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OMG! Archie Is Going to Africa for His First Royal Tour—Here's When and How Long His Trip Will Be

Grab your Coppertone baby lotion and your cutest rattle, because Archie's headed to Africa.

On June 27, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's @SussexRoyal Instagram account officially confirmed the family of three is headed on a royal tour of southern Africa this fall. This means baby Archie is making history as one of the youngest royals to ever embark on a royal tour at age 5-6 months (depending on when they depart). The previous record holder: Prince George, at only 8 months when the Cambridges took him to Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

"This will be their first official tour as a family!" the caption exclaims. Archie, ready thy royal passport!

The royal tour of Africa will include visits to South Africa, Malawi and Angola. The duke will also stop in Botswana for a "short working visit...en route to other countries."

Now, new details have been released via royal biographer Katie Nicholl. In her recent Vanity Fair article, Nicholl wrote that the southern Africa tour will last two weeks and take place in October, and that the Sussexes have hired a brand-new nanny ahead of the trip.

According to Entertainment Tonight, the new nanny is British and not living full-time with the couple yet, but Nicholl reports that their Frogmore Cottage renovations included creating a room for a live-in nanny. Reportedly, this is the Sussexes' third nanny hire since Archie's birth on May 6. 

In mid-June, reports surfaced of an upcoming Africa tour for the Sussexes. Then, on June 26, South Africa's British High Commissioner Nigel Casey confirmed the rumors during an announcement at a press conference in London. He said the trip would be a "short one" and that it would begin "this autumn."

Casey also joked about that well-known "Markle Sparkle" effect, saying it was "great news for us" and "good news for the South African economy." 

"I predict a hat and frock buying frenzy...which could restore economic growth all on its own," Casey said.

Once again, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed off their love of emojis in their latest post by using the countries' flags to highlight their royal tour stops...and we see you, Meghan the caption-writer.

The Sussexes' post also highlights the reason for their trip, with many wondering whether Harry would travel to places where his late mother, Princess Diana, carried out much of her conservation work and charitable efforts abroad.

"The Duke and Duchess are really looking forward to meeting so many of you on the ground and continuing to raise awareness of the high impact work local communities are doing across the Commonwealth and beyond," the caption continues.

Yep, forget steps. We're all about the hashtag #BabysFirstRoyalTour. (And fingers are crossed the palace releases his passport pics.)



RF1

Director, Branded Content + Cohost, Royally Obsessed Podcast

As Director of Branded Content at Gallery Media Group, Roberta helps oversee the ideation and execution of sponsored content and experiential campaigns across PureWow and ONE37pm...