EN: Prince Harry and Meghan ‘reinvented the royal tour’ in Colombia and Nigeria

The past week has been full of royal drama. I wonder if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Colombia tour would have been as much of a news story if the British media hadn’t howled and moaned for a whole week. Plus, it was clear that the Colombia trip was upsetting Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. BP ran stories about the trip, encouraging royal reporters to downplay and gloss over the purpose of the visit, then complain that they weren’t given any access. Meanwhile, Prince William lashed out and attacked journalists – first Roya Nikkhah (who wrote that awful piece in the Times ) and then Tom Sykes of the Daily Beast. I wonder if the palaces had kept quiet last week, the Colombia tour would have resulted in several days of good coverage and not much more. There is definitely an element of the Streisand effect among royalists. In any case, it seems that Vanity Fair understood the palace’s arguments well and had no desire to play along. VF subtly pushed back against the royalist narratives in this summary of the trip: “Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reinvented the royal tour.”

The Duchess of Sussex has formed a close bond with a group of ordinary people in a country that other members of the royal family might not have been able to visit, at least not in an official capacity, and the scenes have served as a reminder of what the Windsors miss now that she and Harry have established their own court in Santa Barbara. Still, it’s hard to erase images of their time representing Queen Elizabeth II, which is perhaps why their recent international travels — including a trip to Whistler, Canada, in February and a tour of Nigeria in May — have felt so familiar.

These recent trips have been at the invitation of government officials, but, as the British media are quick to point out, they are not “official royal tours.” While there is no precise definition of an official tour, it generally refers to the fact that when members of the royal family travel at state expense, they are often representing the head of state at the request of the Foreign Office. The traditional royal tour is about diplomacy, that is, managing relationships with the leaders of other countries.

The Sussexes’ return to the road in 2024 is a sign of just how far their ambitions have grown since leaving the royal fold. Over the past few years, they’ve gained experience and bonded over issues like veterans’ rights, mental health, online safety, and women’s empowerment. Now, they’re starting to draw attention to how important these issues are to people around the world. Think of it as the next step in their plan for world domination — or at least their path to changing global politics.

…But the main focus of the trip was tied to their recent Archewell Foundation initiative to raise awareness of the dangers children can face online and provide support to victims. The centerpiece was a panel where they talked about their work, and it had a similar format and topics to the one they hosted in New York in October 2023. In his speech, Harry mentioned the couple’s shared belief that “the integrity of information is a fundamental right.”

The Sunday Times ran a detailed article on Harry’s life and career this weekend, with comments from some of the friends and staff he left behind in the UK who worry that his Californian lifestyle is not enough to satisfy the prince’s ambitions. “What is Prince Harry’s goal and what is Prince Harry’s goal?” a former aide told the newspaper. “His work with Invictus is great and fatherhood was the role he wanted most, so maybe that’s enough for him. But everything else is a bit of a blur. I always thought he wanted more out of life. I can’t help but think he must be asking himself, ‘Where do I go from here?’”

In Colombia, Harry’s answer to that question was on display, and if his former confidants had seen it up close, perhaps they wouldn’t be so confused. In their post-royal work, Meghan and Harry have tried to shake up the old royal routine. In May, Afam Onyema, the CEO of the GEANCO Foundation who accompanied the couple on their trip to Nigeria, told Vanity Fair that their goals were to do, not just watch. “I was really touched when they said it’s not just going to be a speech and a photo op. They want to leave something, leave a legacy,” Onyema said. “That’s really important to them, from my experience with them and their team: to leave a legacy and an impact and really help people in a direct, tangible way.”

(Excerpt from Vanity Fair)

The reference to this article coming from Kensington Palace and masquerading as a piece about “Harry’s 40th birthday” is clever – Nikkhah’s article was an obvious manipulation by the Angry Egg, timed to come out during the Sussexes’ tour of Colombia. William was the one who wanted quotes like “Harry is an angry boy” and “I always thought he wanted more out of life”. William is the one who is beside himself with anger because his favorite punching bag has left the country with his beautiful wife. Regardless, “the scenes were a reminder of what the Windsors are missing now that she and Harry have set up their own court in Santa Barbara”. It’s also why BP ran arguments and furiously tried to downplay Harry and Meghan’s tour. What if people actually started to question why the Windsors were unable to accept and nurture Meghan and all that she brought to the table. What if people genuinely wanted Harry to be the heir?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.