Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Colombia after v...

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have a fan in Francia Márquez!

On Aug. 15, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially kicked off their trip to Colombia at the invitation of Márquez, the country’s vice president and the first Black woman to hold the position. During a press conference held on the same day, the politician opened up about the provenance of the trip and revealed that she learned more about the couple through their docuseries Harry & Meghan, which debuted on Netflix in December 2022.

“How did I get to know Meghan and Harry? I first encountered them through the media, and I particularly watched the Netflix series about their lives and their story, which deeply moved me,” Márquez said.

The vice president continued, “It motivated me to say, ‘This is a woman who deserves to visit our country and share her story,’ and undoubtedly, her visit will strengthen so many women around the world.”

The six-part Harry & Meghan, which chronicled the couple’s childhoods, courtship and step back from their royal roles, became the biggest documentary debut week in the history of the streaming service, with which the couple signed a multiyear deal in 2020.

Márquez, who also serves as Colombia’s Minister for Equality and Equity, further revealed that she previously invited the Duchess of Sussex to get involved with a “Day of Afro-descendant Women,” which is commemorated annually on July 25, but Meghan was unable to make it.

“At that time, we sent her an invitation letter, and she responded saying that she couldn’t come but was very eager to visit and get to know our country,” Márquez said.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria on May 10, 2024. 

Meghan previously revealed that she learned that she is 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test and told PEOPLE that it meant much to connect with her heritage during her trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry in May. Meghan expressed her eagerness to delve deeper into her Nigerian heritage and to share the knowledge with her 5-year-old son Prince Archie, her 3-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet and her mother, Doria Ragland.

“It had so much personal meaning for me,” the Duchess of Sussex said in the spring about the couple’s visit to the African country. On Mother’s Day, the last day of their stay, she found it poignant to be learning more about “my heritage, that I’m able to share with my children,” she said. “That’s such a special thing as a mother to know you can do.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their trip to Colombia with a welcome from Márquez and her husband, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, around 9 a.m. local time at the vice president’s residence. Prince Harry and Meghan are then spending the first day of their stay at an Insight Session at a school in Bogotá before attending a summit of experts, activists and community members working to create more positive online environments.

Meghan Markle and Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez in Colombia on Aug. 15, 2024. 

Prince Harry and Meghan are due to continue in Bogotá on Aug. 16, meeting students to highlight emotional well-being in education, attending a luncheon hosted by Vice President Márquez and meeting some of Colombia’s Invictus Games competitors. Colombia became the first South American country to participate in Prince Harry’s international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans in Germany last year.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to visit Cartagena and Cali during the trip.