Meghan accused of trying to 'steal Kate's thunder' as she and Prince Harry visit Colombia

Hours before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex embark on their latest tour, Meghan is being accused of trying to "steal Kate's thunder".

Later today, Prince Harry and Meghan will arrive in Colombia at the invitation of the country's vice-president.

While a detailed itinerary has not been made public, the couple's four-day tour will see them "engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress" authorities have said.

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In November, the South American country will host the Global Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.

The event is believed to be one of the things that attracted Prince Harry and Meghan to Colombia, author of multiple books on the royal family, Tom Quinn, said.

"For Meghan this could be a boost for the Archewell Foundation, whose concern with the welfare of children was praised by the Columbian vice-president," Quinn told The Mirror.

Francia Marquez, who invited Prince Harry and Meghan to Colombia, announced the visit last week.

Quinn said she "praised the couples' Archewell Foundation and what she described as its "global leadership in fostering a safer online environment".

"This will have been music to Meghan's ears, but palace officials in the UK are irritated that once again Meghan and Harry are trying to steal Kate's thunder – Kate's interest in child welfare has always been central to her role in the royal family," he said.

While the issue of child welfare should not be exclusive to one particular royal, the Princess of Wales has had a major focus on the wellbeing on children in her working career.

In 2021, Kate launched her landmark Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, to help "transform" the lives of parents and children "for generations to come".

It was the culmination of a decade's work for Kate and her biggest project since marrying into the royal family.

The centre looks at today's biggest social challenges – from addiction and violence to family breakdown and homelessness – and how they have their roots in the earliest years of life.

Prince Harry and Meghan, too, have a keen interest in the wellbeing of children.

On August 4 – Meghan's birthday – the couple spoke about their Archewell project to help parents protect their children online.

In an interview with American television network CBS, they launched the Parents' Network, an online "global community" to support "parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media".

It follows a pilot programme by the Archewell Foundation in 2023, described as a "free-to-access peer-support network, complete with comprehensive advice and resources provided by a licensed facilitator, which offers invaluable support to those in need".

Prince Harry and Meghan said they were inspired by their own two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

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Meghan told CBS: "I think the simplest thing that anyone watching this or anyone who's able to make change to look at it through the lens of, 'What if it was my daughter? What if it was my son? My son, or my daughter who comes home, who are joyful, who I love, and one day, right under my roof, our entire lives change because of something that was completely out of our control?'

"And if you look at it through the lens as a parent, there is no way to see that any other way than to try to find a solution."

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