Royals
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Trip to Jordan Was ‘Not Ideal’ Timing Amid U.S. Strikes on Iran
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have poor timing.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office announced last week that the couple would visit the Middle Eastern country of Jordan on Wednesday, February 25, and Thursday, February 26. Two days later, on February 28, Israel and the United States launched coordinated joint attacks on Iran.
“Everyone in diplomatic circles knew tensions were escalating,” a source told journalist Rob Shuter for a Tuesday, March 3, post on his Naughty But Nice Substack. “It wasn’t a secret that something significant was coming.”
While “nothing” — including the humanitarian visit to the capital city of Amman made by Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44 — was “going to stop” Operation Epic Fury from moving forward, a senior insider said, “having two high-profile figures conducting a pseudo-royal tour in the Middle East at that exact moment was not ideal.”
Their appearance in the Middle East ahead of a major move like Operation Epic Fury “creates unnecessary noise,” another source said, adding: “During a military operation, the focus needs to be singular.”
Following the recent attack by U.S. and Israeli forces, officials in Jordan confirmed that they had shot down missiles aimed at their territory, per the BBC. The U.S. Embassy in Amman was also briefly evacuated, per The New York Times. Iran also reportedly launched attacks against other nearby countries.
On Sunday, it was confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who served as the supreme leader of Iran from the 1980s, was killed.
According to a statement from the White House, “In a bold and necessary exercise of American strength, President Donald J. Trump authorized Operation Epic Fury — a precise, overwhelming military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, destroy its ballistic missile arsenal, degrade its proxy terror networks, and cripple its naval forces.”
“This operation, executed in partnership with regional allies, follows exhaustive diplomatic efforts and comes after 47 years of Iranian aggression — including attacks on U.S. citizens, sponsorship of global terrorism, and brutal oppression of its own people,” the White House said.
