King Charles has ‘washed his hands’ of Prince Harry and Meghan amid royal crisis

A royal expert has revealed how the monarch truly feels about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upcoming pseudo-royal trip Down Under, as Charles continues to grapple with the fallout of Andrew’s arrest

King Charles has had a turbulent few weeks after his brother's arrest

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King Charles has had a turbulent few weeks after his brother’s arrest (Image: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock)

King Charles has “washed his hands” of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as they announced their second pseudo-royal trip in just a few months. Earlier this week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they would be heading to Australia for the first time in over seven years, just weeks after returning from a whirlwind two-day trip to Jordan.

While in Australia, Harry and Meghan will travel to Sydney and Melbourne for a series of “private, business and philanthropic engagements,” according to their spokesperson. Now, a royal expert has shared their thoughts on how this trip would be impacting King Charles.

King Charles

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A royal expert claims Charles has “washed his hands” of Harry and Meghan(Image: PA)

Speaking candidly on TalkTV, royal commentator Ingrid Seward was asked by host Mark Dolan for her thoughts on the Sussexes upcoming trip Down Under, which will take place in mid-April.

Dolan asked: “Ingrid, what do you think of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to travel to Australia next month? Many criticised their faux royal tour in the Middle East a few weeks ago.”

Seward suggested: “I think they are lucky they were in the Middle East a few weeks ago and they are not there now. They are obviously trying to promote themselves and they need to keep a high profile in order to make money.” She added that the trip is likely a strategic move to help “raise their public profile” with the Australian public, after having not travelled to the region since 2018.

The TalkTV presenter then asked whether King Charles would be happy about their upcoming trip and their recent travels to Jordan, which he dubbed a “quasi royal tour”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will travel to Australia in mid-April

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will travel to Australia in mid-April (Image: PA)

“I think the King has probably slightly washed his hands of them,” Ingrid claimed, “he’s got plenty of other things to worry about. They do what they like up to a point. I think he has got more important things to worry about than what Harry and Meghan are doing at this moment.”

King Charles has had a turbulent few weeks, as his younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former prince was released from custody after 11 hours, with Thames Valley Police confirming the disgraced royal is now under investigation.

As a result of the arrest, Charles was heckled by a large group of protesters ahead of the Commonwealth Day service on Monday. Protesters from the anti-monarchy group Republic gathered outside Westminster Abbey with large yellow signs that read “Charles, what did you know?”

Charles and Camilla arrive for the service with protesters in the background

Charles arrived for the Commonwealth Day service with protesters in the background (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

According to body language expert Judi James, the protesters coupled with the stress of the last few weeks was showing on Charles’ face ahead of the annual service, as she told the Mirror : “Charles looked rather less assured than his son here. Although his smile suggested he was delighted to attend, he performed four acts of auto-contact in the short walk from the gates to the abbey entrance, pushing his left hand deep into his jacket pocket and out again twice and straightening his tie before patting his pocket in what looked like self-comfort, self-soothing rituals prompted by inner anxiety.”

During their trip to Australia, Harry will be speaking on a panel in Melbourne about mental health, while Meghan will be the guest of honour for a ‘girl’s weekend’ retreat in Sydney. The three-day event will welcome 300 guests as Meghan will deliver a talk and be the VIP guest for a gala dinner, with those wanting to attend needing to fork out £1,439 for a ticket.