Why Experts Think Meghan And Harry's Upcoming Trip Is So Problematic
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's upcoming UK visit sees the couple returning to their former home for the first time since attending the queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this summer. People confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a number of events scheduled for next month, all in support of their favorite charitable causes.
The couple will kick things off in Manchester on Sept. 5, 2022, at the One Young World summit before traveling to Germany for the Invictus Games' One Year to Go event the following day. Finally, they'll head back to Britain for the Well Child Awards on Sept. 8.
Just last month, Page Six shot down previous reports about the Sussexes being invited to spend part of the summer holidays with the queen at her Scottish estate, Balmoral. Evidently, the relationship between the couple and the rest of the royal family is still considerably strained.
Further, The Sun confirmed that Meghan and Harry don't have any plans to visit William and Catherine while they're in the UK, despite taking up residence just a short walk from where the Cambridges will soon be living full-time, on Her Majesty's Windsor estate. And, now, a royal expert warns that their upcoming visit could cause even more issues with the queen.
The queen may take offense to the Sussexes' hybrid approach
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming whistle-stop UK tour may be more problematic than it appears on the surface. As one former Buckingham Palace staffer put it to The Daily Beast, "The chutzpah of those two is unreal." As they explained, "Their proposal for being hybrid working royals was comprehensively rejected [at the Sandringham Summit], but it looks like they are just going ahead and doing it anyway."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who left the royal family and relocated to California in early 2020, briefly toyed with the idea of a "half-in, half-out role," as The Guardian reported at the time, but they were told it was all or nothing.
However, Queen Elizabeth's office dismissed speculation that the palace isn't happy about the Sussexes' upcoming visit. In fact, insiders informed The Daily Beast that they were notified in advance. Her Majesty will be too busy to see them, but she may be unhappy they are stealing focus regardless.
Harry's former biographer, Duncan Larcombe, pointed out that much of the work they're doing overlaps with events the couple would've attended as working royals, which may blur the lines.
"They will be all over the media, and you won't be able to put a cigarette paper between what Harry and Meghan are doing and what Will and Kate are doing," he said. "It's a calculated provocation on their part. They are seriously pushing their luck and risking the wrath of the queen."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had a difficult time at the Platinum Jubilee
In his shocking tell-all tome, royal biographer Tom Bower claimed that the queen has been tired of dealing with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's drama for a while. Per Newsweek, Her Majesty was relieved when the duchess was too pregnant to make the trip over for Prince Philip's memorial service.
Moreover, according to Bower, she purposely seated them out of the way at the thanksgiving service during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations to prevent them from stealing the spotlight. He notes: "Meghan and Harry were late to get to St Paul's Cathedral deliberately so that they could make their own grand entrance."
The celebrity couple wasn't pleased when they learned where they'd be sitting, either. The Queen reportedly stopped the Sussexes from overshadowing her Jubilee in several different ways. And, when it came down to it, she only spent a paltry 15 minutes with Meghan and Harry, according to The Sun. Suffice to say, it's been rough between them for a while.
Hopefully, the Sussexes' upcoming visit doesn't make things worse, since The Daily Beast suggests that, if the queen is annoyed enough by their behavior, she could actually choose to sanction them for violating the terms of their departure from the royal family.