Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ruffle royal feathers with tour as rift with Firm deepens
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have quit the Royal Family but still embark on quasi-royal tours, which has not gone down well with Palace courtiers.
Charles Rae comments on Harry and Meghan's Colombia visit
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's plans to visit Colombia later this year in what would be their second pseudo-royal tour has left Palace insiders displeased, it has emerged.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to the South American country by Vice President Francia Márquez.
Harry and Meghan's quasi-royal tour will include visits to the capital, Bogotá, and Pacific regions, Cartagena and Cali.
But courtiers were not impressed with the latest developments and claimed the trip would only deepen their ongoing rift with the Firm as the Sussexes "basically portray themselves as British royals".
One former courtier told the Daily Beast: "I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the King and for very long-established ways of doing things.
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"Royal tours have always, always been about diplomacy, building bridges and reinforcing friendships on behalf of Britain.
"This tour may well have the noblest intentions, but it is clearly not being carried out on behalf of Britain, and yet they still basically portray themselves as British royals."
They added: "It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible."
Harry and Meghan's choice of destination has been questioned by royal watchers as Colombia has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
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Meanwhile, the trip was announced despite Harry's ongoing battle with the British Government over his security while he's in the UK and despite his claims that he feels it's too dangerous to bring his family to his home country.
Currently, Harry has to give 28 days' notice to the British security forces before visiting the UK, list locations he intends to visit and present a detailed itinerary of his plans.
This suits the Palace, however, a Harry source said: "It’s about control."
