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Harry and Meghan Take a Page Out of William & Kate’s Book With Their Latest Move

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked every bit the power couple when they visited Jordan on February 25 in partnership with the World Health Organization. Their meaningful visit saw them meet Syrian refugees and attend a roundtable discussion with representatives from the United Nations. Despite the goodwill surrounding the trip, they apparently are following in the footsteps of another royal couple with close ties to the country. Prince William and Kate Middleton have been regular visitors to Jordan, most recently attending the wedding of its Crown Prince. 

Harry and Markle traveled to Jordan for a two-day humanitarian trip to support global and mental health, along with assisting vulnerable communities. On day two, they are scheduled to meet with several Jordanian leaders and health officials. The director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, received the royal couple on the steps of their office in Amman. He welcomed the Duchess with a formal kiss and warmly embraced the Duke. As reported by The Daily Mail, Buckingham Palace officials were informed of the trip in advance, which surprisingly comes just a few days after William's diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia.

Apparently, the Sussexes' Jordan trip will probably not make William and Middleton too happy, as a trip to a country closely associated with them would undoubtedly give rise to comparisons. Given the well-documented tensions between the Fab Four, such an international engagement could be seen as fueling an unnecessary rivalry. The Prince and Princess of Wales most recently visited Jordan for the wedding of  Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah in June 2023. Meanwhile, William also welcomed the Crown Prince to RAF Benson in Oxfordshire last October to meet his former flight squadron.

And let's not forget that the Princess of Wales has an especially poignant history with the country, as her family lived in Amman in the mid 1980s, much before she became the future queen. The Waleses had also enjoyed a 2021 holiday in the Middle Eastern country with their three children. William has good relations with Crown Prince Hussein, meeting him in 2018, as they memorably watched a football match together. In addition, the Crown Prince's mother, Queen Rania, is a member of the Earthshot Prize Council, William's beloved charitable endeavor. 

Coming back to Harry and Markle's visit, it is certainly not the first time they appeared to have taken inspiration from the Waleses. On February 15, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the NBA All-Star Game as part of their Valentine's Day celebrations, royal fans once again accused them of copying William and Middleton. The Prince and Princess of Wales have attended similar NBA matches during their trips to the US. Royal watchers also questioned their public outing, arguing that it contradicted their desire for privacy. A viral clip of the pair smiling and waving to cameras further fueled their theory, sparking much discussion online.