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Meghan Markle is taking a self-appointed bow after her and Prince Harry’s “faux royal tour” of the Middle East, and a source tells Star that the duchess is vowing to outshine the royals while they scramble to deal with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s legal woes.
Meghan, 44, had “this trip lined up for a while,” the source explains, referencing her recent trip to Amman, Jordan, with Harry, 41, on February 25 and 26. “She just kept it tightly under wraps because she wanted maximum impact.”
Coincidentally, it happened to take place just a week after the former prince was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to allegations he shared confidential trade documents during his time as a British envoy. It centers on his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
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“The timing couldn’t have worked out better,” says the source. “She feels like she and Harry have scored a major coup.”
“Meghan’s feeling very smug,” the source adds. “The monarchy is taking a hammering, and here she and Harry are getting headlines for their humanitarian work.”
While the source says that the Sussexes’ trip should have been “all about giving back,” it was “very much about power and image.”
“Meghan wants to position herself and Harry as the modern alternative to the royal family. That’s a huge part of her branding,” the source continues. “Harry is going along with it because he’s delusionally hoping that it might impress his family to see them out in the world doing acts of service.”
The source tells Star that Harry “genuinely believes there’s still a chance the royals could soften towards them” and Meghan has him “convinced that taking action is the way to go about getting their respect back.”
“In reality,” the source concludes, “all they are doing is making William even angrier.”