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(NewsNation) — King Charles and Prince William are “furious” with Prince Harry for his quasi-royal tour in Nigeria last week, according to reports. And it further explains why the king refused to see his wayward, loose-lipped son when Harry came to London to celebrate the Invictus Games’ 10th anniversary.
Royal expert Tom Quinn told The Mirror: “William is absolutely furious and determined to find a way to stop this happening in the future. Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him.
“What’s really upset the applecart is the fact that that the Nigerians treated Meghan and Harry as if they too thought this was an official tour – all the signs were there as the couple were greeted with dances, receptions, visits to schools and charities.”
Quinn noted the royal family was worried Meghan and Harry “would try to pull a fast one” and believes the Nigeria trip “has confirmed their worst fears,” explaining: “It’s as if Harry and Meghan have gone rogue — their Nigeria trip is a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals.”
And they’re not wrong.
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FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry, left, reacts as he walks with his best man, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, as they arrive for the the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, England, Saturday, May 19, 2018. Prince Harry has said he wants to have his father and brother back and that he wants “a family, not an institution,” during a TV interview ahead of the publication of his memoir. The interview with Britain’s ITV channel is due to be released this Sunday. (Ben Birchhall/pool photo via AP, File) -
FILE – King Charles III, from right, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Prince William watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service in Westminster Abbey in central London on Sept. 19, 2022. Prince Harry has said he wants to have his father and brother back and that he wants “a family, not an institution” during a TV interview ahead of the publication of his memoir. The interview with Britain’s ITV channel is due to be released this Sunday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool, File) -
Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, left, and Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk to greet the crowds after viewing the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) -
From left, Kate, the Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday., in Windsor, England, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Kirsty O’Connor/Pool Photo via AP) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty Images) -
FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, waves during the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, on Oct. 22, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed his is now a U.S. resident. Four years after Harry and his American wife, Meghan, decamped to a villa on the Southern California coast, a travel company he controls filed paperwork informing British authorities that he has moved and is now “usually resident” in the United States. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick, File) -
File – Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave The London Clinic in central London, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. King Charles III was in hospital to receive treatment for an enlarged prostate. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
How could they not be seen as hypocrites? When they were working royals, Meghan hated the tours.
In his book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Valentine Low, a royal correspondent for The Times of London, wrote about the couple’s Australian tour: “Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers.” Later in the book, Low writes that upon seeing fans waiting outside of the Sydney Opera House, Meghan said to her team, “What are they all doing here? It’s silly.”
However, Meghan and Harry lapped up the attention in Nigeria, doing everything they did in Australia … just without having to abide by royal protocol. This means not only did they bask in the adoration they can’t seem to find at home, but they could accept the trip for free and also keep all the presents they were gifted by local dignitaries.
Harry and Meghan have always made it clear they wanted to have their cake and eat it too — and when they requested a “quasi” half-in, half-out royal situation in 2020, they were denied by the queen.
Harry and Meghan chafed at tours while they were part of the family. During their trip to Australia, Meghan was overheard by royal aides muttering in between handshakes and visits with dignitaries, “I can’t believe I’m not paid for this.”
Meanwhile, across the pond, King Charles has returned to work, and Princess Kate is resuming cancer treatment … with the entire family backing her.
And in response to Harry and Meghan’s Nigerian escapade, the Palace announced Thursday via the BBC that “Previously unseen photographs of the Royal Family make up a new exhibition at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace.” The photos “capture their more private and intimate moments”… including a beautiful one of Kate in a long, flowing dress from her 40th birthday. Not included? Any images of Harry or Meghan.