The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were criticised for “contradicting themselves” by a royal commentator.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been brutally savaged by a royal commentator over contradicting themselves regarding their possible future unofficial royal tours.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria for three days in May, with the couple hinting at more tours in the future.
At the time, Harry told People magazine: “It is hugely important for us to meet directly with people, supporting our causes and listening, in order to bring about solutions, support and positive change.”
He added: “There’s only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to travelling more because the work matters.
“Whether it’s the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Nigeria in May
But now a royal commentator based in Australia has blasted the couple’s plans and called them out for “contradicting themselves”, because they highlighted their need for privacy on several occasions.
Sky News Australia contributor Louise Roberts said more tours around the world would put them in the spotlight, contrary to the “more peaceful life” they sought to have.
The couple were known to have stepped back from senior royals for a life of privacy in the US. So far, details of which country they will visit next, or when they may embark on such a trip, is unknown.
Ms Roberts said: “In May, after their successful ‘faux royal tour’, Harry made the comment that they want to do more of this, so there’s the people who were obsessed with their privacy, but a world tour of course is a direct contradiction to that.”
She added: “We have no details of where they’ll go, they can’t go where Charles and Camilla will go, obviously they can’t come to Australia. What would the upshot be? Will it just be another branding exercise? Another Netflix exercise? Who knows. Is it just material, or is it actually getting to meet the people of the Commonwealth?”
Back in 2021 and during the couple’s infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said all she and Harry wanted after they quit the Royal Family and moved to America in 2020 was a “basic right to privacy”.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit the Royal Family in 2020 (Image: Getty)
She said: “I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic. We’re not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn’t expect.”
While the couple’s official statement in January 2020 made no mention of privacy but announced their plans to step down as senior working royals, the Duchess told Oprah that “they’ve [the media] created a false narrative. I’ve never talked about privacy”.
She said that the couple wanted “boundaries” and “respect”, explaining: “There’s no one who’s on Instagram or social media that would say: ‘Because I shared this one picture, that entitles you to have my entire camera roll. Go ahead and look through it.’
“No one would want that. So it’s about boundaries. And it’s about respect.”
Earlier in January 2020, during a speech to the Sentebale charity, Harry said: “I’ve accepted this knowing it doesn’t change who I am, or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to, that I would step back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.”
