Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to travel to Australia next month. But is King Charles bothered, ponders Lauren Welch.
Meghan and Harry
Meghan and Harry are travelling to Australia next month (Image: GETTY)
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t working royals as they’re racking up more air miles than an albatross on their pretend royal tours.
Cynics might suggest they’re just picking countries they’ve always fancied visiting. Or working out where a visit will give those photo opportunities that translate into another lorry load of cash. They’ve already had a whistle-stop tour of Jordan. The Middle East country, not the glamour model.
And now they’re preparing to jump on a plane to Australia. Thank goodness they’re not champions of reducing one’s carbon footprint. This desire to enjoy the glamour of being a royal without the hard graft of rainy winter days in Stoke infuriates many royal fanatics.
But it appears more and more clear that King Charles is not as fussed as you might assume.
For decades, he’s given every ounce of energy to upholding the core principles of the monarchy.
And you imagine he’d rather Harry and Meghan were all in or all out.
But he loves his son dearly, and frankly, he has more important things to worry about.
There seems to be an acceptance from His Majesty that Harry and Meghan will pop up in some new corner of the world, looking like fully fledged royals when the mood takes them.
When the trip Down Under was announced, there appeared to be no signal whatsoever from Buckingham Palace that Charles would rather they stay in Hollywood.
In fact no hint of it even registering on his radar.
King Charles pictured during the Nigerian state visit this week
King Charles pictured during the Nigerian state visit this week (Image: GETTY)
We need to stop pretending that news of every Sussex adventure triggers a crisis meeting at the Palace.
And acknowledge what’s really happening. The King isn’t losing sleep over Meghan and Harry’s global appearances because he simply doesn’t have time to.
While the public may be outraged by the pair’s antics, Charles is busy navigating his own brave health battle and the looming shadow of Andrew’s never-ending troubles.
And all the while doing what working royals do. Working damn hard. Sometimes at a glamorous state banquet. Sometimes on a royal tour abroad.
But more often conducting endless engagements as dreary as an episode of Meghan and Harry’s Netflix atrocities.
Because that is what being a proper royal is all about
