Meghan Markle’s first solo outing in Fiji on her 16-day royal tour was cut short due to security concerns.
The pregnant Duchess of Sussex visited Fiji’s Suva market on Wednesday to meet and talk with female vendors involved in the U.N. Women’s project “Markets for Change,” which promotes women’s empowerment in marketplaces throughout the South Pacific. However, her allocated 15 minutes in the marketplace was cut in half due to crowd management issues, a Kensington Palace spokeswoman told The Associated Press.
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Throngs of people had reportedly converged upon the market in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the royal mom-to-be, who is four months pregnant with her and Prince Harry’s first child, prompting security personnel to whisk her away from the large crowd.
The incident occurred on the 9th day of the royal couple’s 16-day tour of the South Pacific, which has also taken them to Australia and will see them travel to Tonga and New Zealand as well. While Markle was busy at the market, Prince Harry visited a local forest, where he unveiled a plaque at a forest site home to species such as the Fiji tree frog.
Earlier in the day, The Duchess delivered her first royal tour speech to students and staff at the University of the South Pacific, where she talked about the importance of education and opened up about her own college experience.
“Bula vinaka,” Markle began her speech with the traditional greeting, according to PEOPLE. “As a university graduate, I know the personal feeling of pride and excitement that comes with attending university,” she began. “From the moment you receive your acceptance letter to the exams you spend countless late nights studying for, the lifelong friendships you make with your fellow alumni to the moment that you receive your diploma, the journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one.”
“I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world, myself included,” she added. “Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. When girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but for all of those around them. And while progress has been made in many areas across the Commonwealth, there is always scope to offer more opportunities to the next generation of young adults, and specifically to young women.”
The couple is scheduled to travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning to Sydney Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games.
