Harry and Meghan’s tour branded ‘less impactful’ than the Royal Family’s – poll results

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently marked their second international visit this year with a four-day tour of Colombia – and but it seems Mirror readers aren’t convinced by their ‘faux’ royal tours.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited local schools to promote the importance of digital literacy and mental health awareness, and attended a summit on internet safety. The visit was also organised to showcase the country’s culture and history, as Vice President Francia Márquez explained ahead of their arrival that the tour will further “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.

The couple, who stepped down from royal duties in 2020, participated at the Afro Women and Power conference, attended an indigenous dance performance, and visited a percussion school. They also met the Colombian Invictus Games Team, delivered a speech on female empowerment, and engaged with local people.

In May, Harry and Meghan embarked on their first unofficial tour of 2024, when they spent three days in Nigeria. However, some people have been quick to slam the pair for their recent international excursions, due to them not being working royals anymore.

Piers Morgan told The Sun: “Meghan and Harry aren’t real royals these days. So, what gives them the right to prance around the world pretending to be proper royals, on quasi- official visits? There are so many things wrong about this.”

In contrast, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams declared their Colombia visit to be “successful” in boosting the pair’s “international profile”. Speaking to GB News, he said: “This is a positive royal tour, is one of the best ways that Britain projected its soft power. The Sussexes have jumped on the bandwagon.”

We asked Mirror readers if they thought Harry and Meghan’s tours were more impactful than the Royal Family’s, and a whopping 90 percent said ‘No, they’re not’. Around 6,015 people took part in our poll, and a hefty 5,405 were not convinced that the trips were ‘more impactful’.

Voicing their thoughts in the comments section, one user penned: “They are not even in the same class of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the entire royal family. Their tours are all about making movies.”

Another shared: “H & M are not working royals and as such this is not a Royal Tour. It is simply a freebie holiday to keep them in the limelight which is paramount to them, without which they would be what they actually are, nonentities.”

A third questioned: “Impact how? They have no status and no power to affect countries,” while a fourth added: “They are not touring like the Royals. No protocol. No dress code. This tour is to promote them, nothing to do with the UK government or King Charles himself. Just remember that.”

Meanwhile, nine percent said the Sussexes’ tours were more impactful, as one person highlighted the important causes that the couple support: “While Harry and Meghan were in Colombia they visited a number of places that use unique ways of dealing with abuse to children.

“Harry and Meghan also went to places to see how people can help each other through their culture. All these visits were also done with the vice president of Colombia so that she could give her insight into those events and allow her security to be used to keep Harry and Meghan safe. Also there was an insight session hosted by Archewell Foundation about dealing with online abuse.”

Another shared: “You can’t do anything about it, Harry and Meghan possess the same indefinable sparkle as Diana, there is no explanation, there are people who possess it and enchant. People are enchanted by them. You can say whatever you want, but you can’t change that. William and Kate don’t have it and you can’t buy it.”