Tensions may continue to rise as Meghan and Harry’s upcoming schedule could outshine other working royals.Mitya Underwood and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
11:40, 07 Apr 2026
Meghan and Harry may overshadow upcoming royal events as their busy schedule gets underway.(Image: Rosa Woods/Getty Images)
Tensions within the Royal Family may begin to spike again as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to take part in the “most anticipated royal event of the year”. While the couple are wanting to silence critics that have put them down over the years, a royal expert has warned that the couple’s schedule could rile up senior royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to jet off to Australia in the coming weeks for a ‘royal tour’. This highly publicised visit will be the couple’s first trip Down Under since 2018 when they announced they were pregnant with their son Archie, six.
During the trip, the couple are set to take part in a number of “private, business, and philanthropic engagements”. While Harry will deliver a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit about workplace mental health, Meghan is set to make a guest appearance at a lavish women-only weekend retreat.
With the news also dropping that Meghan and Harry have a few new TV and film projects coming up, royal expert and author Richard Palmer has warned that the overseas couple may risk overshadowing key moments for the Royal Family back in the UK, even if they have the best intentions.
Speaking to the Mirror, Palmer said: “Their Australia trip is one of, if not the, most anticipated royal events of the year. They want to prove their critics wrong so will be hoping it is a huge success. If it is, it will be Meghan’s revenge.
There has also been talk that Meghan may be set to launch her lifestyle brand As Ever while on their trip Down Under at the end of the month.
The last time the couple were in Australia was back in 2018.(Image: Paul Edwards/Getty Images)
While this trip and future producing endeavours may be positive for the couple, it could severely clash with the royal schedule which is said to be extremely busy throughout April.
Along with the month marking Prince Louis’ eighth birthday and 15th anniversary of Prince William and Princess Kate, it will also be the centenary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II on April 21.
Some people have speculated that the Sussexes’ upcoming schedule could be a form a payback to the Royal Family as tensions within the family are already at an all time high.
Palmer added: “There still seems to be an awful lot of tension with other members of the family and the royal household. Clearly Buckingham Palace and the Sussex camp are speaking, so there’ll be a certain amount of deconflicting going on.
“But I think it will also annoy the King and other members of the family if, as seems likely, Meghan and Harry garner a lot of media attention while they’re out in Australia, and then that overshadows whatever’s going on back here.”
These clashes in schedules can easily occur since Harry and Meghan stepped down from being working royals back in 2020. As such, they have free rein on when and which events and trips they attend. Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family need to work around each other so conflicts don’t arise.
The Duke and Duchess are also set to work on a number of TV and film projects with Netflix.(Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
The royal expert explained: “One of their biggest frustrations when they were working members of the whole family was that they had to defer to the King and Queen, and to William and Kate.
“They found it really frustrating having to fit in with everybody else when, as far as they were concerned, they were the big box office attraction. But from Meghan and Harry’s point of view, they don’t have to worry about it any longer.”
While Meghan and Harry will be hoping that their trip to Australia will be a success, it certainly won’t be smooth sailing as the couple are also seen to divide opinions Down Under.
Palmer said: “There’s definitely a market for them and for the As Ever brand over there, but as they do over here, they divide the public.
“There are many staunch monarchists who really don’t like them and see them as having betrayed the monarchy, but there are lots of people who have sympathy with them, who think they’re glamorous and will buy into the idea of these products.”
Along with the trip, it was reported last week that the couple’s company Archewell Productions will be making at least one new TV show and two new films with Netflix. Stepping away from the documentary-style shows, this shift will take the couple a further step away from their former royal lives.