Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are "looking for a cause" on their four-day Colombia trip, royal biographer Ian Lloyd has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who arrived in the South American country on Thursday following an invitation from Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez, have been discussing the impact of social media.
Speaking on GB News host Patrick Christys said: "They've chosen to moan to those children about the abuse they've suffered on social media. I mean, that just to me seems to be a little bit odd."
Lloyd responded: "I think it's looking for a cause. They haven't got much else really. I mean, on Monday there's the Democratic National Conference in Chicago, and a lot of leading Democrat supporters like Michelle Obama are supposedly heading there, as well as celebrities like Beyonce.
Meghan and Harry are currently touring Colombia Getty "There was a time when we all thought that Meghan had aspirations to be a Democrat senator or something like that, but they don't get invited to anything.
"I read a report today online that there's the editor of Harper's has said that their influence or Meghan's influence on voters is negligible and that there's selling powers at rock bottom.
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"So they haven't really got much else. They've not really got any great causes to promote. I think they're doing this, to grab what they can."
The couple's appearance alongside the VP follows the reveal that Marquez invited them to Colombia after watching their Netflix show.
She said: "I learned their story through Netflix and I was moved by it... Meghan is a woman who deserves to come to the country and tell her story."
The vice president continued: "Last year we held a meeting on July 25 - the day of Afro-descendant women.
Ian Lloyd said they are "looking for a cause"
GB News
"We wanted to invite Meghan, an Afro-descendant woman, to that meeting so she could share her experiences."
Speaking about this Lloyd said: "Having watched Netflix Marquez said, this is a woman who deserves to come to our country.
"I mean, read it about when you can it is a case of you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, isn't it?
"I mean, she's getting a lot of publicity from it, and she's hanging on to them like a leech.
"She was there at the school and yesterday, of course, and they are getting a great bit of coverage for themselves."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry met schoolchildren in ColombiaGETTYAhead of their appearance at the school, Marquez described the Sussexes' trip as "very special" as the couple continue their quest against cyber-bullying, discrimination and online digital violence.
At the school, the Duchess of Sussex talked at length about social media, while Prince Harry asked pupils how they managed their online presence - mirroring what the pair had spoken out on in their CBS interview just weeks ago.
Meghan described the group as "impressive, smart, and savvy" and talked up the importance of the students striving to be “self-reliant and not tech-reliant."