Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly have plans to embark on a “world tour” after their successful Nigeria visit but the Sussexes are unofficially barred from travelling to Australia.
News Corp columnist Angela Mollard has reacted to reports of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s rumoured world tour.
“Look, a world tour, it’s not going to happen,” she told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo.
“Whatever they do, it has to be purposeful, and it has to mean something.
“Whatever they do choose to do, it has to be anchored and purposeful.”
The Sussexes travelled to the west African nation last month for a whirlwind visit which allegedly infuriated King Charles, who feared the former working royals were trying to undermine the monarchy in the Commonwealth.
However, the trip was seen as a public relations success for Harry and Meghan amid their lagging celebrity four years after stepping back from royal duties.
Royal reporter Louise Roberts believes the Sussexes are emboldened to embark on a “world tour” after the successful Nigeria visit but slammed the couple for their previous claims of wanting “privacy”.
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The Sussexes are unable to visit Australia in the near term because an unofficial visit could clash with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s upcoming tour. Picture by Andrew Chin/Getty Images.
“In May, after Nigeria, and that was a successful faux royal tour for them, let’s face it, Harry made the comment they want to do more of this,” she told Sky News Australia’s Royal Report on Sunday night.
“(Harry and Meghan) are obsessed with privacy but a world tour is a direct contradiction.”
According to Ms Roberts, the Sussexes are unable to travel to Australia in the near term because an unofficial visit could clash with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s upcoming tour of the country in October.
“They can’t go where Charles and Camilla will go – they can’t go to Australia,” she revealed.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are reportedly set embark on a scaled down trip to Australia in October, amid doctor’s fears for the monarch’s health. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Fellow royal insider Angela Mollard joked that the Sussexes may struggle to draw a crowd, particularly if they travel to non-Commonwealth nations.
“I want it to happen just to how many people turn up,” she said.
“I want to see them go to Iceland to see if people show up.”
Ms Roberts also slammed the Sussexes’ extraordinary plans and pointed out that even working royals do no embark on multi-stop worldwide tours.
(L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and first lady Juliet Holness. Picture: Getty.
“Even the actual Royals don’t do worldwide tours,” she said.
Harry and Meghan no longer represent the monarchy abroad and it is understood they accepted the Nigeria trip after meeting Nigerian officials in Germany last year.
Nevertheless, the couple appear to be using the visits not to shore up relations for the monarchy but possibly to set up their own rival court.
The couple also visited Jamaica – which does still count King Charles as head of state – earlier this year amid growing speculation the Caribbean nation will soon become a republic.