Uncomfortable truth Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal tour has revealed

Meghan has lurched from disaster to disaster this year, but her latest tour has been something of a rebirth — with unexpected consequences.

In 1981, Prince Charles headed Down Under for a brief tour.

He was followed everywhere by photographers who couldn’t get enough of the newly-engaged royal. (They even famously caught the heir to the throne enjoying an early morning dip at Bondi.)

Two years later, in 1983, he returned to Oz, this time bringing with him his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales and their nine-month-old Prince William. The change could not have been more marked.

While once he was the main attraction — the member of the royal family the waiting crowds were there to meet — this time his blushing, beautiful bride was now the real headliner for both the public and the media.

For a man who, his entire life, had been the centre of attention to be relegated to second place was an extraordinary and upsetting experience, his ego suffering terribly as his wife dominated the spotlight. (One Fleet Street photographer said that of every hundred shots he took during the ’83 tour, 92 focused on the Princess and only eight on Charles.)

What is so intriguing is that we are watching a very similar scenario play out now with Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they tour South Africa.

Since the duo, along with wee baby Archie, stepped off their British Airways flight on Monday, the camera lenses and column inches have by far been focused on the glamorous, accomplished Duchess.

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Since they touched down in Africa, the camera lenses have been focused on Meghan. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/Pool/Getty Images

The front pages of four of the UK’s biggest newspapers featured Meghan exclusively, with Harry nowhere to be seen. Ditto the following day when they visited a mosque. The focus was clearly on the 38-year-old mum, with only one small image of her husband.

(At home in London, British politics descended into even more turmoil thus pushing the HRHs off the front page.)

Coverage of the tour has focused entirely on Meghan. Picture: Supplied

Now I am not for an instant suggesting that Harry resents his wife’s popularity in the way his father did his mother. However, it is the ironic fate of every male member of the Windsor clan that upon marriage, their own megawattage is dimmed as their other half dazzles.

The same dynamic played out when Wills and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured North America after they tied the knot in 2011. The future king, once the major draw for the hordes had been demoted to a largely supporting role.

(It is not just born-and-bred Windsor men who suffer this fate. Prince Philip struggled to contend with playing second fiddle to his wife the Queen when they toured the Commonwealth or undertook public engagements together.)

Meghan and Archie meeting Desmond Tutu. Picture: Toby Melville — Pool/Getty Images

In the coming days, as Harry tours Botswana, Angola and Malawi solo there is every chance his meetings and work are liable to be overshadowed by coverage of what his wife (and adorable son) are up to in South Africa.

We have already seen this particular scenario play very recently on September 12. That just happened to be the day that Meghan launched her SmartWorks capsule collection to near-universal acclaim. The following day, there was extensive coverage of her speech, the actual clothes and laudatory opinion pieces about her project.

Based on column inches and internet stories you would have been hard pressed to find much mention of the fact that the same day his wife was making a dazzling return to work, Harry was visiting a program to encourage kids to play rugby, hugging and high-fiving youngsters with only a few brief news stories about his visit.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visits Auwal Mosque. Picture: Tim Rooke — Pool/Getty Images

Herein lies the rub: Balancing the schedules and ambitions of two passionate activists and HRHs so that her pulling power does not detract from his work. For the Sussexes’ staff, the challenge is how to ensure his official events receive significant coverage without forcing Meghan to stay resolutely behind closed doors.

While Harry seems like a man who would only take pride in his wife’s accomplishments (rather take umbrage at her scene-stealing capabilities) this is still a paradigm shift. Harry and Meghan might be enjoying the warm glow of renewed public adoration after a tumultuous summer, the star of the Sussex show is clearly the Duchess.

Daniela Elser is a royal expert and freelance writer with 15 years’ experience working for some of Australia’s biggest titles.