Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Face Criticism For Upcoming Nigeria Trip
As well as being accused of "exploiting" the titles which were given to them by the late Queen Elizabeth II when they got married, the Spare author and former Suits actress are accused of competing with the royal family over Commonwealth countries.
Royal author Tom Bower criticized the couple for "playing the royal card," telling The Daily Mail that this trip is quite controversial because they asked for privacy all those years ago, but shamelessly rely on their royal connections to make money.
"Playing the 'Royal Card' has become Meghan's and Harry's income lifeline. Once again, the 'privacy-seeking' couple are exploiting the family they have outrageously denounced to pump up their publicity," Bower said. He added: "Undoubtedly, the trip will be financed by the Nigerian government. Their motives, as members of the Commonwealth, remain obscure."
Royal author Phil Dampier – who regularly voices his opinions on Prince Harry and Meghan – once again didn't hesitate to comment. He said he believes it's quite ironic that the couple are doing the things they said they were keen to step away from. He also thought the couple may be trying "to set up a rival court, their own royal roadshow."
"It's ironic that the late Queen wanted Harry and Meghan to very much be her ambassadors throughout the Commonwealth and spread goodwill among its fifty or so nations, but they didn't want to do it as royals," Dampier told the pub. "Now they are happy to pick and choose invitations they receive from these countries. They did so in Jamaica and now plan to travel to Nigeria, a country his mother Diana toured with the King in the early 1990s."
"They are in effect trying to set up a rival court, their own royal roadshow, and I think people can see through it," he continued. "They heavily criticized the monarchy and the Commonwealth in their Netflix shows and Harry's book Spare, yet they are happy to be invited simply because of their royal connections."
A third royal expert also chimed in, with Richard Fitzwilliams suggesting that the couple need to make sure they don't put a foot wrong on their trip. "The Sussexes' behavior during their visit will be watched with care, as the comments about the Commonwealth in their documentary Harry and Meghan, for Netflix, were far from flattering," he said.
"If there is to be any healing of the rift in the royal family, they must avoid any comment or action that might be construed as being detrimental to the monarchy and to its pivotal links with the Commonwealth," Fitzwilliams added.
Internet Reactions
@Royalstoryuk shared an Instagram post about the controversial trip on April 28th with the caption: "Non-working Royals Harry and Meghan will tour Commonwealth nation Nigeria." And understandably there were a lot of negative reactions.
One critic thought the trip was "all for Netflix cameras!" as another agreed, writing, "Netflix deal," followed by the vomiting emoji.
"So much for a private life!" exclaimed another, followed by the crying laughing emoji. "Two of the world's biggest attention seekers," they added. "But I thought they wanted a private life," echoed another user, as many others referenced the fact that their trip is unofficial due to them no longer being working royals.
"They are commoners now! Just ordinary people. No one cares about them," slammed another Insta user. Someone else recalled: "Queen Elizabeth said 'it is not possible' for the Sussexes 'to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.' They clapped back with 'service is universal.' It was them trying to be smart but failed to understand it was the Queen's polite way of saying you're fired as you don't live up to the duties and responsibilities. They have been pretending ever since."