Harry and Meghan Are 'Heading Into the Hornet's Nest' With Their Australia Tour, Warns Expert
Royal expert Chris Riches believes that the Australians won't welcome the Sussexes, as they are no longer working royals.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received mixed reactions when they announced plans to visit Australia in mid-April. While some welcomed their return after seven long years, many others dismissed it as a 'quasi royal tour,' a bid to desperately cling to their former royal life. Royal expert Chris Riches falls firmly in the latter camp, arguing that the Australians won't be rolling out any red carpets and pointedly reminding readers that the Sussexes are no longer working royals.
In a sharp-tongued article for the Daily Express, Riches minced no words, warning that Harry and Markle could be 'heading into the hornets' nest—covered in sticky honey.' He wrote, "Next month, the Sussexes are hoping to recreate the magic of their 16-day tour to Australia in October 2018, when the newly married couple rode a wave of joy and goodwill, boosted by Meghan announcing she was pregnant." Adding how the couple was incapable of generating the same hype, he argued, "They [Harry and Markle] scarpered off to California and bad-mouthed anyone that would help sell some books and Netflix subscriptions," referring to the Duke's scathing memoir, Spare.
Additionally, Riches pointed to Australians' increasingly poor view of the monarchy, mainly driven by the exposure of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's scandals. In his view, the Crown's alleged cover-ups, combined with shifting public sentiment, make it an inappropriate time for Harry and Markle to head to the country. He continued, "What they [Harry and Markle] are is a useful lightning rod for all those sparked into anger at the actions of Andrew and Fergie. The backlash has already lit up Australia like a bolt of electricity, and the Sussexes have not even jetted off from California yet."
To make matters worse, the royal expert mentioned how various other news outlets had criticized Harry and Markle's plans to visit Australia, especially the high ticket prices charged for the latter's speaking events. He concluded, "So if Harry and Meghan think the red carpet will be dusted off for them Down Under just like in 2018 and their faces will be beamed onto Ayers Rock, they may be in for a shock." He also noted that the Sussexes' trip announcement smartly came days after Markle's lifestyle brand, As Ever, announced it had ended its partnership with Netflix, possibly to divert the negative press.
Unsurprisingly, Riches isn't the only one to hold an unfavorable view of the Sussexes' upcoming trip. In an article on his Substack, royal expert Tom Sykes cautioned that Harry and Markle would likely become the 'lightning rods' in Australia's ongoing debate about the royal family. He warned, "For now, one thing seems certain: Harry and Meghan will need thick skins when they arrive in a country where they are no longer assured of a warm welcome." He also stressed that Markle's pregnancy announcement during their 2018 tour "added to the sense of excitement around a pair once seen as bringing modernizing energy to the monarchy."
