Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Sent a 'Clear Signal to the Palace' Through Photo-Op With Anti-Royalist Prime Minister

In what has been described as a "slap in the face" to his father, King Charles III, and his royal heritage, Prince Harry, along with Meghan Markle, has been accused of "undermining" the royal family.

"By choosing to break cover in such vehemently anti-monarchist company, the Duke and Duchess appear to be sending a very clear signal to the Palace," columnist Sarah Vine wrote when describing the pair's meet and greet with anti-monarchist Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

"It appears to me that they intend to use their royal connection to undermine both the individual reputations of members of the royal family and that of the institution as a whole. I hope that I am wrong." The scribe then pointed out how the Montecito royals are "helping to fuel anti-royalist sentiment throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere."

She added: "The late Queen, who loved the Commonwealth and used her position to foster forgiveness and understanding, would be heartbroken. As for King Charles, I can see only one course of action: he should give them what they claim to want and set them free of their royal shackles by stripping them, finally, of all titles."

The duo walked the red carpet and posed for glitzy photographs while grinning next to Holness who holds anti-monarchy sentiments against King Charles III as the Caribbean nation's head of state. Jamaica is a former colony of the long-defunct British Empire but chose to keep the British monarch as their head of state after winning their full independence from the U.K. in 1962, during Queen Elizabeth II's early reign.

Holness has vowed to hold a referendum on whether or not to keep the Crown of Jamaica by 2025. He told Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, his intention to do so on camera during their tour of the country in the spring of 2022.

In their Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, there are segments in the show that discuss Britain's former empire and the effects of colonization, which some critics currently claim is the Montecito royals' "hypocritical" way of shading the monarchy even more by cozying up to a former colony's current anti-royal head of government.

Harry and Meghan's recent appearance being praised by their supporters, others feel that the event was in bad taste considering King Charles and Kate, Princess of Wales' health problems.

"Under normal circumstances, there would be nothing wrong with them going to a film premiere," royal expert Phil Dampier dished. "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."

He continued: "Jamaica will have a referendum, but it's almost certain they will go their own way eventually."

Daily Express reported on Vine's column.