Harry and Meghan ‘snubbed’ by Jordan’s royal family: King Abdullah and his eldest son – who have close relationship to Charles and William – swerve meeting with Sussexes

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were snubbed by the King and Crown Prince of Jordan during their so-called royal tour of the Middle East.

Harry and Meghan touched down in the capital Amman late Tuesday night and within hours began a series of humanitarian visits to various charities and provided the countess with a photo opportunity.

These include an event held at the British Ambassador’s residence yesterday with World Health Organization officials and Embassy staff, which critics described as ‘completely inappropriate’.

The royals said the couple’s high-profile visit to Jordan was accompanied by King George III. He said it was ’embarrassing’ for Charles and that it came on the heels of other ‘precious’ visits to Nigeria and Colombia.

The current king of Jordan is John II. Abdullah has strong ties to the British Royal family and is close to King Charles; they had met him during an official visit to London last year; where they were photographed greeting each other warmly.

Their relationship is so close that King Abdullah and his wife Queen Rania were special VVIP guests at the coronation, and Queen Rania also had many meetings with Queen Camilla to discuss women’s issues.

Their son, Crown Prince Hussein, is also friends with Prince William and has spent time together in England and Jordan in recent years, from watching football to a joint visit to an RAF base.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also attended Hussein’s wedding in 2023.

But despite Harry and Meghan being in Amman, a source in Jordan told the Daily Mail: ‘There are no meetings planned between the Duke and Duchess [of Sussex] and the Jordanian Royal Family.’

The only member of the Jordanian Royal Family that Harry and Meghan briefly met was the current King’s aunt, Princess Basma Bint Talal, during her visit to an initiative run by Jordan’s Hashemite Fund for Human Development.

The Duchess of Sussex visited the National Addiction Rehabilitation Center in Amman today

Meghan and Harry wore muted colors on the second and final day of their trip to Jordan

In fact, King Abdullah appears to have deliberately canceled any public meeting with the California-based couple, opting instead to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

In another apparent rebuff, King Abdullah met with World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who oversaw the Duke and Duchess’s trip to Jordan.

Official photos showed King Abdullah in talks with the WHO chief and a sizeable group of delegates, but Meghan and Harry were nowhere to be seen.

This was despite Sussex’s own charity, Archewell Philanthropies, partnering with the WHO.

The King and Crown Prince also met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Amman yesterday.

The current Jordanian king’s late father, King Hussein, who died in 1999, was also named Queen Elizabeth II. He was on excellent terms with Elizabeth, and King Charles highlighted this during his previous visit to Amman in 2013.

He said: ‘I feel this friendship in the most personal ways because Jordan has always been a part of my life.

‘His Majesty King Hussein ascended to the throne in 1952, the same years as my beloved mother, the Queen.

‘They would provide each other with great mutual support for decades to come.’

King Abdullah was educated in England and served in the British army after graduating from Sandhurst Military Academy.

Another source in Jordan told the Daily Mail: ‘The fact that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not meet King Abdullah and were not given the traditional royal welcome is self-evident.

‘Although King Abdullah met with officials from the World Health Organization behind this visit of the Duke and Duchess, there was no application on the red carpet.’

‘It is well known that King Abdullah and King Charles had a very warm relationship and that this was transmitted through the friendship between the late Queen Elizabeth and King Abdullah’s father.’

Harry and Meghan may be disappointed not to meet, third royal insider says The King or Crown Prince of Jordan.

‘This is a fake royal visit that mimics many of the things they or William and Kate would do if they were part of the Firm, but the ceremonial side of things seems to be missing,’ the source said.

Queen Rania is at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman this week for the arrival of the Albanian President and First Lady

On whether tensions between the Sussexes and Windsors played a part, a third source added: ‘William is definitely close to the Crown Prince.

‘In 2018, they watched England beat Panama in a World Cup match on TV in the Crown Prince’s ‘man cave’ in the basement of the King and Queen’s palace in Amman.

‘William and Kate attended the Crown Prince’s wedding in Rajwa in June 2023. In October last year, William and the Crown Prince went on a joint visit to RAF Benson.

‘Charles and the King are also quite close.

‘Is this an underestimation? Harry and Meghan have met heads of state or other dignitaries on previous trips, so you can expect that this time too.’

But the insider said it may never be known whether this was a deliberate snub or a diary conflict.

However, it turned out that Harry and Meghan were welcomed by British diplomats in Amman.

Former Tory minister Tim Loughton, who ran to become mayor of the couple’s ceremonial borough of Sussex in May, told the Daily Mail it was ‘completely inappropriate’ for the couple to be hosted by the British Ambassador.

She said it was surprising that Phillip Hall would roll out the red carpet for her at his private residence, given that the couple claimed to be private citizens and quit their royal duties.

Mr Hall personally thanked the couple for coming to Jordan during his speech at a roundtable meeting that included the UN and the World Health Organisation.

‘They are not royalty and do not represent the British Government or UK PLC. Given their capacity to say unhelpful things that verge on the political, giving them an official platform could be interpreted as saying something that represents official UK policy, Mr Loughton told the Daily Mail.

‘It would be legitimate for the embassy to assist with security matters and provide impartial briefing, but anything that would platform them on what clearly should be viewed as a private visit by private individuals would not be legitimate.’

King Charles III, King Charles II of Jordan With Abdullah at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, as the Jordanian monarch celebrates her silver anniversary in 2024

Prince William and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan watch England’s World Cup match against Panama at Beit Al Urdun Palace in Amman on June 25, 2018.

A royal insider said the British Ambassador’s involvement was an ‘interesting’ part of the trip.

They said: ‘Once again British diplomats are involved. I don’t know exactly why they were there to welcome two special people.

‘Perhaps there is frustration in the Foreign Office that some members of the family have not been on overseas visits and they see this as a chance to impose the UK’s point of view and showcase what Britain is doing in the region.’