Buckingham Palace Just Announced Harry, Meghan and Archie's First Big Royal Family Tour

Hear ye, hear ye: Buckingham Palace just announced the first big royal tour for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and royal baby Archie...and the new family of three is headed to Africa this fall.

The Sussexes (yep, even newborn baby Archie) will travel to Africa, visiting the countries of Angola, Malawi and South Africa later this year, according to ITV. During the tour, Harry and Markle will carry out the legacy of Princess Diana’s humanitarian work by spending time on the continent she loved and often traveled to.

In Malawi, Prince Harry will continue his work with his Sentebale charity, which focuses on supporting children affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi. In Angola, Harry and Meghan will further the work of Harry's mother, Princess Diana. Just a few months before her tragic death, the late princess was pictured wearing a visor and walking through a field of active mines in the country when one detonated nearby. Diana sought to bring awareness to the presence of land mines in civil-war-torn areas.

Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday that Harry will attend a conference on land mines in London ahead of the tour, which is expected to take place this fall.

While ITV states the royal parents are still deciding whether to bring baby Archie along due to the security risks of an extended overseas trip, The Daily Mail reports that the littlest royal will accompany his parents on the South Africa portion of the royal tour, making him one of the youngest royals to ever embark on an official royal tour.

According to royal correspondent Ricard Eden via the Mail, "officials in South Africa have been told to expect a visit by Prince Harry, Meghan and baby Archie later this year," and that "early preparations have begun" for the Sussexes' visit.

Back in April, The Daily Mail reported that Meghan and Harry would not only be traveling to Africa, but would also be moving to the continent sometime in 2020 for only “a few months.” 

Royal correspondent Rebecca English tweeted: “Harry & Meghan plan a secondment to Africa. Couple hope to spend ‘a few months’ working on the ground with their young family. Sources deny this is due to any rift, but part of their long terms plans.” 

Shortly after the rumors started swirling, officials at Buckingham broke their silence and issued a statement on the matter, in which they all but confirmed a plan like this was or is in the works.

“Any future plans for The Duke and Duchess are speculative at this stage,” the statement from BP read, according to royal reporter Richard Palmer. “No decisions have been taken about future roles. The Duke will continue to fulfill his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.”

If Buckingham isn’t flat out denying the reports, you can bet your bottom dollar (er, pound) it’s been discussed as an actual possibility.

For now, however, it seems the Royal Tour of Africa is definitely happening, and baby Archie is along for the ride.