Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Branded ‘Worst Culprits’ Over ‘Attention-Seeking’ Timing
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been called the “worst culprits” over timing. According to the Daily Express, royal author Phil Dampier said the couple can’t complain about King Charles’ letter. He pointed to their own return to Britain. The King’s letter reaffirmed that Harry and Markle remain private individuals, not working royals.
Dampier called it “a warning shot” to stop the Sussexes from overshadowing other royals. The two were reportedly caught off-guard by the statement. Their spokesperson said, “We were a little surprised not to have been told about this [the letter] in advance.” The Sun also reported that the couple wasn’t consulted about the statement’s contents.
However, the Daily Mail sources said Harry and Markle were “incorrect” and had received a copy before publication. The timing raised another issue. RAVEC, the committee responsible for royal security decisions, was due to consider Harry’s long-running request for protection.
Dampier still said the Sussexes have little room to object. “I think Harry and Meghan like drama. I think they like being the centre of attention. They didn’t take timing into consideration when they suddenly moved back without telling anyone, so when it comes to timing, they’re the worst culprits,” he added.
Harry and Markle returned to Britain on August 26. It was their first extended return after six years in California. They are expected to attend public events and carry out charity work. However, they withdrew from the Royal Rota system in 2020 and no longer work as senior royals.
Dampier worries that their appearances could compete with other royal events. “When Harry and Meghan are out and about, who’s to say they won’t time things deliberately to overshadow other members of the Royal Family, particularly William and Catherine?” he continued. Dampier noted, “I think they’re trying it on. No one was expecting them to come back, so no one had time to figure out what to do about it.”
There’s also the issue of how they’ll be presented at future events. “The fear is that once they start doing charity jobs and turning up for various functions, they will look like royals, talk like royals, and call themselves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but of course they aren’t working royals,” he stated.
Harry and Markle are also seeking 24/7 police protection. Harry lost taxpayer-funded security after stepping down as a working royal. He now pays for his own protection.
On this, Dampier said, “This is a massive problem because on the one hand, the public overwhelmingly feels that they should have to pay for their security. But on the other hand, we live in dangerous times, and there probably is a threat to them. But they chose to leave and put themselves in this position, and it didn’t help when Harry started talking about killing 25 Taliban.”
Dampier believes the couple should have stayed quiet while RAVEC considers the security issue. The row also came as Prince George started at Eton on September 8.
The 13-year-old began his first day at the school on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death. Dampier said the Sussex dispute pulled attention away from George’s big day. He also argued that Harry and Markle need to be “more humble and cooperative.”
