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 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 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. Harry will then jet off to the Commonwealth country to meet his wife who is also not believed to be traveling 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.