Buckingham Palace Says Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Australia Visit Is “Pretty Outrageous Behavior”—But Does It Really Matter?

A Buckingham Palace source has called Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent visit to Australia “royal-tour choreography.” While the trip was criticized for being extremely royal tour-esque, the palace source has gone one step further and described the trip as “pretty outrageous behaviour.” According to royal editor Emily Andrews, the source said the visit was shocking, “particularly in a realm where the King is Head of State, to drum up all this publicity for their commercial endeavours.”

"The whole point about being a working royal is that they do it for others and for public service, not their bank balance,” the source told Andrews. While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did carry out paid appearances during their time in Australia, several events spotlighted important organizations and brought attention to valuable causes. While Buckingham Palace insiders might be outraged, it begs the question: does it matter what they think, if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t working royals anymore?

During the Her Best Life retreat, guests paid $2000 for an intimate conversation with Meghan Markle, who was handsomely compensated for the appearance. Two attendees reported that they really enjoyed the event. “I just felt profoundly like, oh, she's the real thing, really warm and really sweet and funny.” one woman said. “She's just a woman who is so polarising it's ridiculous,” said another attendee. “She's not caused famine and wars and, you know, murders and you just go, wow, that's a lot on someone,” they said, weighing in on the criticism that Meghan Markle faces. “I just came away feeling like she's just human.”

Another event where Meghan Markle reportedly earned a fee was her appearance on MasterChef Australia. According to a producer, Meghan Markle was a great guest host and everyone enjoyed having her on set. “She was so great!” one of the show’s producers said. “She was so nice to all the crew, had a good sense of humor, and was just a normal human.”

Ultimately, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry need to make a living. While they are motivated by service to others and bettering the greater good, they have a hefty mortgage payment to think about. At the end of the day, the people who are attending and organizing these paid events hold the opinions that matter. It seems that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are trying to do good for others and for public service, while keeping the bank balance in check at the same time.