Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Colombia Tour Stokes Tension With King Charles

Colombia calling

The news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are undertaking a quasi-royal tour of Colombia hasn’t gone down brilliantly among Windsor loyalists.

One former courtier told The Daily Beast: “I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the king and for very long-established ways of doing things. Royal tours have always, always been about diplomacy, building bridges and reinforcing friendships on behalf of Britain. This tour may well have the noblest intentions, but it is clearly not being carried out on behalf of Britain, and yet they still basically portray themselves as British royals. It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible.”

It is certainly true that the trip to Colombia later this month casts an interesting light on exactly why King Charles III, as many believe, is failing to use his influence to get Harry the automatic protection in the U.K. that he so desires.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Heading to Colombia ON TOUR

David Gardner

The idea of Harry and Meghan doing their mini-foreign tours (as they did in Nigeria earlier this year) is disruptive enough for royal planners, but the idea of the couple being able to touch down in the U.K. and carrying out visits to wherever they wish without running it past the palace is the stuff of true nightmares for the king’s aides.

On social media there is far from widespread understanding that Harry and Meghan are any less royal than, say, Prince William and Princess Kate—Harry and Meghan are celebrities in their own right.

Of course the couple will be kept safe during the tour, but Colombia seems an unlikely choice for travel as it is well known for having one of the highest murder rates in the world. Only this week, sources close to Harry were telling The Daily Beast that the family needs automatic police protection in the U.K. restored—and blame the king for not delivering it.

The palace insist that none of the decisions around Harry's security are personal. A royal source this week told The Daily Beast that it was “well-established” that “security provision is not decided on by the king” but by the government and added, “For the king himself to attempt to intervene directly in this process in any way would be wholly inappropriate.”

However, a Sussex source told The Daily Beast, “If the king wanted, he could do this for his son.”

Currently when visiting the U.K., Harry is required, like any other high-profile visitor seeking police protection, to give 28 days notice to the British security forces of his intention to visit the country, list locations he intends to visit, and present a detailed itinerary of his plans.

This suits the Palace down to the ground, some suspect; as a Harry source told The Daily Beast this week: “It’s about control.”

Deep freeze

The more personal impact of the ongoing fight around Harry’s security is that it has led to the total and complete breakdown of Charles and Harry’s relationship. The Daily Beast has been told by a well-placed source that the king is no longer even taking his son’s phone calls, a claim which echoes allegations made in People magazine this week.

The freeze out represents a return to historic lows; in his famous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said there was a spell of time back then when Charles wouldn’t take his calls.

As to the possibility of the king seeing his grandchildren, that is not going to happen any time soon. As is common in any family dispute, both sides blame the other. But whoever the fault may lie with, it is arguably Harry, whose kids are also not in touch with Meghan’s dad, who has more to lose in the long run.

As one friend of the king’s told The Daily Beast last week: “I wonder, when they are older, how those kids will feel about being denied a meaningful relationship with the King of England. To deprive them of that experience, with all its importance and heritage, seems very misguided. Of course he wants to see them, but if you force Charles to choose between his duty to the Crown and his personal feelings, he will choose the Crown every time—just as his mother did.”

Fine fellow

The death of Lord Robert Fellowes, Queen Elizabeth’s private secretary in the tumultuous years of 1990-1999, who was also Prince Harry’s uncle by marriage (he was married to Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Fellowes) has been met with muted reactions.

He was, it is fair to say, a divisive figure; Diana adored her sister but considered her husband one of the leading “men in grey” and accused Fellowes of tapping her phones. Fellowes, meanwhile, picked the wrong side in arguments around Camilla Parker Bowles, insisting that Charles would have to break with her if he wanted to be king. The funeral of this great keeper of royal secrets, expected to take place next week although details have not been released, will be an intriguing affair—and that’s before you get to the issue of whether Harry will show up.

A former friend of Harry’s told The Daily Beast this week: “The death will be a huge blow to the Spencer family. In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane. Of course he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan. But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it.”

Kate’s big journey north

Kate Middleton will spend time at Balmoral this summer with Prince William and their three children, the Mail on Sunday reveals.

“Her attendance will be seen by many as further reassurance that the princess is making ‘good progress’ after her diagnosis,” the Mail says—and follows her appearances at Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon.

The holiday will represent Kate’s longest journey since her cancer diagnosis—she and William have gone to Balmoral every summer, but “some insiders” had worried her health would prevent her from going this year, the Mail says.

This week in royal history

Happy birthday today, Aug. 4, to Meghan Markle—she turns 43.

Unanswered questions

How can Prince Harry and King Charles re-establish contact after so badly falling out over the provision, or lack thereof, of security for Harry? Who will go to Lord Fellowes’ funeral?