Meghan and Harry have just shown their true colours – they represent no one but themselves | Royal | News

Seen from across the Atlantic, from the country that sheltered them, Harry and Meghan’s four-day trip to Australia reveals them—to us American observers—as opportunists who describe themselves as humanitarians while pursuing profit and mirroring the royal lifestyle they publicly brutalize and submit to.

The couple landed in Melbourne on a commercial Qantas flight on Tuesday. Within hours they headed straight to the Royal Children’s Hospital, where they met patients and their families and accepted handmade welcome signs. The police’s ability to provide security during public appearances sparked debate about the extent of the burden on taxpayers.

The Sussexes insist the visit was privately financed. Critics argue that the program tells a different story. Two famous influencers, who represent no country or institution, in fact no one but themselves, now organize events that reflect the formulas they once used as royal family employees.

The 2018 Australian tour drew a real crowd as Harry and Meghan represented the institution. They operated as royals with official support. This week hospitals, veterans events and meetings are happening without any official role. Meghan also visited a women’s shelter that supports victims of domestic violence. Working royals make hospital visits every week. They focus on patients.

According to critics, optics suggested a different priority. A local told the Herald Sun he would line the streets for William and Catherine but was not interested in Harry and Meghan. Public participation seemed mixed with curiosity as well as enthusiasm. A petition on Change.org has garnered tens of thousands of signatures opposing any taxpayer support.

The Sussex office dismissed concerns about such criticism before the couple arrived. Police in Victoria and New South Wales are still conducting public safety operations related to the incidents. Critics, including opposition figures, argued that it was unfair that resources were being used to protect wealthy private individuals.

The couple’s schedule blends these appearances with business interactions. Harry will be speaking at a summit focused on leadership and the workplace. Meghan headlines her ‘Best Life’ retreat in Sydney; tickets are reportedly in the hundreds, and higher at premium levels. To critics, the difference is clear: a human image along with money-making reach. They argue that commercial elements are central rather than incidental.

The Sussexes left Britain in 2020 seeking privacy and financial independence. They now stage events that borrow heavily from the royal format they have rejected. While they insist that they no longer perform royal duties, they retain and use their ducal titles. Each appearance inevitably benefits from the aura these titles provide.

They have harshly criticized the institution in interviews, a memoir, and a broadcast series, but they now appropriate elements of its structure for personal gain. While they enjoy the visibility and prestige that these titles provide, they demand the freedom of private citizenship. His visit to Australia, critics say, underscores his willingness to exploit the system they once attacked.

The couple achieved at least one unexpected result: they faced criticism from Australia’s political divide. Commentators from different perspectives have questioned both the purpose and cost of the visit. The couple will set off in a few days. Security operations will end.

As Australia’s head of state, the King will continue the institution’s work without ticketed access or commercial connections. The monarchy trades on continuity and service. Rather, it appears that Harry and Meghan are fulfilling an interest they no longer have; While they project the image of a royal tour, they insist they have left that role behind.

This pattern continues because the titles remain. The Sussexes are clearly trading on a status they have abandoned while rejecting the restrictions that once accompanied it. The monarchy’s power long rested on the distinction between service and commerce. This visit blurs that line beyond recognition.

They see a couple who wants the platform without discipline, the visibility without obligation, and the status without restrictions. Despite all the inexcusable behavior (especially actions that many consider to be at odds with Queen Elizabeth II’s wishes), it is long past time to remove empowering titles and move Harry out of the line of succession.

The institution deserves this clarity. Australians deserve an end to the taxpayer-funded elements of this particular visit. The public deserves honesty about what the Sussexes have become: two former royals who rejected office, then spent years basking in the aura of that role for profit.

The four-day trip does not harm the monarchy. It confirms what many people already know to be true. Harry and Meghan failed to do so as selfless royal public servants. They cannot continue to pretend otherwise.