Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘trying to look more philanthropic’ says expert

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have recently returned home from a four-day visit to Colombia.
Prince Harry and Meghan in Colombia

One royal expert has accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of “trying to look more philanthropic” after suffering a setback.

The couple visited Colombia earlier this month – their second overseas quasi-tour in the space of the last three months.

Despite no longer being working members of the Royal Family, royal expert Gareth Russell discussed why the pair have taken to embarking on many foreign visits.

Prince Harry and Meghan in ColombiaThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex Colombia Visit – Day 4

He recently told GB News: “For many people, the interviews that the Sussexes gave came very close to each other. There was really a point at which they were everywhere you looked; there was a Netflix special, there was a book, there were sit-down interviews… A lot of people felt that the interviews were questionable, whether in terms of content, timing or frequency.

“So people reached a point at which there was almost oversaturation with the Sussexes. And the other point, I think, which the Sussexes are now looking like they’re trying to correct, is there was a sense that they had a huge global platform.”

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He further explained: “Initially their primary focus seemed to be discussing their family and criticising how they perceived they had been treated by the Royal Family, whereas a lot of people had expected them to launch themselves into charity work right away, and that didn’t happen.

“It certainly didn’t happen on the scale people expected, and the tours that they’re now undertaking are part of a policy of trying to look more philanthropic and trying to focus more on external matters… They got to the stage where every time the Duke of Sussex was interviewed there was a slight dig at his family.”

He also added: “They’re not very interesting. You have to remember that the tours did not garner anywhere like the amount of public attention that they and we might have expected.

“They’re not something the public seemed really interested in. When the Oprah Winfrey interview came out, the coverage was wall-to-wall and broadly sympathetic. And everything since that coverage has been slightly less sympathetic and slightly less convinced.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Colombia Visit – Day 4

The Duke of Sussex is taking a visit to New York next month, with Meghan Markle set to remain in California with their children.

Meghan, 43, has made the decision to step aside so that her husband can shine a light on the patronages and initiatives that he holds close to his heart.

A source told Express.co.uk: “The trip will support Harry’s work with his patronages.”

Another source added: “Meghan doesn’t have to attend every event with her husband. If she skips an event, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong between them.”