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Harry and Meghan stayed in exactly the same £3,000 a night suite as the Prince and Princess of Wales during their ‘faux royal tour’ of Jordan, we can reveal.
Following in his estranged brother’s footsteps, Harry chose William’s favourite room in his favourite hotel for his and Meghan’s whistlestop visit to a country so close to his brother’s heart.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been on many occasions over the years while Kate lived there as a child in the early 1980s after her father Michael Middleton was posted there with his job as a flight dispatcher for British Airways.
William is a close friend of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan – both he and Kate attended his wedding in Amman two years ago – and in turn King Charles has a strong relationship with King Abdullah II, the Crown Prince’s father.
But the ties go back even further, as the late Queen Elizabeth had a 40-year association with King Abdullah’s father, King Hussein who died in 1999 something King Charles highlighted on a visit to Amman in 2021.
He told local media then: ’I feel this friendship in the most personal of ways, as Jordan has always been part of my life.
‘His Majesty King Hussein came to the throne in 1952, the same year as my dear mother, the Queen. They would be of great mutual support to each other through the decades ahead.’
However, the closeness didn’t appear to stretch to Harry and Meghan – who King Abdullah and the Crown Prince – didn’t meet during their 48-hour visit, which was arranged by the World Health Organisation.
The bedroom in the luxurious Royal Suite at the St Regis hotel, Prince William’s favourite room in his favourite hotel in Amman
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arriving on Thursday for a visit to the National Centre for Rehabilitation of Addicts with a World Health Organisation delegation in Amman, Jordan
Pictured: In 2021, William and Kate had taken George, Charlotte and Louis on holiday to Jordan
But their stay in the luxurious Royal Suite at the five-star St Regis in Amman – described as being the ‘only one of its kind’ and is on the 15th floor of the 17-storey hotel more than made up any perceived snub.
The suite comes with three fully equipped bathrooms, a 24 hour on call butler and the hotel website says it ‘embodies refined luxury tailored for royalty, it promises and unforgettable bespoke experience.’
The living space spans 363sqm and the balcony has stunning views over Amman’s skyline, while the hotel boasts its ‘timeless elegance with modern sophistication, crafts an atmosphere of true tranquillity, where every detail is celebrated’.
The St Regis website adds the Royal Suite is a ‘sanctuary of grandeur’ and ‘offers unparalleled space and comfort, with a full kitchen, microwave, Italian marble bathroom, living area, outdoor terrace and separate sitting room.
Closing the description it says: ‘It’s rare one-of-a-kind design envelops you in luxury, making you feel like royalty while providing the prefect sanctuary for relaxation – your home away from home, where every moment feels extraordinary’.
There are also four restaurants in the hotel – the top floor Zenith however is currently closed for Ramadan – but the couple ate their meals in the privacy of their suite.
Prince William and Kate, carrying their own bags, stayed at the same hotel in June 2023 for the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan – a close friend of his – to Rajwa Al Saif and video of them was posted of them online.
A source at the St Regis told the Daily Mail: ‘We are the best hotel in Jordan and all the VIPs stay here when they visit – Prince William stayed here a few years ago and now his brother was our guest in the same Royal Suite.’
It is believed The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Harry and Meghan stayed at this hotel during their trip to Jordan
The hotel boasts its ‘timeless elegance with modern sophistication, crafts an atmosphere of true tranquillity, where every detail is celebrated’
The living space spans 363sqm and the balcony, pictured, has stunning views over Amman’s skyline
Several other rooms costing £300 a night were also booked for their entourage including bodyguard Chris Sanchez their US based Chief of Staff Miranda Barbot, advisor James Holt.
Harry and Meghan – who left Jordan on Friday and took a British Airways back to Los Angeles via Heathrow – were invited to Jordan as guests of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) – but are thought to have covered the cost of the trip, with flights and additional expenses including security, expected to be well in excess of £100,000.
London based PR Liam Maguire was also part of the entourage as was Paul Garwood, head of communications at the Geneva based World Health Organisation that organised the two-day visit.
Throughout their tour, they were accompanied by a Jordanian based production team from AE films who specialise in short documentaries and managing media products.
It is not known whether the footage is part of a new documentary on the couple to be released in the future following on from their Harry and Meghan series on Netflix which received mixed reviews.
During the trip – which Buckingham Palace was informed about – the Daily Mail also established that no senior member of the Jordanian royal family met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Instead, King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein, both close friends of King Charles and Prince William – met the Indonesian president who arrived the same day as Harry and Meghan.
King Abdullah did meet Mr Tedros and other WHO officials but there was no sign of Harry and Meghan in the official photographs that were released although they did meet minor members of the Jordanian Royal family.
The St Regis website adds the Royal Suite is a ‘sanctuary of grandeur’ and ‘offers unparalleled space and comfort, with a full kitchen, microwave, Italian marble bathroom, living area, outdoor terrace and separate sitting room
The suite comes with three fully equipped bathrooms and a 24 hour on call butler
Pictured: The office in the Royal Suite at the St Regis hotel, Amman
These included the aunt of King Hussain, Princess Basma Bint Talal and the Lebanese wife of one of his nephews, Princess Ghida Talal, both during visits to charities they are supporters of.
The British Government distanced itself from the trip. The Sussexes were hosted by the British Ambassador in Amman, Phillip Hall.
But a source said Mr Hall had not invited Harry and Meghan to his reception marking Iftar – the meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break their fast during Ramadan.
The invitation had been to Dr Ghebreyesus who asked the Duke and Duchess along as his guests, it is understood.
As a non-working royal, having stepped back from public life in 2020, the usual protocols and formalities are not traditionally offered but the event was highlighted on the website of the Duke and Duchess.
The Foreign Office declined to comment, but a source told the Daily Mail: ‘The Duke and Duchess were visiting Jordan as private citizens; the UK government was not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme.
‘An event was held by the ambassador and to for the end of fasting and Dr Tedros invited the Duke and Duchess as he was organising the trip, all requests regarding the visit should go to their team.’
Former Tory minister Tim Loughton, who is vying to be mayor of the couple’s ceremonial county of Sussex in May, told the Daily Mail that it was ‘entirely inappropriate’ that the couple were hosted by the British Ambassador.
The description of the room reads: ‘It’s rare one-of-a-kind design envelops you in luxury, making you feel like royalty while providing the prefect sanctuary for relaxation – your home away from home, where every moment feels extraordinary’
During the trip the Daily Mail also established that no senior member of the Jordanian royal family met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Throughout their tour, they were accompanied by a Jordanian based production team from AE films who specialise in short documentaries and managing media products
He said it was baffling that Mr Hall had rolled out the red carpet for him at his private residence, given the couple’s claim to be private citizens and have quit royal duties.
Mr Hall had personally thanked the couple for coming to Jordan in his speech at a round table also involving the UN and the WHO.
‘They are not working royals and do not represent the British Government or UK PLC. Given their capacity to say unhelpful things which border on political, giving them an official platform could be construed as them saying something that represents official UK policy’, Mr Loughton told the Daily Mail.
‘It would be legitimate for the embassy to assist on security issues and neutral briefing but not anything that platforms them on what should clearly be seen as a private visit by private individuals.’
Harry and Meghan’s visit kicked off with a round table meeting with WHO officials before they moved onto a refugee camp at Zaatari where they met people who had fled war torn Gaza and they were pictured playing football there.
However, it later emerged that some staff working at the camp for an NGO called Questscope had posted pro Hamas messages and photographs on their social – including rocket launches towards Israel.
An aspect which also raised concerns with the Duke and Duchess, as a spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ’Any allegation of support for extremism is serious and should be addressed by the organisation concerned.
‘Due diligence was carried out. The Duke and Duchesses team do not have access to stat security intelligence briefings, that was removed in 2020, nor would it be realistic or proportionate to vet the social media history of every individual connected to a large charity.’
Kensington Palace released this photograph of Prince William with his children in 2022. Prince Louis, Prince George (right) and Princess Charlotte. The photograph was taken in Jordan in the Autumn of 2021
A family photo of Kate, now the Princess of Wales, aged four with her father Michael Middleton and sister Pippa in Jerash, Jordan
There also four restaurants in the hotel – the top floor Zenith however is currently closed for Ramadan – but Harry and Meghan ate their meals in the privacy of their suite
Harry and Meghan also visited a hospital in Amman where they were both visibly moved after meeting young Palestinian refugees who had been injured in Gaza during the war.
They also met a group of recovering addicts in one centre where they left notes to patients being treated.
Prince Harry wrote: ’It’s OK to not be OK. Trust each other. Congratulations on your recovery. Now share your courage and experience.’
While Meghan said: ‘Congratulations on your dedication to your care. Wishing you continued healing and happiness.’
At the end of trip Harry also strayed into politics during a Channel 4 News interview by calling for food and aid corridors to be opened up to help Palestinians in Gaza.
In the clip Prince Harry also laughed off the ‘stuff in the news’ just days after his uncle Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was arrested.
Speaking with Dr Tedros at his side, Prince Harry said: ’I think it’s important for everybody, not just me, not just for Dr Tedros, I think the entire world has spoken up.
‘You know, there’s a lot of stuff in the news, it goes at an incredible pace and what’s been happening in that region has been going on for a long time and it drops out of the news.
‘So, I think it was a really important time for us to collaborate and come here and shine a light and focus on the very real humanitarian catastrophe that has happened and continues.’
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