Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have set up a "rival court", leaving Prince William and Kate Middleton "frustrated."

Royal author Phil Dampier claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have set up a "rival court" across the pond in California, but said that often their projects don’t overlap with William and Kate’s.

The Sussexes, who stepped down from royal duties in 2020 to do their own projects, recently announced they will be doing a tour in Colombia.

Harry and Meghan were personally invited to spend a few days in Colombia by the country's Vice President Francia Márquez.

Dampier told Fabulous: “Now that they [have] set up as this kind of rival court, they will obviously hope that things they do don't overlap what William's doing.

“He's [William’s] got events with the Earthshot Prize that he's involved in in South Africa later in the year, and Harry, of course, has got his Invictus Games, so as long as they don't directly clash in terms of dates, and try and score points off each other, and they're not directly competing in the same field, I think they can carry on.

"But it's just tragic that it's come to this, that they're doing their own thing."

Meghan Markle is predicted to miss out on the next Invictus Games after it was announced they would be held in the UK, it has been claimed. Prince Harry's veterans project will make its return to the UK in 2027, with Birmingham being selected as the host city.

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Dampier added: “All of a sudden, the slimmed-down monarchy by default is looking very slim, so they are thin on the ground, and obviously, were they still working royals, Harry and Meghan could have taken up a lot of the slack.

"So it is frustrating. But we are where we are, and in some ways, you know, we're going to have to wait until George, Charlotte, and Louis are another 10 years older before they can start performing duties. And in the meantime, it's going to be difficult.

"Harry and Meghan could have taken a great weight off their shoulders, and certainly the late Queen had massive plans for Harry and Meghan.

"She thought that they would be perfect to travel around the Commonwealth and represent her, and represent the Royal Family, and carry on after she'd gone."

The Sussexes are jet over to Columbia this summer in November when their schedule will include trips to capital Bogotá, and Pacific regions Cartagena and Cali.

Vice President Márquez said of the planned trip: "I am pleased to announce that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have kindly accepted my invitation to visit our beautiful country."