Meghan Markle visit to Fiji market cut short by crowd management concerns

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Large crowds cut Meghan Markle's visit short to Fiji market

Throngs of greeters filled the relatively cramped market forcing Markle to leave early due to security concerns. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a 16-day South Pacific tour.

Meghan Markle’s visit to an indoor market in Fiji was cut short Wednesday over concerns about the location’s security.

The Duchess of Sussex was hurried through Suva Market in the nation’s capital, where throngs of greeters filled the enclosed and relatively dark space. The large crowd spilled out into surrounding streets.

Spending only about half of her allocated 15 minutes in the market, Meghan chatted with one vendor and briefly greeted others in the crowd before security personnel whisked her away. The Duchess’ visit was rushed due to crowd management issues, a Kensington Palace spokeswoman said.

Meghan had visited Suva Market to meet some of the female vendors who have been involved in the U.N. Women project "Markets for Change." Vendors were selling watermelons, pineapples and other fruit at the market, as well as handicrafts and fans.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, unveils a plaque during a dedication of the Colo-i-Suva forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy in Suva, Fiji, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Associated Press)

As Meghan, who is four months pregnant, toured the market, her husband, Prince Harry, was unveiling a plaque at a forest home to species such as the Fiji tree frog. The couple were on the ninth day of their 16-day tour of the South Pacific.

On Tuesday, the Duchess and Prince were welcomed to the island in the same way Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, Prince Phillip, were welcomed in 1954. The couple attended a state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel later that night.

"This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couple," Harry said. "My grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years. But this visit is also an opportunity to learn more about the future of Fiji, your economic growth, sustainable tourism development and social enterprises."

The couple was scheduled to visit Tonga on Thursday before making a return trip to Sydney. The Duchess and Prince will then close their trip with a four-day visit to New Zealand.

Fox News’ Morgan M. Evans and the Associated Press contributed to this report.