Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been accused of wasteful spending after figures suggested their trip to Colombia cost the country around £6,500 per day.

Criticism was levelled at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip by Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal, who slammed the exercise as “Royal wasteful spending”, reported Semana.

The senator also criticised Vice President Francia Marquez for inviting the couple after watching their Netflix series.

They added: “After Francia Márquez saw the story of Harry and Meghan on Netflix, she brought them to Colombia for seven days at a daily cost of no less than 34,892,186 pesos (6,426 GBP) money that belongs to Colombians.”

According to figures, Harry and Meghan’s short visit cost around £45,000 in total, for a country currently struggling with several problems, including a healthcare crisis.

This isn’t the first time that Harry and Meghan’s trip to Colombia has been criticised. Earlier this year, local media claimed that the security alone for the pair had cost around £1.5m.

In a report since taken down by CW Noticias, it was claimed that around 3,000 personnel were deployed to keep Harry and Meghan safe during their stay.

Following their visit, a right-wing councillor for the city of Cali Andres Escobar retweeted the now-deleted claims and said: “We continue with an ancient practice: handing over our resources in exchange for smoke and mirrors.

“Billions that could have been used to expand coverage of children’s soup kitchens, pay salaries for community mothers, seed capital for Afro communities or adapt sports venues that are practically in ruins.”

Back in the UK, members of the British public have also been critical of Harry and Meghan’s visit to the South American country. Underneath a recent poll on the impact of the couple’s trip, one user wrote: “[Harry and Meghan] are not working royals and as such this is not a Royal Tour.

“It is simply a freebie holiday to keep them in the limelight which is paramount to them, without which they would be what they actually are, nonentities.”

Another added: “They are not touring like the Royals. No protocol. No dress code. This tour is to promote them, nothing to do with the UK government or King Charles himself. Just remember that.”

Whilst Harry and Meghan have been criticised for their Colombia trip, not everyone has been negative about the couple’s visit to the nation.

In some corners, Harry and Meghan have been praised, with Chris Ship saying that the tour was “great PR” for the couple after a tumultuous few months.

Meanwhile, former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond has also defended the couple. Speaking to OK!, she said: “It’s becoming their signature look…arriving hand in hand, Harry looking pretty casual, Meghan looking sharp, stylish and glamorous.

“So far it has all the hallmarks of a quasi-royal tour… An official welcome from the VP (a slight downgrade on a presidential welcome), a cultural event to follow… And then the serious business of the discussions about online dangers for children.”

Despite the praise, many have honed in on the negatives of Harry and Meghan’s visit with others suggesting that it may have revealed something about the Duke of Sussex.

Royal expert Matt Wilkinson told True Royalty TV that Harry once again looked like a “spare” in comparison to Meghan.

He explained: “Harry looked a little bit grumpy. May I use his vocabulary – he perhaps looked a bit like ‘the spare!’.

“A lot of it was about Meghan. A lot of the images and the words sent out to us via the [Sussex] press office, [not] just by a pool reporter… it was all about Meghan.

“The whole thing was created about Meghan. I think it’s really telling that he’s going to New York without Meghan. Last time they went there, there was this whole fiasco with this catastrophic car chase, because it was a red carpet event that his wife was going to.”