Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of treating their recent trip to New York like a royal tour, but royal experts have made it clear that their visits will "never" be counted as appearances on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

Many believe that the Sussexes are trying to set up an "alternative" royal family in the United States, by holding meetings with senior politicians, giving speeches about politics, as well as COVID-19 and vaccine equity, despite not holding any official position in such matters. Royal commentator Charles Rae clarified in Entertainment Daily that there is not going to be a "royal comeback" after their exit from "The Firm" last year, so people should be careful not to perceive their New York trip as a representation of the royal family.

"They are no longer active members of the royal family and do not represent the royal family on anything. Their trip to New York was a glorified tourist trip. There were no crowds and the vast majority of people near them were NYPD officers carrying guns to protect them," Rae told Entertainment Daily.

"They made it clear they wanted to have private lives but continually invade their own privacy. No one should make the mistake that if they do turn up they are representing the royal family. They are not. They made the decision to quit as working members of the Royal Family," he added.

Prince Harry's biographer Angela Levin also said that the couple are trying to steal attention from royals for themselves, in addition to documenting their state-like visit for a commercial purpose- their multi-million deal with Netflix. She told The Sun: "As well as attempting to pull focus from the Royal Family onto themselves, they appeared to be filming the whole thing for a Netflix documentary. Harry was spotted with a microphone wire going into his back pocket and cameras were catching every moment of their chats with members of the public and the mayor of New York."

The royal writer added, "My question is whether they have told all the people they are talking to that they will be included [in the documentary]."

Pricne Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on New York trip Roy Rochlin/Getty Images