Sussex ‘cheerleader’ Omid Scobie appeared to make a pointed comment about the royal family after Harry and Meghan posed for photos with Jamaica’s staunchly anti-royal prime minister.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a glitzy premiere of the new Bob Marley film One Love in Jamaica last night, where they were greeted by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
The couple were branded ‘insensitive’ for posing with the ruler, who has promised to make Jamaica a republic, as Harry’s father, King Charles, prepares for prostate treatment.
Two years earlier, Holness warned Prince William and Kate that Jamaica was “pulling Britain further” and planning to cut ties with the country during the Waleses’ visit to the Caribbean island.
In an apparent dig on Twitter/
Sussex cheerleader Omid Scobie pointed out that Harry and Meghan’s smiles at Jamaica’s prime minister had “a different vibe to the last time we saw Prime Minister Andrew Holness with members of the Royal Family” – referring to the moment he met in March 2022 with Prince William and Kate spoke.
Prince Harry and Meghan with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met Prime Minister Andrew Holness at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their 2022 tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen
The surprise appearance at the showbiz party raised eyebrows following a double royal health scare in Britain, as Harry’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton recovers in hospital after abdominal surgery almost 5,000 miles away in London, while his father the king prepares was in surgery. prostate procedure.
The couple mingled with the star guests, enjoyed a moment of PDA in front of others and also socialized with Marlene Malahoo Forte, the minister of legal and constitutional affairs, who said last year that Jamaica would soon cut ties with the monarchy can break. and the country’s future should be ‘in Jamaican hands’.
Ms Forte later tweeted a photo of them, prompting one Ms. Forte replied, “This is #OneLove!”
While other observers are still waiting for a statement from the Sussexes that Charles and Kate are in hospital, royal commentator Phil Dampier told MailOnline: ‘It looks like Harry and Meghan will appear when opening an envelope these days.
“Under normal circumstances, there would be nothing wrong with them going to a movie premiere. But at a time when his father is going under the knife and Jamaica is making noises about abolishing the monarchy, this is rather insensitive.
‘The royal family has of course always said that it is up to the individual countries to decide whether they want to become a republic. But I have always found it very sad that Barbados rejected the Queen at the end of her life without a referendum.
“Jamaica will hold a referendum, but it is almost certain that they will ultimately go their own way.”
During William and Kate’s visit to Jamaica, footage showed Mr Holness telling the royal couple that while Jamaicans were “very, very happy” to welcome them, “there are issues here that, as you know, are unresolved.”
He added that his country is “moving forward” and has “real ambitions” to become an “independent, developed, prosperous country.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Bob Marley movie red carpet premiere last night
The Duke and Duchess with Paramount President Brian Robbins and his wife Tracy James
The Sussexes posed at the event last night with Marlene Malahoo Forte, Jamaica’s minister of legal and constitutional affairs, who said last year that Jamaica could soon cut ties with the monarchy because it was time for the country’s future to be ‘in Jamaican ‘ would be. hands’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Bob Marley movie red carpet premiere last night
Prince Harry and Meghan with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet
Prince William and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, are pictured at a meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence in Jamaica, Kingston in 2022
Kate wore a £1,945 Alexander McQueen trouser suit as she and her husband Prince William posed with Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet at Vale Royal, their official residence in Jamaica’s capital Kingston, in 2022
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness presents the Duke of Cambridge with a bottle of Appleton Estate Ruby during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica
Speaking on the Sussexes’ red carpet last night, Mr Dampier added that Harry has “happy memories” of Jamaica, including when he famously ‘won’ a run against Usain Bolt during a visit in 2012.
But he continued: ‘The couple clearly felt at home. But it sends the message that they support that country, when they haven’t found time to publicly show their support for the King and Princess of Wales.
“They may have done so in private, but they certainly don’t go out of their way to say they want reconciliation and this appearance once again emphasizes the different world they now live in.”
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added: ‘Harry and Meghan’s appearance in Kingston at the premiere of the film Bob Marley: One Love was a surprise.
They are well aware that the Caribbean tour that William and Catherine undertook, including Jamaica, in March 2022, was considered highly problematic.”
Harry had traveled to Jamaica in 2012 during his Diamond Jubilee tour of the Caribbean, and was seen dancing to Marley’s hit One Love with a large crowd. He also met the late musician’s widow, Rita Marley.
In 2017, before their engagement in November, Harry and Meghan attended the wedding of the duke’s friend Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip and Lara Hughes-Young.
Meghan married her first husband Trevor Engelson on a private beach in Jamaica in 2011.
Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.