Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced a fierce backlash on TalkTV after royal commentator Rupert Bell slammed the timing of their latest announcement. Speaking on the channel's breakfast show hosted by Mark Dolan, Bell accused the Sussexes of deliberately overshadowing the Princess of Wales's return to public life.
Timing of Announcement Sparks Criticism
The couple revealed they will visit the United Kingdom next month with their children and stay in royal accommodation. The news broke on the same day that the Prince and Princess of Wales attended Royal Ascot, marking Kate's first appearance at the event since her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
"The cynic in me, funny enough, it was announced on the day that we see the Prince and Princess of Wales were at Ascot," Rupert Bell observed. "Of course... that was her first return since her cancer diagnosis, so there was a lot of interest surrounding that."
Bell criticised what he called a pattern of behaviour from the Sussex camp. "It does seem to be remarkable how the Sussex camp always do manage to shoe in a major announcement here or there, or an Instagram post just when the rest of the royal family are going about their [royal] business. And let's [face it] Royal Ascot is part social, part formal occasion for the king and the royal family."
Kate's Return to Royal Ascot
William and Catherine attended Day 2 of the annual races, arriving in the Royal Carriage Procession. It was the Princess of Wales's first time at the event since her cancer diagnosis. In 2024, she skipped the racing event as she underwent treatment. Although she was originally scheduled to appear in 2025, she ended up cancelling her appearance at the last minute.
The timing of Harry and Meghan's announcement was widely seen as insensitive, drawing attention away from Kate's milestone.
Royal Estate Stay May Strain Relations
Reflecting on the fact that Harry and Meghan will be staying in a royal household, Bell speculated it probably would not go down well with Prince William. "I think William's obviously maybe not particularly happy because he feels he's borne the brunt of all the comments from Harry and the breakdown in the relationship between Catherine and Meghan."
Bell emphasised the need for trust to be rebuilt. "I think trust has to be established, so whatever happens during this visit, what the royal family, and particularly maybe William and Catherine, and other members will want to see, is do we end up hearing about it..."
He added that if the visit remains private, there is room for Harry to engage in his Invictus Games work and other charitable activities. "Maybe going to see a Wellchild or other charities that he's involved in. But when it comes to the sort of private side, no one in the Royal Household wants to suddenly hear an exclusive interview with Meghan, or drip feeding of reports to somewhere."
