Prince Harry and Meghan are doing exactly what Queen Elizabeth II asked them not to do – conducting royal tours as if they are representatives of the monarchy, according to one royal editor.

The Duke of Sussex met with Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family, including the future King Charles and Prince William, asking if he and his wife could step back from their responsibilities as senior working royals. The Sussexes floated the idea of continuing some royal engagements, but the answer was a firm no.

Just last week, Harry and Meghan were in Nigeria for three days, with royal watchers referring to it as a “quasi royal tour.” 

Tom Sykes, royal editor for The Daily Beast, told The Express: “Harry and Meghan have been explicit that they are planning more trips like the one to Nigeria.”

He added: “This is a nightmare for the royal family and their aides because royal tours are part of government foreign policy.

“This is exactly what Queen Elizabeth II was seeking to avoid when she said they couldn’t be half in and half out of the family, which was their original proposal.”

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Harry and Meghan seen walking through Abuja, which appeared to be a royal stroll (Image: Getty)

The Sussexes’ Nigeria trip has been deemed a “template,” and according to Harry himself, this is just the first of many, it’s being reported.

Mr Sykes said of these plans: “The concern is that Harry and Meghan, as one source told me, have different priorities to the royals. Put simply, they are interested in promoting their own projects rather than UK inc.”

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According to Mr Sykes, Harry and Meghan were being treated like rock stars (Image: Getty)

The Nigeria trip was meant to promote the Invictus Games, but the visit went beyond the sporting event with Harry and Meghan visiting a school and Harry inspecting troops at a military base in scenes reminiscent of an official royal visit.

Mr Sykes explained why this can be confusing to the general public: “If they were thought of as private citizens — like, say, Angelina Jolie — that wouldn’t be an issue.”

“But to 99% of people outside the U.K., Harry and Meghan are every bit as representative of the royal family as William and Kate are.”