The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently wrapping up an unofficial trip in Jordan, six years on from when they left their royal roles behind and relocated to America
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are finishing up their two-day trip to Jordan, which many have dubbed a pseudo royal tour. The Duke and Duchess were invited to the region by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu to learn more over a two-day trip about the tireless humanitarian effort to support the health and wellbeing of displaced Syrians and Palestinians who have sought sanctuary in Jordan over many decades.
Over their two-day journey, the couple have visited several charities and mingled with locals, and even joined a roundtable discussion hosted by the WHO with individuals from major leading bodies like the United Nations.
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On the first day of their overseas visit, the Duke and Duchess watched a music class at the QuestScope youth centre at Za’atari refugee camp near Mafraq, and took part in a football kickabout where Meghan was left with bragging rights when she scored a penalty and her husband’s shot was saved when they joined Syrian children at a refugee camp.
Afterwards, Harry and Meghan visited the Specialty Hospital in Amman where they talked to doctors looking after medical evacuees. There they met 14-year-old Maria from Gaza, who had sustained severe burns on her right leg and foot, with Meghan smiling as she offered her a comforting hand.
While their trip is not an official royal visit, given that the Sussexes took a step back from their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to America, they spent their trip engaging with various charities and philanthropic efforts in the region.
Body language expert Judi James weighed in on the couple’s quasi-royal tour, explaining how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem more at ease with a non-official tour as opposed to the work of a senior royal. Judi told the Mirror : “So far this looks like an important expression of pared-back-to-basics ‘royalty’ from the couple in the face of the stubborn storm clouds hovering in the UK. It seems to suggest a disconnect from a couple happier to be seen playing kick-about in crumpled casuals right now than anything more formal or high-status.”
Their trip to Jordan comes just weeks after Prince William made his own official visit to the Middle East, spending three days in Saudi Arabia on an official royal tour, flexing William’s position as global statesman on Middle East conflict.
In 2024, Harry and Meghan embarked on another quasi-royal tour as they spent four days in Colombia after being invited by Vice President Francia Marquez. During their excursion, the pair visited local schools to promote the importance of digital literacy and encourage mental health awareness.
When announcing the trip, Ms Marquez said that their engagements will further “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”, as they explored the arts and culture in the South American country. The couple also spent time in the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali.
Just months before their trip to Colombia, Harry and Meghan undertook a three-day trip to Nigeria in May, where Meghan proudly spoke of her desire to reconnect with her African heritage. At the time, royal author Angela Levin branded Harry and Meghan’s tour a “headache” for the Royal Family.
Speaking to GB News, she said: “It doesn’t look good. They aren’t representing the royals but they are trying to. Unless they break themselves away completely, they don’t have the right to do this. It will be very annoying for the King and infuriating for William.”
Less than three months before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the decision to quit their royal duties, they undertook their final official royal overseas trip with a 10-day visit to South Africa, arriving in Cape Town with then four-month-old Prince Archie in tow in September 2019.
During the visit, they had several joint and individual engagements, with Harry travelling solo to Malawi, Angola and Botswana before reconvening with his family in Johannesburg. It was during this South Africa trip that Meghan Markle opened up for the first time about her struggles with her mental health.
Speaking with ITV ’s Tom Bradby for a documentary that was being filmed on the trip, Meghan admitted she was “not okay”, adding: “It’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” Less than four months later, Harry and Meghan shocked the world as they announced they would be stepping back from their royal roles and relocating to California.
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