Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'creating difficulties' for the Royal Family with latest move

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's latest move will 'create difficulties' for the Royal Family

Reuters
Holly Bishop

By Holly Bishop


Published: 07/08/2024

- 10:23

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been labelled 'unpredictable'

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are “creating difficulties” and could upstage the Royal Family with their latest move, according to a royal commentator.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced earlier this month that they would be taking an unofficial royal tour to Colombia in November. Francia Marquez, the Vice President of Colombia, said the couple will be visiting the country at her personal invitation.


The tour follows their successful trip to Nigeria back in May, which appeared to be royal in all but name.

However, a royal commentator has speculated that their next “faux royal tour” could cause a ruckus in the Firm.

Prince Harry and Meghan MarklePrince Harry and Meghan Markle's latest move will 'create difficulties' for the Royal FamilyReuters

Richard Fitzwilliams said the move could likely be troublesome for the Royal Family, as it will upstage them as none of their events are able to “attract attention on the same level”.

He told The Sun: “I think when you have former senior working members of the Royal Family do what the Royal Family would like to do, I do think it will create difficulties. Because the problem is that the Sussexes are so unpredictable.

“The problem with the Royal Family at the moment is that they are simply not able to do something which attracts attention on the same level – and attention is important if you’re royal.”

He referenced Princess Kate and King Charles’ cancer diagnoses earlier this year, which has taken them out of the spotlight and left a “vacuum” of which other senior royals are struggling to fill.

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\u200bBritain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in Lagos, NigeriaPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in Lagos, NigeriaReuters
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently travelled to Nigeria in a quasi-royal tour

Getty

“The institution does need this oxygen. There’s also no doubt that Harry and Meghan discovered this in what I would describe as their faux royal tour to Nigeria,” he said.

Fitzwilliam said that to match the Sussexes, the Royal Family would need an enormous amount of publicity, of which he doubts the Firm could match.

Insiders have claimed that the couple are “portraying themselves like royals”, a move that has left many courtiers in the Royal Family displeased.

One former courtier said: “I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the King and for very long-established ways of doing things.

“Royal tours have always, always been about diplomacy, building bridges and reinforcing friendships on behalf of Britain.

“This tour may well have the noblest intentions, but it is clearly not being carried out on behalf of Britain, and yet they still basically portray themselves as British royals.”

Prince Harry and Meghan MarklePrince Harry and Meghan Markle received lots of praise during their Nigeria tourGetty
Navy soldiers patrol a street in the port city of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia

Navy soldiers on patrol a street in the port city of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia

Getty

They continued to tell The Daily Beast: “It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible.”

Colombia is an unlikely choice for travel as it has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Concerns have been raised over the couple's safety as both the UK and US Governments have issued travel alerts for the country amid the risk of terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping.

The decision has sparked confusion for some after Harry revealed in an interview last month that he would not bring his family back to the UK due to safety reasons.

Speaking to GB News, royal commentator Charles Rae said: “I can't quite believe it. Yesterday when I heard the news, I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1.

“They've accepted this invitation to Colombia. The UK Foreign Office advises against travel to certain parts of Colombia. Cali, which is one of the places where they're going, being one of them.

“The United States goes even further and says citizens, please change your plans if you're going to Columbia because of the civil unrest and possibly of kidnapping.

“I'm not suggesting that Harry and Meghan are in any danger of being kidnapped because they'll have total security. But this is ridiculous.

“This guy is fighting Britain because he says it's too dangerous for him to bring his wife here.”

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