with heavily armed soldiers, explosive officers and police officers, including one with a dog, who were seen standing guard.

Later, Harry and Meghan are expected to visit the Petronio Alvarez Festival, which is a celebration of Afro-Colombian music. It will be the final event of their four-day trip to the South American nation.

It comes after the Sussexes visited the port city of Cartagena yesterday, where they dropped by on a local drum school that preserves the art-form of traditional African drumming. There, Harry and Meghan were gifted a small handcrafted wooden boat from a student, an ode to the beautiful coastal town and its beaches, before joining in with a drum lesson led by the students, followed by a performance from some of the locals which brought both the vice president and Meghan to their feet.

Afterwards, they were given a warm welcome in “a little corner of Africa” that has become a symbol of anti-colonial resistance. The couple visited the historic north Colombian village of San Basilio de Palenque, which was founded by escaped slaves in the 17th century and became the Americas’ first ‘free town’ for Africans. Harry, who has acknowledged how the royal family profited from slavery, and Meghan, who has Nigerian heritage, were hosted there amid heavy security, which has been highly visible throughout their trip.

Harry and Meghan’s security in Colombia includes an officer armed with a Kevlar shield to stop any potential shooter taking aim at the couple. At almost all events the couple have attended the man – part of the local security detail – has been seen jumping out of a vehicle ahead of the couple holding the folding shield.