Prince Harry, Meghan Markle blasted for ‘faux royal tour’ as experts accuse couple of exploiting titles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s so-called "faux royal tour" of Australia is drawing criticism, with royal insiders telling Fox News Digital that it is raising eyebrows behind palace doors.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday for their first trip down under since their official royal tour in 2018. The four-day visit to Australia is being described as privately funded by the Sussexes, who flew to Melbourne in business class from Los Angeles on a commercial Qantas Airways flight.
"The palace is unhappy about these rent-a-royal tours because it blatantly disregards the late queen’s very specific instruction that there can be no half-in, half-out for the Sussexes," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.
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"All they are doing in Australia is monetizing their titles and clinging to royal relevance, even though most of Prince Harry’s family refuse to take his phone calls," Schofield claimed.
"The purpose of the Australian tour is monetary, but it is also to look like royals because the world has rejected Harry and Meghan as reality stars and podcasters. Their relevance remains through their proximity to the British royal family. The royal family thinks it’s disrespectful."
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard agreed.
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"This faux royal roadshow elevates the Sussex brand while undermining the very institution that gave them the platform," she claimed. "The Australians are asking: Who exactly is this tour for?"
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. There is no official palace response or endorsement issued on the visit, as Harry and Meghan are not working royals.
Schofield and Chard’s statements came shortly after royal writer Robert Hardman, author of "The Windsor Legacy," told Page Six that Harry and Meghan’s trip may leave palace aides perplexed, even annoyed.
"I’m sure [Buckingham Palace] would prefer that Harry and Meghan weren’t going, but there’s not a lot they can do about it," he said ahead of their journey. "They have no control. There will undoubtedly be a sense of confusion about what Harry and Meghan are there for … this trip may stick in the gullet of the palace."
The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California.
Public complaints emerged about the added security costs for police agencies as the couple visited Melbourne and Canberra, with Sydney marking the final leg of their trip. Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper described the latest visit as a "faux royal tour to shore up Brand Sussex."
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A spokesperson for the couple rejected the claim that the couple’s visit was a publicity tour.
"The program is rooted in long-standing areas of work for the Duke and the Duchess, with a clear focus on amplifying organizations delivering measurable impact," their office said in a statement. "The visit prioritizes listening, learning and supporting communities rather than promotion."
The statement noted that their agenda includes "a small number of private engagements" to "support broader charitable and commercial objectives."
On Thursday, Harry is scheduled to give the keynote address at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit. Page Six reported in-person tickets cost $706. Sales support community education programs, crisis support and suicide prevention initiatives, the outlet shared.
Meghan is also set to speak at a girls’ weekend retreat in Sydney. Tickets for the "intimate, luxury weekend," organized by Gemma O’Neill of the "Her Best Life" podcast, have a price tag of $2,699 per person. The VIP experience, priced at $3,199 per person, includes a group table photo with the former American actress.
"A paid selfie with your favorite celebrity is a Comic-Con opportunity, not a British royal family move," said Schofield, calling the move "tacky."
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"Harry and Meghan’s pseudo-royal tour down under is making noise, but not the kind they might want," said Chard. "Behind the photo ops, the public mood reads more like disinterest laced with disdain. The big question on everyone’s lips: Why are they here?"
"This isn’t an official royal visit," said Chard. "It’s a commercial hybrid dressed in palace clothing. Harry’s a paid speaker at a mental health leadership summit. Meghan’s headlining a women’s retreat, eyeing the shelves for her As Ever jam and wares. They are pushing their platforms all while trading on the royal family they left behind."
Page Six reported that Meghan, 44, is expected to hold meetings about launching her lifestyle brand, As Ever. The outlet noted she has trademarked 12 products in Australia. On April 15, Australia’s 10 News also announced that Meghan would appear on "MasterChef Australia" as a guest judge.
The Sussexes appear to be pushing back against claims that they are exploiting their royal titles.
Their first public engagement was at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. As they entered the hospital foyer, they shook hands with dozens of well-wishers while being filmed by hundreds of onlookers’ phones.
Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, opened the facility in 1963. His parents, Princess Diana and the former Prince Charles, visited it in 1985.
Meghan also visited a women’s shelter, while the couple spent time with a veterans’ art community in Melbourne. Harry, 41, also stopped by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The two are set to team up for an Invictus Australia sailing event.
Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, where sick and injured military personnel and veterans compete in adaptive sports.
"There’s a philanthropic fig leaf, but it’s messy," Chard said. "They’re not working royals. These are all worthy causes, but the optics scream ‘royal tour with the palace,’ with Archewell philanthropies as the shield."
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claimed to Fox News Digital that two key senior royals will be following the usual mantra instilled by the late queen to keep calm and carry on.
"Prince William will almost certainly oppose the couple’s attempt to ease themselves back into some sort of relationship with the royal family as he doesn’t trust them," he claimed. "Since this is one of the king’s realms, and there is enormous media interest in the visit, it is bound to concern the palace. This is similar, in many ways, to an actual royal tour."
"The king has to ignore the Sussexes at this pivotal moment, or he risks being distracted from a very important meeting between him and President Trump," Schofield pointed out, referring to the monarch’s upcoming visit to the U.S.
"Any mention of Harry takes away from a crucial assignment from the British government," she warned.
But Fitzwilliams pointed out that if the Sussexes play their cards right, the Australia tour could spark peace talks with the royal family.
"As head of the armed forces, and the Invictus Games being a fine military charity, the king may feel it’s his duty to open the Games," said Fitzwilliams, noting that the next event is being held in Birmingham in 2027.
"This could mean reconciliation, or it could open Pandora’s box," said Fitzwilliams.
Royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that William and Harry are not on speaking terms. Sources close to Harry previously told People magazine that King Charles wasn’t responding to the Duke of Sussex's letters or phone calls.
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Whether the trip ultimately proves successful or not for the Sussexes, it gives royal watchers a glimpse into their futures, said Schofield.
"I think paid appearances are Harry and Meghan’s reality for now," she said. "Meghan is back to working the gig economy, which she was familiar with as an actress. Chasing paycheck to paycheck."