THE SUSSEXES ON TOUR
The Sussexes feel the heat back at home
As they touched down in the UK after their 10-day tour of Africa last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were basking in the success of their first official overseas trip with baby Archie.
After months of negative headlines, the royal tour was being lauded as a great triumph, with the pair shining a light on a raft of admirable causes and showing their humanitarian sides.
As well as visits to HIV organisations, mental health groups and female empowerment charities, the big highlight for royal fans was the eagerly awaited appearance of adorable Archie, who melted hearts on his visit with anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Prince Harry then made an emotional journey to Angola, where he followed in the footsteps of his late mother Princess Diana by walking through a minefield. “Her memory is with me daily and her legacy lives on,” he said. The prince also reunited with landmine survivor Sandra Tigica, who met his mother in early 1997, just months before her tragic death.
“Harry and Meghan loved every minute of their time away, and much of it was extremely emotional for both of them,” tells a close source. “They knew the trip was make or break in terms of their public image, and there’s no doubt they won hearts with their genuine approach and the tour was a great success. They told friends it was wonderful to feel some warmth and recognition
because it's felt like a long time coming lately.”
The tour was drama-free for the couple, other than criticism in the final days of the trip when it emerged they'd shipped over a fleet of bulletproof Range Rover vehicles from England. The transporting of the cars over a 16,000km distance raised eyebrows over the couple's green credentials and comes after they were reproached for often using private jets while asserting that “every footprint counts”.
But insiders say the Sussexes, with support from palace aides, were determined to ensure their safety in a country known for its carjackings and kidnappings.
“Yes, they knew some might see it as further evidence of their hypocrisy when it comes to protecting the environment, but Harry and Meghan aren't prepared to take any chances when it comes to little Archie,” explains the source. “They needed to be 100% certain that the vehicles were safe.”
And that wasn't the only bombshell to rock the final stage of the tour, with the revelation that Meghan, 38, is suing a British newspaper for publishing a letter she wrote to her estranged father Thomas Markle.
In a long statement on the Sussex website, Harry, 35, explained the decision to take legal action – a very rare step for the royal family, whose motto is usually “never complain, never explain” when it comes to dealing with the press.
Defending his wife's honour after negative publicity over the past year, he said the positive coverage of the royal tour showed the “double standards” of some media. “She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you've seen on this Africa tour.”
He then compared her treatment to that of his mother, who passed away when he was just 12 years old. “Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself.”
The timing of the missive has been seen as bizarre at the end of such a positive tour. Royal commentator Piers Morgan says he was poised to pour praise on Harry and Meghan for the “unqualified success” of the tour marking a
“significant and much-needed turning point” for the couple. But instead, he is outraged by Harry’s “extraordinary rant”.
“Why petrol-bomb glowingly positive end-of-tour reports with a furnace of negative fury?”
He also claims the Sussexes didn’t tell Buckingham Palace about their plans, and says the move is “another catastrophic PR failure … that has ruined all the good work they’ve done to rebuild their battered image” after “criticism they have brought on themselves”.
“You can’t get the public to pay $4.7 million to refurbish your luxury home then refuse to let them take photos of you at Wimbledon,” declares Piers. “You can’t throw decadent $300,000 baby showers in New York with your celebrity mates, and blag a lift home on the Clooneys’ plane, then tweet at the exact same time about the urgent need to combat poverty. You can’t enjoy all the global fame and attention from a royal wedding then refuse to share basic details, or photos, of your baby when he was born. That’s not how being a royal works.”
But our source says Harry’s public war-cry is because he’s determined to protect his wife. “He’d do anything in the world for Meghan.”
And when negative headlines pop up, the couple, who married in May 2018, pull even closer together.
“They definitely lean on each other during challenging times,” adds the source. “They are a unit. She’s just focusing on what she and Harry are trying to accomplish and not be distracted.”
Harry has told pals he’s never been prouder of his wife than during the Africa tour.
“He can’t believe how well she managed it. Travelling so far with a baby and having your every step followed by the world’s media is no small thing, but she took everything in her stride and even managed to have fun!”
Insiders say Meghan – who’s been dubbed a royal rebel for her independent approach – even appeared to take advice from palace aides during the trip, keeping many of her engagements private to ensure the spotlight remained on Harry during his side trips to Malawi, Angola and Botswana.
Our source says she donated her own money to certain charities along the way. She also opened up about motherhood, saying, “There are days when there’s a lot to juggle, but it’s so rewarding.”
Tells the source, “Meghan says she feels like they can return to the UK with a clean slate. After feeling so beaten down, she’s hoping this tour has marked a turning point and will give them the fresh start she’s been hoping for.” And as reported in
last week, rumours are rife that baby number two is on the way, so it’s no surprise she’s looking forward to a muchdeserved rest. But she’s also excited about her plans for Christmas, when she’s hoping to take Harry and Archie home to Los Angeles to spend time with her mum Doria Ragland.
While the Queen – who hosts a formal Christmas at Sandringham House – has yet to approve the idea, insiders say it’s likely to get the go-ahead.
“Meghan’s dreamed of Archie having his first Christmas in America, where she can embrace the traditions she grew up with. She’s keen for Archie to experience a more low-key and relaxed holiday.
“She loves the idea of taking him and Harry on a long walk with the dogs on the beach on Christmas morning, and eating at their favourite Chinese restaurant on Boxing Day.” Day.