PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle will go anywhere on more “faux royal tours”, an expert has claimed.
The Sussexes are flying to Colombia today for their latest tour which includes trips to capital Bogotá and Pacific regions Cartagena and Cali.
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The pair are set to “experience the rich heritage of Colombia” in a visit that has been branded a “faux-royal” tour after an invite from the country’s Vice President Francia Márquez.
And royal expert Victoria Murphy spoke to Matt Wilkinson on the Royal Exclusive show about the couple’s Colombian tour.
She was asked whether anyone could now invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to come to their country to add a “little bit of royal stardust”.
Victoria replied: “I feel they must have been invited to other places and they must have chosen to say yes to this one.”
The Sun’s Royal Editor even boldly alleged: “They have got to be careful about what they are doing and who they are accepting invites from.
“Is North Korea going to invite them one day?”
She also claimed that there’s no clear reason why they are going Colombia.
While their previous tour of Nigeria in May was said to be an opportunity to promote the Invictus Games, Victoria said she couldn’t see why they are heading to Colombia.
She told The Sun: “They have to have their own reasons to be saying yes to this, and I think it is a little bit baffling in comparison to Nigeria.
“When they went to Nigeria it was very clear that was an Invictus focused trip, I think there was a clear purpose for that trip.
“And, Meghan had discovered that she was 43 per cent Nigerian so it made sense, and also Harry’s long term in African countries, and the charity work he’s done on the continent already.”
Claiming the tour was “vague”, she added: “This just feels slightly random and yes we’re talking about themes they’re going to focus on, but it’s quite vague on exactly how they’re going to and why they’ve chosen Colombia to highlight those themes.
“One of the things is the conference in November, for child safety, which is obviously really important, but I’m still not sure what it has to do with them.
“They’re not going to the conference, it would make sense if they were.
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“But they’re not and I don’t think they’re going to have any presence at the conference, I don’t understand why it’s being mentioned in connection with their visit.”
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.
Harry and Meghan’s latest trip is also expected to highlight the military community and female empowerment, themes said to be close to their hearts.
Their visit is said to precede another conference in Colombia in November which will tackle issues such as cyber-bullying, online exploitation, and the mental health impacts of these threats.
PIERS MORGAN One word springs to mind when I think of deluded Meghan and Harry ‘prancing around’ on fake royal tour of Colombia
By Piers Morgan
My all-time favourite theatre review was about a play called: Why?
The critic wrote one word: “Exactly.”
I thought of this when I heard that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will embark on a four-day tour of Colombia this Thursday.
They’re going at the invitation of the country’s first black Vice President, Francia Marquez, who gushed that the renegade royal duo “have the exceptional opportunity to engage with elders, youth and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians . . . and illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.
Meghan and Harry aren’t real royals these days.
They don’t do any actual duties for the institution which conferred their titles on them — they just line their pockets with cash in America by constantly trashing their families, and the monarchy, in the media.
So, what gives them the right to prance around the world pretending to be proper royals, on quasi- official visits?
There are so many things wrong about this.
First, the laughable hypocrisy of them going to one of the world’s most dangerous places — both the UK and US government websites warn travellers to Colombia about the elevated risk of terrorism, kidnapping, rape and robbery — after all of Harry’s whiny demands for taxpayer-funded royal security when he comes to the UK to “protect his family”.
Second, their decision to go and prop up a Colombian government that’s been bedevilled by scandal since coming to power.
President Gustavo Petro, a radical socialist who once fought in a rebel guerrilla group, has seen his foreign minister suspended for alleged cor- ruption, his son Nicolas charged with pocketing cash from drug traffickers meant for his father’s presidential campaign, and his brother Juan accused of seeking payments from jailed drug dealers in exchange for judicial benefits from the government.
Petro’s also faced recent allegations that he cheated on his wife with a transgender TV host.
As for his Vice President, there’s been growing public anger over her hypocrisy at being Colombia’s minister for equality while simultaneously using luxury helicopters like taxis and spending millions on a new home where she now lives instead of her official residence.
Opposition politician Miguel Polo Polo posted on X: “Francia Marquez is the biggest fraud in our black community.
“She’s been in office for two years and has done nothing, only play the victim and travel around in helicopters.”
Sound familiar?
But what I’m most annoyed about is the Sussexes’ delusion that they can somehow operate as a rival royal family on the global stage, enjoying all the benefits from that regal status but without any need to fulfil their obligations to their King and country.
It’s completely unacceptable, and unsustainable, for estranged members of the Royal Family to conduct official trips like this.
The King should strip Meghan and Harry of their titles that they trade off so cynically, and instruct Palace officials to tell heads of foreign governments that they must stop issuing formal tour invitations of this nature to this greedy two-faced pair who want to have their royal cake and eat it.
However, speaking of the difference between Harry and Meghan travelling in comparison to the Royal Family tours abroad, Ms Murphy asked “what level of input” could Archewell really have.
The royal expert said: “Members of the Royal Family have been to Colombia before, but of course when a working royal goes, such as the Duchess of Edinburgh did last November, they’re going to represent a country.
“Sophie was out there doing work on behalf of the UN. With Harry and Meghan’s trip, it’s hard to see what level of input they, or Archewell, could have had.
“What knowledge do they have on what is going on in the areas they’re visiting?” she probed.
On what the Sussexes hope to get out of the Colombia trip, Ms Murphy claimed she doesn’t understand the long term plan and how it fits into the purpose of Archewell.
And she believes the short term is just “vague”.
She claimed: “What I don’t understand is how this fits into their long term purpose, and purpose of Archewell.
“In the short term you can see there’s going to be a huge amount of tension over this tour, and probably they feel they want to highlight these areas they’ve spoken about, women’s empowerment, the military community, and it all sounds the intention is positive.
“I think they’ll be hoping they can shine a light on the things they think are important. But as I said, how much independent control have they had over this programme and how much knowledge do they have of already.
“I don’t get the long term thing. I always felt they work best when it’s very clear what they’re doing. Invictus is a really good example of this.
“This feels much more vague.”
It comes as Harry and Meghan’s Chief of Staff, John Kettler, quit his role just days before the trip.
The senior employee had only been working for the duke and duchess for three months, but was present at key events for the couple.
Now insiders have revealed the “real reason” why he threw in the towel ahead of the controversial tour.
The Sun contacted Archewell for comment.
ROBERT JOBSON As Harry & Meghan’s chief aide moves on after three months, what has made 18 members of staff dramatically quit?
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle are earning a reputation as tough task-masters.
It seems a notable number of their staff have struggled to meet the demands of their roles and have either walked or been pushed — by mutual consent, of course.
The latest departure in their revolving door of aides is chief of staff Josh Kettler, who has stepped down after just three months, citing a mutual agreement that the job was “not the right fit”.
The departure of the suave American, who bills himself as an “experienced executive accelerator, organiser and confidant” on his LinkedIn profile, is a little embarrassing for the needy couple as he was lauded on his arrival.
He had been extremely visible during his short tenure, notably spending three days with Harry at an Invictus Games event in Nigeria in May.
His departure also comes just ahead of the couple’s planned “royal” tour to Colombia, adding to the challenges they face in managing their public image and charitable endeavours since quitting the royals.
Of course, it is not the first time key staff members have walked away from the Sussexes.
An astonishing 18 members of staff have quit working for them in just a few years — nine since they moved to Montecito, California.
Many of their former Palace staff coined the term “Sussex Survivors’ Club” to describe themselves after they quit working for the couple.
Some even believed, only half-jokingly, they suffered a form of post-traumatic stress.
After the latest departure in California, one insider quipped: “Perhaps there should be a Montecito arm of the Sussex Survivors’ Club.”
This golden couple, who have tried to charm the world with their woke crusade, just do not seem to be able to hang on to staff.
But surely it can’t be their fault?
The evidence would suggest otherwise, with departures having come thick and fast.