Prince Harry arrived in the UK on May 8th for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, without his wife Meghan Markle. A spokesman for Harry confirmed that the Duke will not be able to meet with his father, King Charles III, due to the King’s busy schedule. This news comes as no surprise, as many Britons are delighted by Meghan’s absence, given her past criticism of the royal family.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to skip the King’s coronation last year was also met with a positive response from the British public. The couple’s popularity has plummeted in recent years, with a new Ipsos poll showing that only 25% of Britons have a favorable view of Meghan, while Harry’s popularity has dropped to 31%.
This decline in popularity is largely due to the couple’s attacks on the monarchy, including Meghan’s infamous Oprah interview in which she accused the royal family of racism. Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare’, has also further damaged their reputation.
Despite their unpopularity in the UK, Harry and Meghan are making a joint trip to Nigeria, a possible future host country for the Invictus Games. This tour has been described as having a ‘quasi-royal’ feel, raising speculation that the Sussexes are desperately trying to cling to the remnants of their former life.
Harry and Meghan are not the first former working royals to have used overseas tours to maintain an air of their former status. In 1937, the year after he abdicated the throne, the Duke of Windsor and wife Wallis Simpson traveled to Germany on a quasi-royal tour that mimicked the official royal diplomatic status that the duke surrendered when he abdicated. Many speculated that among the former king’s motivations were to give Wallis Simpson an experience of the status denied her when the U.K. refused to confer upon her a royal title.
Likewise, Harry and Meghan’s upcoming tour of Nigeria evokes their struggle to maintain relevant in their post-royal existence. Yet, their actions betray a sense of desperation, as they attempt to forge a new identity in the shadow of their past lives.
