Amanda Platell, writing in the Daily Mail, called Prince Harry a "shameless hypocrite" for a visit to his grandmother the late Queen's grave during a short UK trip, accusing him of publicity-seeking and revisiting grievances she says the Sussexes created with the Royal Family.
In an opinion column published on Tuesday, Platell wrote that Harry's first stop after arriving in the U.K. was a private visit to the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle, where he was photographed laying a wreath and flowers and spending about 20 minutes alone. She questioned briefings that the timing of the visit, which coincided with the third anniversary of the Queen's death, was a coincidence and suggested the visit was calculated to generate favourable headlines.
Platell's column recounted a series of events and controversies she said justify her criticism, including the couple's engagement in 2017, their 2018 wedding, the announcement in January 2020 that they would step back as senior working royals, their move to California in June 2020, the March 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and a later media and commercial relationship with Netflix. She also referenced Harry's memoir Spare and a reported multi‑million‑dollar advance, framing the couple's commercial activities as part of the motivation for Platell's charge that the visit was staged to reinforce Harry's public profile.
The column cited royal biographer Robert Hardman's reporting regarding an episode in which the late Queen was said to have been angered by the Sussexes' announcement that they would use the Queen's childhood nickname, Lilibet, for their daughter. Platell wrote that some palace staff recalled the Queen being "as angry as I'd ever seen her" at the time, a characterization she used to argue that the visit should have been accompanied by contrition rather than publicity.
Platell also contrasted Harry's Windsor visit with activities by other members of the Royal Family. She noted that the Prince and Princess of Wales were reported to have taken part in events associated with the Women's Institute, an organisation the late Queen supported for decades, and suggested the difference in approach was evidence of what she described as Harry's attention-seeking.
Representatives for Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not respond within the column to Platell's allegations beyond statements in recent days emphasising the private nature of some of the couple's activities during their visit. The visit itself was described in press reports as private and brief, and the Palace did not provide additional comment to the Daily Mail piece.
Commentary on royal behaviour, relationships and the use of private grief for public messaging has been a recurring theme in British press coverage since the Sussexes' decision to step back from senior royal duties. The couple's 2021 Oprah interview included allegations of institutional racism and raised questions about mental health support; those claims and the couple's subsequent deals with media platforms have been widely debated in both tabloid and broadsheet coverage, as well as in broadcasting and publishing industries.
Platell's column is one of several recent opinion pieces that have scrutinised the Sussexes' return visits to the U.K. in light of ongoing tensions with the Royal Family. Supporters of the couple argue that public and private life have become entangled and that scrutiny of personal gestures often conflates sincere mourning with commercial activity. Critics, including Platell in this piece, say the couple has monetised their royal ties and used publicity to their advantage while harming the institution and individuals within it.
News organisations and commentators have differed in tone and emphasis when covering the visit and the reaction to it. Some outlets focused on the private and solemn aspects of commemorations for the Queen, while others highlighted the political and commercial dimensions of the Sussexes' public profiles. The Daily Mail column adds to a body of opinion that portrays Harry's actions through the lens of longstanding disputes between the couple and other members of the Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex's four-day trip to the U.K. was described in press briefings as a series of private and public engagements. Platell's column used the Windsor visit as a focal point to revisit allegations of betrayal and public airing of family disputes, reiterating a narrative that has been central to some British commentary since the couple relocated to the United States.
The Duke is fifth in line to the throne. The dynamics of his relationship with senior royals, including King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales, have been subject to repeated media attention and official statements over recent years. Platell concluded her column by urging that the late Queen should have been allowed "to live out her selfless reign" in peace, arguing that the Sussexes' actions deprived her of that quiet.