Exact moment Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘saw rot set in,’ pinpointed by expert

An expert has claimed there was one memorable turning point when cracks began to appear for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and it signalled the end of their days as working royals

After marrying in a fairytale ceremony, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent less than two years as working royals before dramatically quitting the Firm.

But during their time carrying out royal duties, the Sussexes did pack a lot in, with their first major tour coming just months after they wed. It saw them travel to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific – and they were given a rockstar’s welcome everywhere they went. However, according to a royal expert, despite the glowing reception they received, it was actually this trip that saw the “rot set in”, which eventually paved the way for them dramatically quitting their royal roles.

Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor of Majesty Magazine, told The Sun: “I think it was a bit of a shock [that] she was being told what to do, she was being told where to go and she was being told how to do it. She was taking a starring role in the actual size of the monarchy, she was just a little pinpoint. At that moment in Australia, she was a starring role, but she wasn’t really, she was just a cog in the wheel.”

“I think it was an eye opener for her that she was always going to be a cog in the wheel because she was married to number two man [and] not the number one man, which would have been [Prince] William. I agree with the royal commentators, that was definitely when the rot began to fester a little bit.”

Ingrid’s comments come as Harry’s father King Charles and Queen Camilla have been on their own tour of Australia – six years after the Sussexes’ trip there. They too were also given a rapturous reception yesterday as they greeted thousands who turned out to see them at the Sydney Opera House.

The visit has also seen them visit the Parliament building in Canberra and take part in a traditional Aussie barbecue. There, the King was handed some tongs and clicked them in anticipation and the Queen did the same before they set about making sure the “top tucker” cooked evenly, with Charles looking after the vegetarian sausages and his wife the beef bangers.

They left Sydney earlier today and received a ceremonial welcome when they arrived in Samoa for a four-day state visit. The royal couple flew to the Polynesian nation, which is hosting a major gathering of Commonwealth leaders, after their tour of Australia – the first by Charles as King.

Charles will preside over the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, taking part for the first time as its head. He will formally open the global summit on Friday but plays no part in the discussions between the presidents and prime ministers – including Sir Keir Starmer – which take place informally behind closed doors and unusually no advisers or aides are present.