Meghan Markle Expected More Praise From Royals After Her ‘Incredible Job’ on Australia Tour But Little ‘Recognition’ Caused Wider Rift
It seems like so long ago now when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were smiling and shaking hands with fans as they did world tours on behalf of the Crown.
Since stepping down as working royals, the Sussexes have done two visits that mirrored those tours they used to do, once in Nigeria and once in Colombia. But when we think about the duke and duchess’s official royal tours one that comes to mind is their highly-publicized 16-day trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga.
Now, some royal experts are revealing that Meghan and Harry were very upset that their tour was deemed so successful but they didn’t get a ton of “praise and recognition” for how good of a job they did from the prince’s relatives. And Meghan, in particular, had a real problem with that.
Prince Harry gushed about how wonderful Meghan was during their South Pacific tour
In their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan and Harry agreed that “things changed” with them and the rest of the family after the Australia tour.
According to Harry, “It really changed after the Australia tour, after our South Pacific tour. It was the first time that the family got to see how incredible she is at the job. And that brought back memories. To see how effortless it was for Meghan to come into the family so quickly in Australia and across New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga, and just be able to connect with people.”
The duke compared Meghan to how people also came out in droves to see his mother, Princess Diana, when she toured Australia with his father back in 1983.
Royal historian Tim Ewart also remembered the positive impact of the Sussexes’ visit.
He said: “They loved Australia and Australia responded to them. In those early days of Meghan and Harry, Meghan got an incredible reaction from the public. If Diana had been a breath of fresh air, it was Diana multiplied by two for Meghan.”
That tour ‘broke the Sussexes’ after little ‘recognition’ and deepened the family rift
Daily Mail royal editor Russell Myers told Sky News Australia that upon the couple’s return, they did not get the “praise and recognition” they thought they deserved for how well the tour had gone.
Myers said: “Meghan found it quite daunting, she couldn’t believe the amount of people that turned up. Australia broke Harry and Meghan and was one of the catalysts for them leaving the royal family. She and Harry had expected they would get much more praise and recognition from that royal tour.”
Royal reporter Angela Mollard added that Meghan grew very frustrated following the trip, saying: “She was part of a big institution and she wasn’t the hero of it. She was a cog in the wheel and that became clear.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as working royals 439 days after they left Australia.
