Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines with their first public outing of the year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love, a biopic that chronicles the life of the legendary reggae singer.
The couple arrived at the Carib 5 Cinema in Cross Roads, St. Andrew, where the special screening was held for a small group of VIP guests.
Smiling and relaxed for the cameras, Harry and Meghan were accompanied by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife, Juliet Holness.
However, what looked like a night of movies and fun has become a source of criticism for the Sussex.
Holness has openly expressed his intention for Jamaica to become a republic and no longer have the British monarch as its head of state.
Meghan and Harry in Jamaica
According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “knew” their presence in Jamaica would generate a “huge amount of publicity” amid a difficult week for the royal family, with King Charles due to undergo prostate surgery and Princess Kate recovering from a abdominal surgery.
“Harry and Meghan clearly staged this appearance in Jamaica because they knew it would get a huge amount of publicity during a difficult week for the royal family, with the King due to enter hospital and Catherine in hospital after an operation and due to take some weeks to recover. This appearance by the Sussexes was no accident,” the royal expert told the Express newspaper.
Speaking about his interaction with the Jamaican Prime Minister, the expert added: “Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, made it clear during the Waleses’ visit in March 2022 that the country would become a republic.
On social media, users have also criticized the Sussexes’ public outing, which coincides with the absence of Kate Middleton and King Charles.
Some users of platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) even accused Meghan and Harry of exploiting the absence of the royal couple to gain publicity.