Prince Harry and Meghan pose with anti-monarchists to hang with Hollywood heavyweight

New details have emerged about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s trip to Jamaica that led to them posing with anti-monarchists.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited an anti-monarchist leader in Jamaica at the invitation of a major Hollywood boss, according to sources familiar with the matter.

While Princess Catherine recovers from abdominal surgery and King Charles prepares to go under the knife for an enlarged prostate, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were “delighted” to walk the red carpet, where they posed with the controversial Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness.

Holness infamously confronted Prince William and Catherine during their awkward Caribbean tour in 2022 to say the island nation is “moving on” from the British monarchy and the Queen’s beloved Commonwealth.

It has since emerged that the self-exiled royals rubbed shoulders with the anti-monarchists at the express invitation of Brian Robbins, the President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and the Chief Content Officer, Movies and Kids & Family, for Paramount+.

Paramount boss Brian Robbins and wife Tracy invited Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to Jamaica. Picture: Getty Images

It comes amid reports Harry and Meghan have been stepping up their Hollywood charm offensive to secure a new content production deal before their lucrative Netflix deal expires next year.

“[They] have a personal friendship with the Robbins family who invited them,” a source told Mail Online, adding they were “delighted to attend” the screening of One Love.

Royal expert Phil Dampier added the timing of the red carpet shoulder rubbing added insult to injury for Catherine and Charles.

“Under normal circumstances there would be nothing wrong with them going to a film premiere,” he told the outlet.

“But at a time when his father is going under the knife and Jamaica is making noises about ditching the monarchy, this is rather insensitive.”

HARRY, MEGHAN POSE WITH ANTI-MONARCHIST LEADER

Harry and Meghan have been branded “insensitive” after posing on a red carpet in Jamaica with anti-monarchy leaders.

The Sussexes – who have criticised the royals as racist after leaving the UK for the US in 2020 – were all smiles at the premiere of Bob Marley film One Love.

Harry and Meghan walked the red carpet, posing for photos with Marlene Malahoo Forte, Jamaica’s minister for legal and constitutional affairs, who last year vowed to “sever ties” between Jamaica and the monarchy.

In January, she said the government would bring a Bill to Parliament in April to remove the 75-year-old King as head of state.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness and Olivia Grange attend the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Kingston, Jamaica. Picture: Getty Images

Tellingly, the couple also posed for photos with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who famously bailed up William and Catherine during their awkward Caribbean tour in 2022 to say the island nation is “moving on”.

Sussex cheerleader Omid Scobie – who reignited the royal racism row – made a pointed dig at William and Catherine on X (formerly Twitter), posting: “A different vibe to the last time we saw PM Andrew Holness with members of the Royal Family …”

A different vibe to the last time we saw PM Andrew Holness with members of the Royal Family… https://t.co/JqPF3WgPRJ

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) January 24, 2024

The couple were labelled “insensitive” for posing with the ruler, who has vowed to turn Jamaica into a republic, while Harry’s father Charles prepares to undergo prostate treatment.

Meghan is no stranger to Jamaica, having married her first husband Trevor Engleson on a beach there in 2011, before returning in 2017 to attend a friend’s wedding.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the screening of the Bob Marley biopic. Picture: Getty Images

A lip reader that analysed video of Harry at the event said the royal was in a jubilant mood despite his family friction.

At one point Harry embraced Ziggy Marley and said something while smiling.

Lip reader Jeremy Freeman told The Mirror the Duke said: “We did have a great time. You rock Bob Marley!”

Jamaica is one of 14 non-UK realms – including Australia, Canada and New Zealand – where King Charles remains head of state.

The royal family insist it is up to the people living in Realms to determine if they want to exit the Commonwealth.

The then-Prince Charles attended the transition of Barbados to a republic in 2021.

There are no plans for Jamaica to leave the Commonwealth which is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries and has been growing every year and includes non-Empire nations such as Togo and Rwanda.

Things got a bit awkward between Prince William, Princess Catherine and the Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, during the couple’s 2022 visit. Picture: Getty Images

The Sussexes entered the debate just weeks after they left the UK in 2020, saying the Commonwealth must acknowledge its “uncomfortable” past and said “change is needed and it’s coming”.

“Certainly when you look across the Commonwealth there is no way we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past,” Harry said in 2020.

“And I think so many people have done such an amazing and incredible job, I mean, acknowledging the past and trying to right those wrongs.

“But I think we all acknowledge on here that there is still so much more still to do.

“It’s not gonna be easy and in some cases it’s not going to be comfortable but it needs to be done because, guess what, everybody benefits.

“When it comes to institutional systemic racism, it’s there and it stays there, because someone somewhere is benefiting from it.

“We can’t deny or ignore the fact that all of us have been brought up and educated to see a world differently.”

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan pose with anti-monarchists to hang with Hollywood heavyweight