Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have landed in Australia for their highly talked-about and extremely controversial faux royal trip. And as expected, they have already made plenty of headlines – almost all of them negative!
The trip has since been branded a “revenge” tour, with many people thinking that the With Love, Meghan star wants to use it to steal focus from King Charles and get revenge on the royal family.
Sky News Digital presenter Gabriella Power reportedly said: “This trip with Harry and Meghan coming Down Under, once again, could actually inflame tensions with the royal family. Some critics claim that Meghan is staging this as a bit of a revenge tour to promote her own projects and steal the spotlight from King Charles.” Yikes!
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Backlash Over As Ever Trademark In Australia
One thing that garnered attention even before they arrived was Meghan's controversial As Ever lifestyle brand, which she reportedly trademarked prior to the trip. The move unsurprisingly didn't go down well among royal experts, fans, and critics alike, with one insider deeming it totally disrespectful to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
According to one insider, the former Suits actress, 44, trademarking her lifestyle brand ahead of the faux royal tour – which many argue will never be taken seriously since they stepped down as senior royals in 2020 – goes against what the late Queen would have wanted. They noted that she was firmly against anyone making money off their royal titles and royal status.
Meghan has already faced criticism for charging eye-watering high prices for her luxury retreat in Sydney, which we have since found out had many unsold tickets! And the idea of selling As Ever products to fans Down Under has also been slammed...
"For many critics, this feels like a disgusting slap in the face to the late Queen because it appears to combine commercial ambition with royal branding in a way that crosses a line," the insider told RadarOnline.
"The trademark filings, coming just as this so-called 'fake royal tour' is announced, give the impression of a coordinated effort to leverage her title for business gain," they continued. "There is a strong belief that Queen Elizabeth would have been deeply uncomfortable with this, as she was always clear about maintaining a separation between duty and profit."
Critics Say Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's Australia Tour Is 'More About Strategy' Than Service
Another source told the outlet: "The optics are what's driving this backlash. When you have trademark expansions happening at the same time as a highly curated overseas visit, it feeds the narrative that this is less about service and more about strategy."
They added: "That's why people are calling it a 'fake royal' tour – it mimics the structure of official engagements, but with a hugely commercial edge."
Royal author Tom Bower also weighed in on the tour (and he didn't hold back!) echoing claims that Meghan is trying to profit from the trip in a way that goes against royal values.
He said: "First of all, Meghan is doing it for money, it's rather grubby… she's monetizing her royalty, which I think is pretty shabby because she promised the Queen she wouldn't do that."
"I think they are going to find it much rougher than they anticipated when they arranged this trip. This trip to Australia is clearly to make money to raise their profile," he noted.
Internet Reactions
Social media, unsurprisingly, did not hold back either! "She's a grifter, making $ off the dead Queen," slammed one Instagram user, as a second echoed: "She's a drama queen who craves drama. She's not only being disrespectful to Queen Elizabeth the second also trying to pretend that she's Princess Diana when Kate Middleton has class like Princess Diana and Meghan Markle is trash with no class."
"She's a disgrace who should have never been allowed to marry the dimwit," exclaimed a third in agreement, while a fourth simply said: "She's shameless."
A fifth referenced the current cost of living crisis, adding: "Classless and vulgar. People in Australia are going through a living crisis and she wants them to pay for police protection whilst they struggle to eat. Meghan will swan around in ridiculous outfits and chuck champagne."
Australians Speak Out Against Harry And Meghan's Visit And As Ever Trademarking
And then there were the opinions from Australians themselves, who were also not happy that the Sussexes were there, with some even referencing a recent petition to keep them away...
"Aussie here. We cannot be any more blunt in our feelings. The Sussexes are not listening or reading the room. We do not like them, not interested in Meghan's word salad or repeated self speeches totally about herself. She is odious, insidious and toxic end of story. Harry the same. I rest my case!" wrote one.
"We don't want her in Australia. There are almost 31k signatures in a petition saying so. It's gaining momentum daily. Also, we can buy top end organic jam and honey for a third of the cost," added another.
"We have excellent real JAM made in Aus. Don't need her [expletive] here!" exclaimed a third. "No one wants them," declared a fourth.
