Walkabouts off limits as the Sussexes land in Morocco
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex will avoid public walkabouts on their visit to Morocco, keeping out of harm’s way following violent demonstrations in the capital.
The couple arrive today for their two-day tour of the country in what is expected to be their final overseas trip before the arrival of their first child.
Plans for the safety of the couple, including the seven months pregnant Duchess, have been assessed in the wake of violent protests in Rabat on Wednesday in which teachers’ unions marched near to the royal palace.
Coincidentally, the Duke and Duchess’s first full day of engagements will focus on education, taking them out of Rabat to the Atlas Mountains to see the work of the charity Education For All.
No walkabouts are planned, with the couple only meeting members of the public invited to carefully controlled engagements inside homes, hotels and walled gardens.
Morocco has an average of 48 protests daily according to the ministry for human rights, while official Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice states that “demonstrations and protests can occur at short notice across the country”.
Neither Kensington Palace or the FCO would comment on matters of security. During the royal tour to Fiji last year, the Duchess was rushed early from a public market in Suva amid what the palace later described as “crowd management issues”.
Since then, the couple have undertaken numerous successful walkabouts in their away days to British cities, often overrunning as they greeted the public and answered questions from well-wishers.
In Morocco, their schedule will focus on the Duchess’s particular interests, shining a light on the importance of girls’ education in rural Morocco, and cooking with children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The couple will also visit a programme that helps children with special educational needs through riding, visit an arts and crafts market created by young social entrepreneurs, and attend an evening reception with the British ambassador in Rabat.
The current schedule has no plans for them to meet the Moroccan royal family or politicians.
The visit has been made at the request of the FCO, and is intended to help build the bilateral relationship between the UK and Morocco.
Thomas Reilly, the British ambassador to Morocco, said on Thursday: “Feels like the day before an exam. There is nothing more you can do to make it go right. A wonderful mix of excitement and anticipation.”