Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and baby Archie arrived in Cape Town today, September 23, for their royal tour of southern Africa. Over the course of the next 10 days, Prince Harry will make jaunts to Botswana, Angola, and Malawi while his wife and son stay in South Africa.
They have a full schedule ahead for this tour—and obviously, we’ll be keeping track of all the best moments. See them here.
After arriving on a commercial flight from London, the Sussexes (minus Archie) arrived for their first official event in the Nuyanga township, where they were greeted with music, dancing, and adorable children. While there, the royals met with representatives from The Justice Desk, a human rights organization that focuses on empowering youth in vulnerable communities—two causes championed by Meghan and Harry.
The duchess chose a patterned wrap dress from Mayamiko, a sustainable brand that sources textiles from Malawi. And the couple definitely looked to be enjoying the tiniest members of their welcoming committee.
Long before she was the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was a self-identified feminist and an activist for women’s rights. Since marrying Prince Harry and becoming a member of the royal family, she’s continued to champion causes around female empowerment, including her recent capsule fashion collection for Smart Works, an organization that helps dress and prepare women to re-enter the workforce.
So, it should come as no surprise that the duchess’s first speech during her latest royal tour of southern Africa touched on these issues. After arriving in Cape Town with baby Archie, she and Prince Harry made their way to the Nuyanga township where they were greeted with music and dancing by representatives of human rights group the Justice Desk.
Markle addressed the crowd, many of whom are doing important work to curb violence against women in their country.
“So to be able to meet all of you today who are standing up for what’s right in the face of adversity, I applaud you. We are encouraged to hear your president take the next steps toward preventing gender-based violence through education and necessary changes to reinforce the values of modern South Africa,” she said. “I do have to say I feel incredibly humbled to be in the presence of all of you as you stand firm in your core values of respect, dignity, and equality. I read a quote a few weeks ago and it resonated with me as I’ve been watching what’s been happening here and your active efforts. Maya Angelou, a legendary poet and civil rights activist, once said, ‘Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it, possibly without claiming it, she stands up for all women.'”
She continued, “Now I know it’s not easy and I know it must feel insurmountable at times, but your commitment wot what is right gives all of us hope, especially your brothers and sisters here in your community who need you to continue to shine your light brightly. Your commitment is inspiring. It is energizing. And it is extraordinary. You must keep going. You must know that what you are doing not only matters, it is vital because you are vital.”
Markle ended things with, “And just on one personal note, while I’m here with my husband as a member of the royal family. I want you to know, I am here with you as a mother, a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister. I am here with you and I am here for you and I thank you so much for showing my husband and I the spirit of ubuntu. And I look forward to our time over the next few days together. Thank you so much for having us.”
Frankly, my fellow Southern Charm fans, I never thought this day would come: Ashley Jacobs and Thomas Ravenel—arguably one of the most controversial and hated couples in reality TV history—have parted ways.
This comes not long after Jacobs said during the show’s reunion that she would stand by Ravenel, who did not appear due to sexual assault accusations against him. “It is all hearsay,” Jacobs told Andy Cohen at the time. “He’s not been charged with anything. These are just allegations. It used to be ‘You’re innocent until proven guilty,’ and now you’re guilty until proven innocent.”
Now, though? They’re done. There’s no trace of the couple to be found on either of their Instagram accounts, and, according to People, Jacobs addressed the breakup directly on Instagram Live.
“I don’t want to comment, but there are just some things I’m trying to handle privately,” she reportedly said. “Before I say too much, I love Thomas, and I’ll always love Thomas. I’ll always care about him. I’m still trying to work it out, not work out getting back together, but I’m still trying to figure it out.”
She added, “I think everyone’s been through breakups before but it’s hard. It’s not easy … Sometimes you just want to stay quiet and figure out what the next move in your life is going to be. … I’m just trying to take care of myself the best way that I can.”
She also posted yesterday about starting fresh, even changing her Instagram bio to read, “Basically a new account with a clean slate.”
Ravenel hasn’t commented on the breakup, but he did reveal that he won’t be on the next season of Southern Charm. “I’m not doing the show anymore,” he tweeted per People—though his tweets are now private. “In the contract they have the right to fictionalize your story. They took advantage of me. I decided I’ve got too much to lose and informed them I’m not coming back.”
While the fandom at large has been rooting for the duo to split, this isn’t exactly a situation where anybody comes off as the “good” guy. Jacobs burst onto the Charleston scene this season as Ravenel’s new girlfriend after moving from California to be with him. Though she previously had a career as a nurse, Jacobs did not work while living in Charleston—and whether or not she was with Ravenel for his money became an oft-discussed topic among cast members.
But it was Jacobs’ treatment of Kathryn Dennis, the mother of Ravenel’s two children, that turned her into the season’s villain. During a blow-up in Hilton Head, Jacobs called into question Dennis’ parenting, claiming she saw Dennis’ children “more than you do.” Ravenel, true to character, sat back and watched it happen without intervening. Later that night, Ravenel had his own rage-filled outburst that was, honestly, scary.
[embedded content]
The couple’s toxic behavior continued throughout the season—Ravenel’s old “Southern ways” tended toward the misogynistic even on his best days—and many viewers and cast members felt sympathy for Jacobs because of the way Ravenel treated her. During the reunion, cast members voiced so much concern, Jacobs asked if they were hosting an intervention.
In other words, this is one couple I hope never, ever gets back together. And I’m not alone:
“We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States. What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate,” the new parents said in the release. SPLC President Richard Cohen added, “Like George and Amal Clooney, we were shocked by the size, ugliness, and ferocity of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville. It was a reflection of just how much Trump’s incendiary campaign and presidency has energized the radical right. We are deeply grateful to the Clooney Foundation for standing with us at this critical moment in our country’s fight against hate.”
In another statement released to Deadline, the power couple said, “Amal and I wanted to add our voice (and financial assistance) to the ongoing fight for equality. There are no two sides to bigotry and hate.”
The additional statement is possibly a direct reference to President Donald Trump’s own statement on the clash between white supremacist groups and counter-protestors in Charlottesville earlier this month, which resulted in the death of one counter-protestor. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides,” he said on Saturday, August 13, before doubling down in the following week, telling reporters, “I think there is blame on both sides. You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I’ll say it right now.”
Per the press release, the SPLC is a nonprofit watchdog organization that keeps a close eye on hate groups in America. “It currently tracks more than 1,600 extremist groups operating across the country, and has used litigation to win crushing court judgments against 10 major white supremacist organizations and 50 individuals who led them or participated in violent acts.” The Clooney Foundation for Justice was founded in 2016 “to advance justice in courtrooms, communities, and classrooms around the world,” according to its website. In the span of less than a year, the foundation has partnered with UNICEF to expand educational opportunities for Syrian refugees, offered support and assistance to Syrian and Yazidi refugees seeking resettlement in the U.S. and developed TrialWatch, an initiative to prevent especially susceptible courtrooms from committing human rights violations.
