When did Meghan Markle learn to speak Spanish? Prince Harry sits with translator earpiece as his wife opens her speech in Colombia with a segment in Spanish… before jokily wiping her brow when it’s over

Meghan Markle showed off her ability to speak Spanish as she addressed the audience during her ‘Afro women and power’ talk in Colombia on Sunday. 

The Duchess of Sussex spoke at the event in the city of Cali’s theatre, accompanied by her husband Prince Harry who watched from the crowd. 

The Duke sat with a translator earpiece as his wife kicked off her talk with a segment in Spanish, calling Vice President Francia Marquesa ‘my friend’. 

Meghan studied at Northwestern’s School of Communication where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree as a double major in theatre and international studies.

She interned at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and studied abroad in Madrid in 2002, during which time she developed her Spanish speaking skills. 

In Madrid, the Duchess took five courses which were mainly taught in Spanish while staying with a host family. 

After opening in Spanish at her talk in Cali, Meghan gave a gesture of relief as she managed to speak the language after many years. 

She said: ‘I would like to begin in Spanish because we are in your country, my husband and I, and I can feel this embrace from Colombia. 

Meghan Markle speaks in Spanish during the Afro women and power debate in Cali, Colombia 

The Duchess of Sussex speaks at the event in Cali’s theatre, accompanied by her husband Prince Harry who watches from the crowd 

Meghan speaks as part of the panel during the Afro women and power debate in Cali 

Meghan speaks on stage during the Afro women and power debate in Cali

Meghan and Harry in the audience during their tour of Colombia  

Harry sits in the audience with an earpiece which translates the Spanish into English 

Meghan addresses the audience during the ‘Afro women and power’ forum in Cali 

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Francia Marquez Colombian vice president attend, and Binaifer Nowrojee, president of the Open Society Foundations

Harry smiles during a group photo after Meghan’s talk on Afro women in power 

‘It’s incredible, so many, many thanks, because the culture, the history, everything has been like a dream on this trip.

‘Sorry if my Spanish is not perfect because I learned it 20 years ago in Argentina, but I’m trying here because I can feel this community and this feeling which is the best in the world.’

She added: ‘So thank you very much to the vice president, my friend, many thanks.’

A Colombian journalist said: ‘For Meghan to say my friend in that way is such a powerful statement and shows just how close they have become. People will take note of that.’

Meghan then continued in English as she spoke about the inspirational women in her life, including her mother. 

The Duchess also gushed over her three-year-old daughter Lilibet, saying: ‘[I] encourage our daughter […] at three she has found her voice and we are so proud of that,’ she said. 

‘For me I find inspiration in so many of the strong women around me. My mother being one of them. Life is full of surprises and can be quite complex.’ 

Meghan continued: ‘Does it ever feel good to use your voice and no one hears you. That’s not ideal.

Meghan Markle on stage for the Afro women and power debate in Cali

Meghan (second left) speaks as part of the panel at the Afro women and power forum in Cali

Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez greets Colombia’s former Education Minister Aurora Vergara next to Harry and Meghan 

‘So for us and the work that we do with our Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents, as I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard, and also that young boys are being raised to listen and to hear those young women as well.

‘And the same goes for adult women and men. This isn’t something that can be solely responsible and in the hands of just women. 

‘Yes, we work incredibly well together as a team, but as my husband, is great testament to the role of men in this of empowering women, of allowing them to know that their voices are heard, starting at a young age all the way through adulthood, is key.

‘So at the Archewell Foundation, we are very, very dedicated to creating a sense of community, but also one in which women are heard and that their ideas are really felt and implemented in the programming that we do.

‘So we just recently launched a program called the parents network, which is for parents who have lost children or have encountered the worst possible challenges and level of grief as a result of online harms, and allowing those mothers, those parents, to be heard, is very key to the work that we’re doing.’