King Charles has seemingly sent a strong and deliberate message to his younger son, Prince Harry, and daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, during his recent trip to Australia. The monarch, currently on his first official visit to the country as King, made a poignant gesture by reflecting on the nation’s connection to its First Nations people and honoring the sacrifice of Australian veterans. However, it was what King Charles didn’t do that has raised eyebrows—his apparent snub of Harry and Meghan.
During the visit, King Charles participated in a significant moment of reflection at the “For Our Country” Memorial. This event was aimed at acknowledging the deep relationship that First Nations Australians have with their land, as well as the integral role they continue to play in defending it. The palace marked the occasion with a message, saying, “We remember the service and sacrifice of all Australians who have died during war.”
The statement highlighted the royal family’s long-standing tradition of honoring Australia’s fallen soldiers. It emphasized the continuity of the monarchy’s engagement with Australia, noting that since 1941, nearly every royal visit has featured a formal wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier.
However, the palace also pointed out that King Charles and Queen Camilla were the first royals to formally acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans at this new memorial.
As part of the visit, the palace shared a touching photo collage on their official social media accounts. This collage featured photos of past royal visits to Australia, including those made by the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 2000, as well as images of King Charles and Camilla during their 2012 trip. Notably, it also included a photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, from their 2014 visit.
What caught public attention, however, was the absence of any images of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The couple embarked on a high-profile 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga in 2018 when they were still working royals.
This trip marked one of the Sussexes’ most significant tours, and it included key moments such as Meghan’s announcement of her pregnancy with their first child, Archie. Despite the importance of this trip, the palace’s decision not to include them in the collage felt like a calculated omission.
This exclusion has led many royal observers to speculate that King Charles was sending a subtle yet unmistakable message to Harry and Meghan: they are no longer part of the core working royal family.
Despite still holding their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, the couple’s departure from royal duties and subsequent move to the United States has clearly distanced them from the heart of the monarchy.
By excluding Harry and Meghan from this commemorative post, the palace may have intended to underscore their diminished role within the royal family, particularly in their absence from official royal events.
The snub feels even more significant considering the couple’s 2018 tour was, at the time, celebrated as a successful diplomatic mission, with both Harry and Meghan receiving widespread attention and praise for their engagements in Australia and the surrounding nations.
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Royal experts believe this omission may be a way for King Charles to reinforce the idea that while Harry and Meghan may still hold their royal titles, their status within the institution has been significantly diminished since their decision to step back from royal duties in 2020.
The move also suggests that the monarch is drawing a clear distinction between the working royals who continue to represent the monarchy on the global stage and those who no longer perform such duties.
This latest snub follows ongoing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family. Prince Harry’s candid memoir Spare, as well as the couple’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, have only deepened the rift between Harry and his family, particularly with his father and brother, Prince William.
While King Charles has publicly expressed his love for Harry, the omission of the Sussexes from key royal moments continues to signal that their place in the royal fold remains uncertain.
Whether this latest incident will prompt any response from Harry and Meghan remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the royal family is taking careful steps to distance itself from the couple, at least in official capacities.
As the royal family continues to navigate these complex dynamics, it appears that King Charles is asserting his reign with a clear focus on the future, one that may no longer prominently include Harry and Meghan.
