So how did Harry and Meghan blow £250k on THAT African trip?
Revealed, sky-high cost of Harry and Meghan’s big tour of Africa that tore Royal Family apart
‘This is an abuse of public money’
HARRY and Meghan’s last official tour as members of the Royal Family cost British taxpayers almost a quarter of a million pounds, official accounts reveal today.
The high-profile trip to South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Malawi last autumn had been billed as one of the showpiece events of the royal year.
But the couple left months of work by staff and diplomats in tatters after they launched a stinging rebuke against the media during the publicly funded trip, as well as secretly recording an explosive TV documentary in which Meghan painted Harry’s family as uncaring by accusing them of failing to ever ask if she ‘was OK’.
The Sussexes, who also took baby son Archie on the trip, stepped down as senior working royals months later, and now live in the US, where they are financially independent having signed a multi-million-pound deal with Netflix.
Royal accounts published today show £245,643 was spent on scheduled flights and a private jet for the couple and their entourage, making it the most expensive royal trip of the year.
Sources defended the cost, saying it was a key visit approved by the Foreign Office and helped highlight the work of numerous charities. ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex undertook over 20 engagements, bringing attention to a number of worthwhile causes, in particular, raising awareness of the work and the legacy of the Halo Trust [an anti-landmine charity championed by Princess Diana],’ the source said.
‘The visit, as an official visit funded by the Government, fulfilled the objectives that were set out for it.’
A further £210,345 was spent by royal officials on a private charter plane to take Prince Charles to Oman to pay his respects after the death of the king. The trip lasted just two days. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour to Pakistan last year was the third most expensive of the year, costing £117,116, but was considered a huge success by ministers.
Questions have also been raised about the £15,848 spent to flying beleaguered Prince Andrew by private jet to the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland for a two-day trip to the Open Championship last July.
The club later dumped him as patron following his disastrous television interview in November.
A palace source defended Andrew’s use of a charter instead of a scheduled flight, saying: ‘In this particular case we concluded that, actually, the use of charter was the only way to get him to complete his engagements to fit in with his other programmes.’
Even diligent Princess Anne found herself under the spotlight for spending £16,440 on another private jet to take her from London to Rome and back to watch her beloved Scotland play in the Six Nations Rugby International against Italy. She is patron of Scottish Rugby Union.
The total bill for royal travel in 2019/2020 was £5.3million, a 15.2 per cent increase on last year’s £4.6million, according to the palace’s annual report and accounts, published today.
Anti- monarchist campaign group Republic said the figures failed to reflect the true annual cost of the monarchy – which it puts at £ 345million by taking account of lost revenues from the royal estates, policing and the cost to other authorities such as local councils. Spokesman Graham Smith said: ‘ These figures don’t disclose the daily abuse of money on shorter trips around the country, taking helicopters when they could go by car, driving when they could go by train.
‘A 15 per cent increase in travel costs when hospitals can’t deliver the very best care to every person in need, when teachers are struggling to pay for the necessary books and equipment and the police are stretched to breaking point is scandalous. Why is the Government paying for Prince
Andrew to go to golfing tournaments, or Princess Anne to attend a rugby match in Italy? This is an abuse of public money far worse than the MPs’ expenses scandal and it has to stop.’ Buckingham Palace also confirmed yesterday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have paid an ‘undisclosed’ sum upfront for the rental and refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage.
Critics had called for Harry and Meghan to pay back the £2.4million of taxpayers’ money spent renovating their Windsor property, which they have decided to keep on as a permanent base in the UK despite buying an £11million mansion in California.
The accounts also revealed that Prince Charles handed the Cambridges and Sussexes no less than £5.6million – £556,000 more than he gave them last year.