Prince Harry's upcoming solo trip to New York without Meghan Markle is a "further attempt to prove he is relevant", it has been claimed.
The Duke of Sussex will represent the Archewell Foundation, set up by himself and wife Meghan Markle at the UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week.
While both events are running from September 22 to September 29, Harry's brother Prince William is also expected to be in New York at the same time for the Earthshot Prize.
The Earthshot Innovation Summit is scheduled to take place at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on September 24.
Michael Cole says Prince Harry's latest solo trip is to 'prove he is still relevant'
Getty / GB News
Speaking to GB News, Former BBC Royal Correspondent Michael Cole claimed that the Duke's latest trip is an attempt to "prove he is still relevant" after quitting as a working royal in 2020.
Cole said: "If you are a member of the Royal Family, you just are relevant. If you're a semi-detached member of the Royal Family living in California, you have to be on the move to show that you are of some worth to the world, hence the recent trips with his wife to Nigeria and Colombia.
"He's going to New York in the week of the General Assembly, the world's biggest talking shop, and Climate Week, carrying the banner of the Archewell Foundation."
Offering possible suggestions as to why the Duchess of Sussex is not joining her husband in New York, Cole noted the previous incident the Sussexes faced in New York after becoming involved in a car chase.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently travelled to Colombia together for a four-day trip
Getty
Cole explained: "We don't know why she's not going, perhaps she has other things to do. Jam to make, people to talk to on her hilltop in Montecito.
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"Are they concerned about another one of those two-hour relentless car chases through New York City, which happened in May last year? Although the taxi driver and indeed the mayor of New York both weighed in and poured cold water on that tale, of them being pursued by paparazzi and being scared out of their lives."
Praising the prince for his work with his many charitable causes, Cole also questioned if the wider public "will be interested" in his latest outing without Meghan Markle.
Sharing her view on the trip, host Bev Turner argued that Harry travelling to New York alone is "triggering speculation" because his life is "sold on his relationship" with the Duchess.
Bev told Cole: "If you build a career solely on your personal life and your relationship and your marriage, which is what they've done via their Netflix documentary, via his book Spare.
Michael Cole says Harry and Meghan 'could have been an asset' to the Royal Family had they stayed
GB News
"If your life is only about your relationships, when you then go without your wife, that's what triggers the speculation. Because there's no other sort of substance beneath what they do."
Cole agreed, adding: "What have they got to sell? They've got celebrity, and that's a fast-depleting factor in all of this. And in America, they don't want what was yesterday, they want what's next.
"They've come out of the box all the time to prove that they are relevant and that they are important. But they could have done an extremely good job within the Royal Family of doing that - they would have had the structure and the support to do wonderful work around the 54 countries of the Commonwealth.
"They started to do it, and they were doing it rather well, and she was being an asset. But then suddenly in 2020, they took fright, jumped on a plane to Canada and then onto California, which may have been her destination all along."