Amanda Platell, a columnist for the Daily Mail, wrote that Prince Harry was a "shameless hypocrite" after the prince visited the grave of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, during a return trip to the United Kingdom this week.
Platell's column noted that Harry arrived for a four-day visit, traveled to Windsor Castle soon after landing and—according to reports and photographs—laid floral tributes in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where the late queen is buried, and spent about 20 minutes alone at the site. The column questioned the timing of the visit, which coincided with the third anniversary of the queen's death.
Platell framed her critique around what she called a pattern of behaviour by Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, citing the couple's 2020 decision to step back from senior royal duties and move to the United States, their March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and subsequent commercial deals. The column repeated figures that have circulated in media coverage—referring to a reported Netflix agreement around 2022 said to be worth about $100 million and to an advance of about $20 million for Harry's memoir, "Spare"—and argued those activities were at odds with a public show of private mourning.
The column also recalled reporting that palace staff were angered by the Sussexes' public statements about the royal family, including references to race, and cited a royal biographer's account that the late queen had been upset when the couple said she had given permission to use her nickname "Lilibet" for their daughter. Platell characterized the visit as a public relations gesture and suggested it was unlikely to be coincidental that the trip overlapped with the anniversary of the queen's death.
Platell contrasted Harry's visit with other public appearances by senior royals, noting that the Prince and Princess of Wales took part in community and ceremonial events marking the anniversary and that the princesses have longstanding ties to organisations the queen supported. The column also raised questions—attributed to its author—about whether Harry would be received by other members of the royal family during the visit.
Photographs and coverage in British media showed Harry arriving at Windsor and visiting the chapel; spokespeople for Harry and the royal household did not provide comment to the column beyond previously released statements about the visit. The circumstances and interpretation of the trip were the subject of differing views in media and among commentators.
Harry remains fifth in line to the throne. His relationship with other members of the royal family has been publicly strained since the couple's departure from senior royal duties in 2020 and intensified following high-profile interviews and publications. The visit to the chapel comes amid continuing public debate in Britain and abroad over the couple's role, commercial ventures and their public recounting of private family matters.
The piece by Platell is an opinion column and presents her perspective on the visit and the couple's conduct. The trip itself was limited in duration and scope; further reporting may provide additional detail about meetings or engagements undertaken during Harry's time in the United Kingdom.