Harry does damage control
It’s a return to work following maternity leave for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; an opportunity for Prince Harry to spend time in a country he loves; and a chance for the world to see baby Archie for the first time in months.
But the official visit by the Sussexes to South Africa will also be an attempt to put the family in a good light following negative publicity that has dogged them in recent months.
Announcing on their Instagram account that they will travel to Africa on September 23, Harry sounded excited about the upcoming tour to “a region that, over the past two decades, has been a second home to me. Our team has helped to create a meaningful programme that we’re so excited to share with you.
“On a personal note, I can’t wait to introduce my wife and son to South Africa.”
In another post, Harry (34) and Meghan (38) included a quote from Nelson Mandela:
“It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.”
Those words are being seen by some as a dig at the criticism they’ve received for doing things such as travelling by private jet four times in 11 days to go on holiday in Ibiza and to Sir Elton John’s home in the
south of France. The trips were seen as hypocritical given how outspoken they are about environmental causes.
Harry later addressed the issue of their private plane travel at the launch of Travalyst in Amsterdam, a new global initiative that aims to educate people about sustainable travel and to help local communities benefit from visitors to their area.
“I came here by commercial [flight],” Harry said. “I spend 99% of my time travelling the world by commercial [flights].
“Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe and it’s genuinely as simple as that.”
He continued, “We can all do better. While no-one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact.
The question is what do we do to balance it out.”
Travel will always be on the cards for the couple, who have taken on pivotal roles as Commonwealth Youth Ambassadors on the Queen’s behalf. Plus, Harry’s great love for Africa means he’ll no doubt frequently visit the continent for official and personal reasons.
He set up Sentebale, his charity for children with HIV in Lesotho, in honour of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and has worked on conservation programmes in Botswana and Malawi. Botswana is also where he took Meghan on a camping trip shortly after they met and is where they fell in love.
On his upcoming tour Harry will travel alone to Botswana, Malawi and also Angola after spending time in South Africa with Meghan and Archie, who is now four months.
He and Prince William (37) first went to Africa in 1997 shortly after the death of their mother, whisked off by Prince Charles
(70) to “get away from it all”.
“This is where I feel more like myself than anywhere else in the world,” he said in an interview in 2016. Being in Africa was like “being plugged into the earth”, he explained. “You leave this place with a real appreciation of what it means to be alive.”
It seems the Sussex family may also add to their air miles by travelling regularly to the United States.
Friends say they are looking to buy a home in the exclusive beachside area of Malibu, near Los Angeles, because Meghan is homesick and wants to be closer to her mother, Doria Ragland (63).
Royal correspondent Russell Myers says, “There are rumours that some of her business associates are looking for a place in California, in the millionaire playground of Malibu. One can only hope they pay for it themselves out of their own pocket
this time, rather than being a taxpayer funded home.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles café owner Edmund Fry – who taught Meghan royal etiquette – thinks Harry and Meghan would fit in well in celebrity-laden Malibu.
“People see stars all the time and don’t clamour for a photo or interfere, so that’s an advantage.”
If the couple did have a home in the US it would give Archie the chance to get to know his American grandmother better. However, sources say there won’t be any bonding with his grandfather, Thomas Markle
(75), as Meghan has vowed never to let her father see her son because Thomas has so often publicly criticised her and the royal family.
“It’s obviously heartbreaking for her but she has to protect herself, her husband and her son. Thomas hasn’t met Harry and it’s unlikely he’ll meet Archie either,” a source says.
Thomas’ latest interview has only strengthened her resolve to cut him out of her life, according to an insider. In it, he called Harry and Meghan hypocrites for taking private jets while campaigning for environmental issues, and said he wished they would send him a photo of Archie.
“I’m disappointed not to see Archie. I had hoped that becoming a mother would mellow Meghan and she would reach out.”
In the meantime, eyebrows have been raised over Meghan and Harry hiring Sunshine Sachs, a US-based PR company known for rehabilitating the images of Michael Jackson and
Harvey Weinstein.
The official word is that the firm is assisting with the launch of the Sussex Royal Foundation in the US, but insiders say it’s to help improve their profile.
“Hiring a Hollywood firm to represent you for PR while a member of the royal family is unorthodox to say
the least.”