Rabat: Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visited an equestrian club in Morocco on Monday where horses are providing a source of therapy for young people with disabilities.
The royal couple, on their last official foreign tour before becoming parents, petted the horses and strolled hand in hand through the stables.
A heavily pregnant Meghan, wearing her hair in a pony tail, swapped her flowing beige dress of the previous evening for casual black jeans, a Breton striped shirt, green jacket and ankle boots.
Harry also dressed down with grey jeans, a light blue shirt and a black padded jacket for the visit to the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports in Sale in the outskirts of Rabat.
They appeared relaxed as they stroked horses poking their heads out of the stable doors in the morning sunshine.
A joking Harry asked if anyone had any carrots to feed to them and confided that he missed his own horses.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, met workers and disabled young people grooming horses to hear how spending time with the animals helps them to face their challenges.
Meghan chatted with several children and young adults including Zakaria, a 20-year-old with mobility problems who become an IT instructor with help from equine therapy.
At a later event the couple sampled Moroccan cuisine - which Meghan declared “delicious” - and heard how cooking is being used to help underprivileged children.
They teased a group of orphans visibly petrified by their presence in the gardens of the Villa des Ambassadors hotel in Rabat.
It is the first royal visit to Morocco since Prince Charles and Camilla visited the kingdom in 2011.
The focus of the three-day trip is on initiatives promoting girls’ education, women’s empowerment and the inclusion of people with disabilities.
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On Sunday the couple travelled to the foothills of the High Atlas mountains to visit a project that provides free accommodation for girls to give them access to education.
The American former actress received a henna tattoo during a traditional ceremony for pregnant women in the North African country.
The royals watched students playing a football match and spoke to teachers before returning to the capital to attend a reception at which they met several female entrepreneurs.
