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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle\u2019s so-called \u201cfaux royal tour\u201d of Australia is drawing criticism, with royal insiders telling Fox News Digital that it is raising eyebrows behind palace doors.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe palace is unhappy about these rent-a-royal tours because it blatantly disregards the late queen\u2019s very specific instruction that there can be no half-in, half-out for the Sussexes,\u201d Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube\u2019s \u201cKinsey Schofield Unfiltered,\u201d told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE COMPARED TO OBAMAS AS NEW NETFLIX DEAL SIGNALS THEY\u2019VE TAKEN A \u2018BAD HIT\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAll they are doing in Australia is monetizing their titles and clinging to royal relevance, even though most of Prince Harry\u2019s family refuse to take his phone calls,\u201d Schofield claimed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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<\/a>. The royal family thinks it\u2019s disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard agreed.<\/p>\n WATCH: PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAUSED QUEEN STRESS IN FINAL YEARS: AUTHOR<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThis faux royal roadshow elevates the Sussex brand while undermining the very institution that gave them the platform,\u201d she claimed. \u201cThe Australians are asking: Who exactly is this tour for?\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Schofield and Chard\u2019s statements came shortly after royal writer Robert Hardman, author of \u201cThe Windsor Legacy,\u201d<\/a> told Page Six that Harry and Meghan\u2019s trip may leave palace aides perplexed, even annoyed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure [Buckingham Palace] would prefer that Harry and Meghan weren\u2019t going, but there\u2019s not a lot they can do about it,\u201d he said ahead of their journey. \u201cThey have no control. There will undoubtedly be a sense of confusion about what Harry and Meghan are there for \u2026 this trip may stick in the gullet of the palace.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California.<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s Herald Sun newspaper described the latest visit as a \u201cfaux royal tour to shore up Brand Sussex.\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A spokesperson for the couple rejected the claim that the couple\u2019s visit was a publicity tour.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d their office said in a statement. \u201cThe visit prioritizes listening, learning and supporting communities rather than promotion.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement noted that their agenda includes \u201ca small number of private engagements\u201d to \u201csupport broader charitable and commercial objectives<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n On Thursday, Harry is scheduled to give the keynote address at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit. Page Six<\/a> reported in-person tickets cost $706. Sales support community education programs, crisis support and suicide prevention initiatives, the outlet shared.<\/p>\n Meghan is also set to speak at a girls\u2019 weekend retreat in Sydney. Tickets for the \u201cintimate, luxury weekend,\u201d<\/a> organized by Gemma O\u2019Neill of the \u201cHer Best Life\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \u201cA paid selfie with your favorite celebrity is a Comic-Con opportunity, not a British royal family move,\u201d said Schofield, calling the move \u201ctacky.\u201d<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHarry and Meghan\u2019s pseudo-royal tour down under is making noise, but not the kind they might want,\u201d said Chard. \u201cBehind the photo ops, the public mood reads more like disinterest laced with disdain. The big question on everyone\u2019s lips: Why are they here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t an official royal visit,\u201d said Chard. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial hybrid dressed in palace clothing. Harry\u2019s a paid speaker at a mental health leadership summit. Meghan\u2019s headlining a women\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Page Six reported that Meghan, 44, is expected to hold meetings about launching her lifestyle brand, As Ever<\/a>. The outlet noted she has trademarked 12 products in Australia. On April 15, Australia\u2019s 10 News also announced that Meghan would appear on \u201cMasterChef Australia\u201d as a guest judge.<\/p>\n The Sussexes appear to be pushing back against claims that they are exploiting their royal titles.<\/p>\n Their first public engagement was at Melbourne\u2019s Royal Children\u2019s Hospital. As they entered the hospital foyer, they shook hands with dozens of well-wishers while being filmed by hundreds of onlookers\u2019 phones.<\/p>\n Harry\u2019s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, opened the facility in 1963. His parents, Princess Diana<\/a> and the former Prince Charles, visited it in 1985.<\/p>\n Meghan also visited a women\u2019s shelter, while the couple spent time with a veterans\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, where sick and injured military personnel and veterans compete in adaptive sports.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a philanthropic fig leaf, but it\u2019s messy,\u201d Chard said. \u201cThey\u2019re not working royals. These are all worthy causes, but the optics scream \u2018royal tour with the palace,\u2019 with Archewell philanthropies as the shield.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cPrince William<\/a> will almost certainly oppose the couple\u2019s attempt to ease themselves back into some sort of relationship with the royal family as he doesn\u2019t trust them,\u201d he claimed. \u201cSince this is one of the king\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d Schofield pointed out, referring to the monarch\u2019s upcoming visit to the U.S.<\/p>\n PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE\u2019S HOLLYWOOD STAR POWER RAPIDLY FADING 5 YEARS AFTER ROYAL BREAK: EXPERTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAny mention of Harry takes away from a crucial assignment from the British government,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n But Fitzwilliams pointed out that if the Sussexes play their cards right, the Australia tour could spark peace talks with the royal family.<\/p>\n