Baby Archie makes rare public appearance in South Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Baby Archie made a rare public appearance on Wednesday as his parents, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, continued their first official tour as a family in South Africa.
Meghan held Archie as the royal couple met with Nobel Peace Prize winner and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town.
The youngest member of Britain's royal family had been out of the spotlight since his christening in July. Archie, born in May, is the first child of Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle and seventh in line to the British throne.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 25: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor at a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their r
Tutu greeted the baby with a delighted smile.
"It's very heartwarming, let me tell you, very heartwarming to realize that you really, genuinely are caring people," he told the royal couple, according to a statement by his Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
"We all try to make things better," Harry replied.
The royal couple posted on social media a photo of the 87-year-old archbishop giving Archie a gentle kiss on the forehead.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 25: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex holds her baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor at a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on Sept
"Thank you Archbishop Tutu for your incredibly warm hospitality, Archie loved meeting you!" they wrote.
Gifts for the baby included children's books written and signed by the archbishop.
Tutu, who has been treated for prostate cancer for years, rarely makes public appearances. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end the system of white minority rule, or apartheid, and promote racial reconciliation in South Africa, and he has lent his moral stature to causes and campaigns around the world over the years.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 25: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks to Archbishop Desmond Tutu while holding her baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, during a visit to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of Sout
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 25: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of Sou
Tutu and his wife, Leah, last week called a meeting with the royal couple a "rare privilege and honor."
The 10-day, multi-country tour also includes stops for Harry in Botswana, Angola and Malawi with a focus on wildlife protection, mental health and mine clearance — a topic given global attention by Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, when she walked through an active mine field during an Africa visit years ago.