Meghan Markle is off yet again. After celebrating her baby shower in New York earlier this week, the mum-to-be is boarding another plane — this time to Morocco.
Kensington Palace tweeted last week that the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit the North African country from 23rd February until the 25th. It was rumoured to be a babymoon, but they are actually going on official royal business and tackling some pretty important causes. “The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to the visit which will highlight the vital roles that girls’ education and youth empowerment are playing in, and shaping, modern Morocco,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said, per People.
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Meghan and Harry are scheduled to visit Education for All, a boarding house in Asni for girls in rural communities, according to Town & Country. The couple will talk to students and teachers, and Meghan will participate in a henna ceremony.
Another youth-focused appointment on their itinerary is their scheduled trip to the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports, where they will learn about its equine therapy program for children with special needs. The couple will also visit the Andalusian Gardens to learn about youth empowerment initiatives.
Daily Telegraph royal reporter Hannah Furness drew the connection between the Duke and Duchess’ engagements and the work former first lady Michelle Obama did in Morocco back in 2016. “Interesting opportunity for engagements looking at girls’ education here,” Furness tweeted.
Furness followed it up with quote from an article Obama wrote for CNN about the time she spent in both Morocco and Liberia with the Let Girls Learn initiative. “While Morocco has made huge strides in education...many of the [girls in rural areas] drop out of school by the time they turn twelve,” Obama wrote.
Interesting opportunity for engagements looking at girls’ education here.
— Hannah Furness (@Hannah_Furness) February 8, 2019
Michelle Obama in 2016: https://t.co/u58HaCcQJm
“While Morocco has made huge strides in education...many of the [girls in rural areas] drop out of school by the time they turn twelve.” https://t.co/98auCRBtkd
Not only is the comparison between Meghan and Obama a flattering one, but it further justifies the recent splitting of the courts between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince William and Kate Middleton.
It was recently reported that the couple’s courts would be splitting to reflect their different responsibilities. William is second in line for the throne and is widely expected to one day become king, which is a good explanation for why he and Kate follow royal protocol more closely. Harry is sixth in line for throne, which gives him and Meghan more freedom on how public they can be about the issues they champion.
This formal separation will give each couple different staffers so they can develop their individual media voices — and Harry and Meghan’s has already become more political.
In this instance, it seems more political means more Michelle-like, so if splitting the courts means getting more Obama comparisons, it’s a no brainer why Meghan would be on board.