Meghan Markle may not want to accompany Prince Harry to Invictus Games event in London because she is afraid of being booed by UK crowds, royal expert tells PALACE CONFIDENTIAL

Meghan Markle may not be accompanying Harry to the UK for the Invictus Games event because she is afraid that she will be booed by the British public again, a royal expert has said.  

Prince Harry, 39, is set to fly to the UK next week for the event but he will not be joined by his wife.

A spokesman for the couple confirmed Meghan would not accompany her husband to a service at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games on May 8.

Instead the Duchess of Sussex, 42, will fly from the US to Nigeria to meet her husband for an official visit immediately afterwards. 

The mother-of-two is worried about coming back because she does not want to feel unwelcome by royalists at St Paul's for the second time, according to Richard Eden.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were booed during celebrations for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022 (the pair pictured at the event)

Royal Expert Richard Eden says Meghan may not want to go back to the London landmark because she is afraid of being booed again

Meghan and Harry went to the historic landmark in 2022 to participate in celebrations for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

But when they exited the car, they were greeted by some smiles, cheers and applause - but also booing. 

Speaking on Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden said: 'She does not want to return to Britain in a hurry. There are many people here who won't be sad about that.

'Meghan will be wary of getting booed at St. Pauls'.

In September 2022, the Duchess of Sussex travelled to Windsor Castle with her husband Harry, Kate and William to greet those who wanted to pay their respects to Queen after she passed away.

The former fab-four walked around and interacted with people who were eager to offer their best wishes to the royals during the tough time. 

But when Meghan went to shake hands with one woman, she was ignored. 

She refused to put out her hand when Meghan went to shake it, and then turned her head away from the former Suits star altogether. 

Meghan was ignored by one well-wisher, who was paying her respects to the late Queen, after attempting to shake her hand

Meghan and Harry have been invited to Nigeria by the country's chief of defence staff to take part in 'cultural activities'.

They will meet service members and their families and participate in 'traditional cultural activities', according to Nigerian media.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to travel to the African country in May after being invited by its chief of defence staff to take part in 'cultural activities' and meet service members on an unofficial visit. 

One royal commentator accused the couple of 'playing the "Royal Card"' as their 'income lifeline' while another said it was 'ironic' the couple are happy to visit Commonwealth countries but not as official royal ambassadors.  

Brigadier General Tukur Gusau expressed 'honour and delight' that the couple had accepted the invitation to visit the country, after meeting Harry at last year's Invictus Games.

Their tour of Nigeria will take place just days after the Prince is set to fly to the UK to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games at a service at St Paul's Cathedral. No senior members of the royal family are expected to attend. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured on April 12 in Florida) have been accused of wanting their own 'rival royal roadshow' as they embark on their first non-official royal tour of Nigeria

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in South Africa in 2019) are set to travel to the African country in May after being invited by its chief of defence staff

Harry and Meghan's acceptance of the invitation - their first visit to Nigeria as a couple - is said to have left the country's defence headquarters feeling 'honoured' and 'delighted' (Harry and Meghan pictured at the Invictus Games as they attend the Ukraine v Nigeria volleyball match)

Harry will then jet off to the Commonwealth country to meet his wife who is also not believed to be travelling alongside him to the UK, in what will be his first visit since Kate's shock cancer diagnosis. 

Following the announcement of the trip, royal experts were quick to point out that the couple's visit will be a royal tour in all but name - and could even confusion and threaten diplomatic relationships.

Royal biographer Tom Bower told MailOnline:  'Playing the "Royal Card" has become Meghan's and Harry's income lifeline. Once again, the 'privacy-seeking' couple are exploiting the family they have outrageously denounced to pump up their publicity.

'Undoubtedly, the trip will be financed by the Nigerian government. Their motives, as members of the Commonwealth, remain obscure.' 

Meanwhile royal author Phil Dampier suggested there was an irony to the visit, as Harry and Meghan have previously been critical of the Commonwealth, with the Duchess admitting she 'did not know' about it until after she joined the firm.  

Royal author Phil Dampier said: 'It's ironic that the late Queen wanted Harry and Meghan to very much be her ambassadors throughout the Commonwealth and spread goodwill among its fifty or so nations, but they didn't want to do it as royals.

'Now they are happy to pick and choose invitations they receive from these countries. They did so in Jamaica and now plan to travel to Nigeria, a country his mother Diana toured with the King in the early 1990s.

The Sussexes will make their first visit as a couple to Nigeria after being invited by the country's chief of defence staff (Pictured: Harry and Meghan at day four of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany)

The Duke of Sussex and Michael Buble curling at the final day of the One Year to Go Event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on February 16 2024

Prince Harry will fly to Britain in just over a week's time for the Invictus Games' 10th anniversary where he will give a reading at St Paul's Cathedral - but there is no mention of Meghan being in attendance

'They are in effect trying to set up a rival court, their own royal roadshow, and I think people can see through it.

'They heavily criticised the monarchy and the Commonwealth in their Netflix shows and Harry's book Spare, yet they are happy to be invited simply because of their royal connections.'

Mr Dampier said that unofficial visits conducted by the pair could 'blunder into a diplomatic incident' if they couple 'say or do the wrong thing'.

He added: 'It's all trying to have your cake and eat it, do commercial deals where it suits, but do some quasi-official duties to make out you are still important on the world stage. 

'Some will say they have every right to do this but it smacks of the half in and half out position the late Queen tried to avoid.'