The Sussexes are “unfazed” by anger from the Palace over their recent royal-style Nigeria tour, and Meghan is eyeing up a slew of further high-profile visits, an insider claims.
Meghan is said to be eyeing up a succession of further tours, despite grumblings from the Palace. (Image: Getty)
Meghan Markle is “unfazed” by pushback over her recent Nigeria tour with Prince Harry and is “drawing up a new plan of attack” for further overseas trips, a source claims.
The Sussexes visited the country last month at the invitation of the country’s Chief of Defence, taking part in cultural activities and meeting with service members.
Insiders claimed King Charles was “angrier than anyone has ever seen him” over the royal-style visit, but a source has told Closer the Duchess of Sussex is orchestrating a plan that will see them established in further Commonwealth nations.
“Meghan and Harry aren’t surprised that the royals have found fault with their tour of Nigeria, they’re disappointed for sure, but not surprised,” the insider told the outlet.
“And they’re certainly not going to let their negativity stop them from arranging more tours.
Meghan speaking at the SXSW festival earlier this year (Image: Getty)
“As far as they’re concerned, things in Nigeria couldn’t have gone better and it’s really got them excited about all the possibilities.
“Meghan’s now drawing up a new plan of attack, basically a blueprint of how to put together more tours in the most streamlined and effective way possible.”
They added that the duchess has “tasked members of her team with submitting ideas on the best places to visit, who they need to reach out to as far as dignitaries and charities as well as what media to recruit for the visits.”
The purported world tour plan could tie in with their Archewell Foundation, which has a mission statement to uplift and unite local and global communities.
“Their conscience is completely clear on this plan because they intend to do good wherever they go,” the source said.
Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in January 2020, but have retained their titles. (Image: Getty)
According to the insider, the pair “don’t plan to limit themselves to the Commonwealth, they want to make this bigger and better than what the royals have done in the past. They’re totally unfazed by any problems this might create with the royals.”
The duke and duchess stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 and announced they would be splitting their time between the UK and North America, promising to “honour our duty to the Queen [Elizabeth II], the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
They said at the time the “geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
Prince William was also said to have been angered by the recent trip, but the source said Meghan is “not going to be told what she can and can’t do, especially in regards to charity.”
“Long before she met Harry she was doing humanitarian work. She worked as a UN ambassador and with World Vision Canada and visited places like Rwanda and India on official missions, so she certainly doesn’t feel she needs the approval of the Royal Family to keep that going,” they said.
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“All she and Harry want to do is help people, but of course from William and Charles’s perspectives what they’re doing is way out of line.”
It’s thought that Charles and William don’t have any issue with the Sussexes charity work, but with the style of the tours. The source said the trips are “carbon copies of what the royals do,” with the perception that they’re “brazenly trading on the family name after they were specifically told not to.”
The insider says it doesn’t help that the pair “always seem to time their trips to coincide with one of the senior royal’s engagements, it’s so obvious that they’re trying to capitalise on that for publicity.”
But they noted that the Sussexes “scoff” at this accusation, adding that so far, all they’ve done is accept offers that have come their way, so to accuse them of orchestrating some publicity grab is pure paranoia.”
A rep for Harry and Meghan has been approached for comment.