Prince Harry, Meghan Trying To Upstage Royal Family With UK Charity Tour? Journalist Weighs In

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are not trying to upstage the royal family despite the couple's upcoming U.K. visit coinciding with a number of the royal family's engagements, according to a British journalist.

Cameron Walker, a royal reporter at GB News, weighed in on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent announcement that they will return to the U.K. to attend a series of charitable events in early September — around the same time the royal family will be busy with their own engagements.

"What's interesting is the timing of this visit," Walker said on GB News of Markle and Prince Harry's U.K. charity tour. "Constitutionally, it's a very busy time for the royal family."

The Sussexes are scheduled to make an appearance at the One Young World 2022 Manchester Summit on Sept. 5, where Markle will deliver the keynote speech. On the same day, Britain's new prime minister will be announced following an election among the ruling Conservative Party members.

On Sept. 6, the winner of the election will meet with Queen Elizabeth II, who is expected to travel from her Scottish estate Balmoral to London to appoint the new prime minister, the journalist said. The following day, the 96-year-old British monarch is expected to hold a privy council meeting, according to Walker.

But though the timing of Prince Harry and Markle's visit raised some eyebrows, Walker said he believes "plans would have been placed way before any kind of Tory leadership timetable would have been announced. I think it's unfair to say that it's all a conspiracy."

Walker noted that there are speculations on Twitter that the Sussexes, who are now based in California, announced their trip to Europe on the birthday of Princess Anne, who turned 72 Monday, to try to upstage the "hardest working royal" based on the number of engagements per year.

"I think it's perhaps unfair to say it's purely down to trying to upstage the royal family or to upstage the Tory leadership election," the journalist added.

In addition to their appearance at the One Young World 2022 Manchester Summit, Prince Harry and Markle will also head to Germany to attend the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event on Sept. 6, a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed to Entertainment Tonight.

The couple will then return to London on Sept. 8 to attend the WellChild Awards 2022, according to their rep.

More details about the events are expected to be released in the coming days.