Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ongoing tour of Australia supposedly “irritated” Buckingham Palace, an insider has claimed.
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrap up the third day of their visit—their first to Australia since 2018—the couple travelled through Melbourne and Canberra, with a final stop in Sydney scheduled for Friday.
Weekend reports suggest the visit will be used as a “blueprint” for a future trip to the UK, with Harry meeting his father just once in the last two years and Meghan not setting foot in the country since the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.
The pair are said to be considering returning to Harry’s homeland in 2027, as the Invictus Games kicks off in Birmingham.
However, as Harry and Meghan prepare to wrap up their first visit to Australia since 2018, insiders have told The Daily Mail that the private tour has irked the Palace.
“What we are seeing shows why the Queen [Elizabeth] was right not to allow Harry and Meghan to mix money-making with royal duties,” one friend of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, claimed.
Meghan is reportedly receiving a whopping $355,000 (£185,000) to appear at a three-day wellness gathering organised by the “Her Best Life” podcast.
GB News understands Harry received no financial incentive for his speech on mental health in the workplace on Thursday.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ongoing tour of Australia has reportedly ‘irritated’ Buckingham Palace, according to insider claims
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PA
Another well-placed source said: ”While I am not going to speculate on what Her Late Majesty would have thought about all this, I can tell you with utmost certainty that this is exactly what she tried to ensure wouldn’t happen.”
A third insider detailed how the Palace would be feeling about the trip: “It’s clearly irritating, but the feeling is that the institution just needs to roll with the punches in order to keep moving forward.”
The couple has embarked on multiple personal and joint engagements during their trip so far.
The couple have embarked on multiple personal and joint engagements during their Australia trip so far
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PA
Meghan Markle joined AI-powered fashion platform OneOff as a participant and investor during the trip
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GETTYMeghan also featured as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, where she stepped into a role previously occupied by members of the Royal Family, such as then-Prince Charles.
Thursday saw the couple embark on an Aboriginal walk, where they took selfies with stunned onlookers, before the duke and duchess addressed a crowd of young mental health advocates in Melbourne.
Meghan also claimed she is “the most trolled person in the world”.
The Sussexes walked away from royal duties back in 2020.