Commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Express: “Meghan and Harry deliberately planned this … [They wanted] the ‘money shot’ of the family with the King. Then the King attended the opening of Invictus as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It was intended to boost them commercially using emotional blackmail.”
The Duke elected to make the journey alone after failing to secure taxpayer-funded security for his wife and children.
The uncertainty around who would be crossing the pond led to a row over accommodation, with Harry initially turning down an offer of staying at Buckingham Palace before U-turning when he decided to travel solo.
By this time, the offer had been retracted; however, the Palace suggested that the appropriate hospitality and staffing provision was no longer available.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Harry clearly feels aggrieved. Reports indicated that he was close to tears on the security decision, according to Vanity Fair.
“He prevaricated over the accommodation offered at the Palace and it’s clear the King is fed up with his errant son by withdrawing access.”
“I don’t see any other Royal Family members supporting them,” he added. “The trip has become a total mess. It does prove they have an international profile, but their insincerity is almost tangible, which is why they are not trusted.”
The Palace also suggested that Harry’s legal case against Associated Newspapers played a part in the withdrawal of the accommodation offer,