Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s ‘Unofficial Tours’ Have the Royal Family All Wound up Again

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been on the move in 2024. In addition to promoting the Invictus Games in Vancouver for 2025, they’ve traveled to Nigeria and Colombia to spread their message of philanthropy. Their goodwill mission has been well-received by everybody , except the royal family.

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An insider told In Touch Weekly that the royal family described Harry and Meghan as “grifters and graspers” because they believe the Sussexes are almost defiant in their mission. “It’s no secret all the criticism is upsetting for them, but clearly, they’re not letting it stop them from forging ahead. It’s well documented that the royals do not want them doing these unofficial tours . While that might have given them pause, it now seems they’re handling the backlash by acting more confident and brazen than ever,” the source claimed.

The warm welcome by the two countries will likely encourage the couple “to take on more tours.” However, the palace should be more concerned about the perception of their work ethic from royal critics. King Charles III and Kate Middleton obviously have to prioritize their health concerns, but why are fewer appearances being taken on by the other senior royals? “They’re very popular, they’re a huge asset to the UK, but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements,” GBN’s royal correspondent Richard Palmer said on the Royal Round Up podcast in August, via GBN, about Kate and William’s light schedule.

Again, Kate has a reason for his absence, but William could add a bit more bulk to his royal calendar. “It may well be that they come under a little bit of pressure to up their number of engagements ,” Palmer added. “There aren’t many families where both the father and mother are able to have 12 or 13 weeks with their children on all of their school breaks. I think there’s an awful lot of goodwill towards them, but they do need to keep an eye on that.”

Meanwhile, the royal family has tried hard to “ignore” Harry and Meghan’s uptick in travel, per In Touch Weekly , but it’s getting harder to do. Perhaps the palace is concerned about the perception that the Sussexes are doing more work than they are. It’s a tricky part of the family feud to navigate, especially since Harry and Meghan are primarily traveling to promote the Invictus Games on a global level — and countries are eager to host them.

Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.