Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had dinner with President Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr. Tshepo Motsepe.

This marks the end of their official South African tour as the couple and baby Archie head back to the UK.

Before their final formal dinner, however, Meghan and Harry said their goodbyes to the country at a large reception in Hyde Park, where Meghan reflected on her time here and how it affected her on a personal level.

Here’s Channel24:

“This trip has meant so much to us as a family, but also to me personally. As you know, reading about the death of Uyinene and hearing about the protest weighed very heavily on my mind. Gender based violence is a harrowing reality for many women around the world, and for some, like the beautiful and talented Uyinene, violence has taken women from us who have – who had – a life full of hope and dreams ahead of them.

Meghan visited the site of Uyinene’s murder to pay her respects. She has also dedicated a majority of her time in SA to organisations that empower women.

Here she is talking about gender-based violence and women’s rights in South Africa:

At the event in Hyde Park, Meghan went on to talk about what she has learned from the people that she has met while on tour:

“I have learned from the people I’ve met here, that whether it’s about society’s expectations of masculinity or femininity, or how we divide ourselves by race or faith or class or status – everyone has value, and everyone deserves to be heard and respected. And if you live your life in that way, your generation will start to value each other in ways the rest of us have not yet been able to do so.”

Meghan ended by sharing a lesson that she learned while at Auawal Masjid in Bo-Kaap.

“One of the women told us that the way we change the world is to honour the dignity of difference.

“In this, we can find strength when we can bridge divides and meet as human beings with different experiences we can all find connection, and in that connection, we become more aware of one another, of our place in the world. We find hope, and self-worth, we can find optimism and courage – ultimately, we can find joy.

You can watch her speech in full here:

 

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In her final speech of #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica, The Duchess of Sussex had an important message to young people around the world (swipe ➡️ to see full): • “I remember being a young girl watching TV and seeing what was happening in the world, and frankly, often feeling despair. When you constantly see and hear negativity, it can be overwhelming; you can feel powerless, and lost, you can feel different, confused, or like you just don’t belong. And I’m sure there is a young girl or boy watching this and thinking the exact same thing. So, this is for you. In a world that that can seem so aggressive, confrontational, and dangerous, you should know that you have the power to change it. Because whether you’re here in South Africa, at home in the UK, the US or around the world, you actually have the power within you to change things, and that begins with how you connect to others. I have learned from the people I’ve met here, that whether it’s about society’s expectations of masculinity or femininity, or how we divide ourselves by race or faith or class or status- everyone has value, and everyone deserves to be heard and respected. And if you live your life in thatway, your generation will start to value each other in ways the rest of us have not yet been able to do so.” • Video ©️ SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Oct 2, 2019 at 6:36am PDT

We’ll end off with a final word from the Duchess:

“So whether for Archie, Harry and Me in South Africa, or for my husband travelling through Botswana, Angola and Malawi, please know that you have given us so much inspiration, so much hope, and above all, you have given us joy.”

You certainly gave us a lot to write about.

Safe travels, Royal Family.

[source:channel24]