MEGHAN Markle says she wants “privacy” but then does “quasi-royal tours that make it all about her”, claims a royal expert.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just wound up their four-day tour of Colombia this week, which saw the mum-of-two showcase a £90,000 “tourdrobe” for her outings.
The trip saw Meghan and Harry visit the capital city Bogota, Cartagena de Indias on the Caribbean coast and the undisputed capital of salsa Cali.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, broadcaster Robert Jobson claimed that Meghan and Harry could have had a very similar tour had they remained in the royal family.
He said: “She could have had all that anyways, I was down when she went to Tonga, Fiji and all these places in Australia, she had a very good press there, and there were lots of changing of outfits.
“And even in South Africa, they had a pretty reasonable tour, I think was bad in terms of the other things that were going on.
“So what I don’t understand is, why?
“What is the point of saying you want privacy and doing things in a different way, and then just being all about you, rather than, you know, doing it to help your country and serve?”
Robert told The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson that it was “absurd” that Meghan was greeted by a curtsy when she arrived on the “faux-royal” tour, despite the couple stepping down as senior working royals in 2020.
He claimed: “One thing I think was a bit absurd was when she was greeted by the Vice President who she curtsied to her.
“Come on. If you’re no longer using the royal title and don’t want it to be seen as royal, then cut all that out.
“It’s ridiculous.”
The Colombia visit did give the couple chance to champion some topics that are key in their charitable foundation Archewell.
Harry and Meghan’s latest trip highlighted the military community and female empowerment, themes said to be close to their hearts.
The Archewell Foundation is currently working towards fostering a safer online environment with The Parents’ Network, pushing tech giants to take responsibility for children’s safety.
Their visit precedes another conference in Colombia in November which will tackle issues such as cyber-bullying, online exploitation, and the mental health impacts of these threats.
During the Colombia visit, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, who lives with Prince Harry, 39, and their two children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, in their £12million Montecito home, pulled out all the stops with her tour outfits.
She donned a total of 11 outfit changes, with her clothes and jewellery totalling £90,000, according to the Mail.
And that was without including her £120,000 engagement ring, which is said to be worth a lot more given its royal ties.
Her tour jewellery included Princess Diana‘s £17,800 Cartier watch and a £15,000 ‘Against Evil Eye’ bracelet by Lorraine Schwartz.
Meghan championed a number of Colombia designers for the trip, including wearing multiple pieces by Johanna Ortiz
She also interestingly wore a silk £597 chocolate brown shirt by none other than Victoria Beckham, appearing to be offering an olive branch following their rumoured feud.
After they stepped back from royal duties in January 2020, Prince Harry said in a Sentebale speech in Kensington that he hoped their decision would lead to a “more peaceful” life.
He said: “What I want to make clear is: we aren’t walking away and we are certainly not walking away from you.
“Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
“I’ve accepted this, knowing that 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 my family back from all I have ever known, to take a step forward into what I hope could be a more peaceful life.”
During her bombshell Oprah interview, Meghan said: “I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic.
“We’re not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn’t expect.”
But she refuted the idea that they stepped back because of “privacy” issues, saying: “They’ve created a false narrative. I’ve never talked about privacy.”
Instead, she claimed they wanted “boundaries” and “respect”.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.
“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.
“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
It comes as Meghan and Harry lost their chief-of-staff, Josh Kettler, just days before the couple’s Colombia trip.
Kettler left his role as Harry’s fixer after only three months.
The veteran PR supremo had reportedly been brought in to “guide Harry through his next phase”.
But the staff member stepped down after three months in the role in what Team Sussex insisted was a “mutual decision.”
And a friend of Prince Harry has claimed that he “desperately wants to be admired” like William and Kate and misses his home.
One close friend, who claims to still receive messages from Harry, has revealed the Prince, who used to be so happy-go-lucky, is missing Britain.
As reported by The Times, an old pal of the former royal claimed he’d rather be in the UK with “everyone loving him” as Prince William and Princess Kate are.
The pal told the outlet: “He has ended up isolated from his family and most of his old mates.
“He’s an angry boy. Things haven’t turned out how he wanted.
“Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.”
