Meghan Markle's passport revelation exposes discrepancy in travel claims

Meghan Markle's big claim about her travel has come under scrutiny following new information emerging about her passport.

Meghan and Prince Harry made a series of surprising disclosures during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. The couple spoke with the talk show host in March 2021, a year after stepping back from their senior royal duties and moving from the UK to the US. 

One of the revelations Meghan made was that after becoming part of the royal family, she did not regain possession of her passport until she was in California.

She told Oprah: "You couldn't just go. You couldn't. I mean, you have to understand, as well, when I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver's licence, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn't see any of that anymore."

Critics promptly noted that Meghan had visited at least 13 countries during that timeframe. Her travels, which began after she started dating Harry, included trips to New York, Ibiza, Italy, and Botswana. They also participated in three official royal tours, visiting Morocco, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. On each of these occasions, she would have been required to present her passport to border officials.

Palace sources explained that Meghan's passport would have been kept secure - but was always available to her to use on holidays. 

And royal author Margaret Holder reiterated: "Of course the Royal Family would want to keep Meghan's passport safe. But it's unthinkable she didn't carry it for personal and private trips such as her New York baby shower, travelling to see friends in Canada, partying in Amsterdam, and going to Lake Como with George Clooney." With the exception of the monarch, all royals need their passport to travel abroad.