The honeymoon period is over. Nearly eight weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made their surprise shift to the UK, they are now stepping up their public appearances.
The couple has mostly been lying low while settling their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, into school as they adjust to their new life in
the Cotswolds countryside.
But now the pair has launched a charm offensive that an insider says they hope will win over the public and convince naysayers that their return to British soil is a great idea.
However, they haven’t got off to the best start. Harry was booed at a rugby match and Meghan was slammed for selling an extremely expensive advent calendar. They were also criticised for comparing a terror alert at an air force base to paparazzi lurking outside their children’s school.
The royal source says, “If they want to impress people with all the good works they plan to do in Britain, they need to hunker down and get on with it. But in their case, controversy seems to follow them at every turn.”
Mixed fortunes for the Sussexes
As Woman’s Weekly went to print, Harry, 42, and Meghan, 44, were due to make their first joint public appearance together in Nottingham, a city that has special significance as it was where they carried out their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. Meeting with charities there is part of their plan to draw attention to worthy causes, using their status as “public figures” rather than as working royals.
But a few recent incidents must have made them wonder if they’ve made the right move. They included Harry’s night out at a rugby game turning sour when cameras beamed his face onto a big screen in the stadium and there were boos from the crowd.
Meghan received a more positive response for her support of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, 29. After the pair enjoyed afternoon tea together at luxury London hotel Claridge’s, it was announced that 100 percent of proceeds from jams and teas sold by Meghan’s As Ever brand on International Day of the Girl would go to Malala’s charity, which supports young women’s education.
Meghan’s latest PR missteps
Meghan has also collaborated with US charity Moms Offering More, designing a $178 sweatshirt featuring the phrase “It’s the little things”.
But the release of an As Ever advent calendar priced at $265 caused an outcry. It attracted flak not only because each of the 24 chocolates costs $11, but also for using a photo of the couple’s Montecito home on the calendar cover. Media commentators pointed out that this was an odd move for someone who has previously gone out of her way to guard her privacy, including shooting her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, in a neighbour’s home.
Another backlash followed after their PR team issued a statement condemning international paparazzi photographers spotted outside Archie and Lilibet’s school. The statement also referenced the security scare at RAF Fairford, in the Cotswolds, during which five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences. It was immediately criticised for comparing the two incidents and for accusations of “headline hunting”.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Sussexes dismissed rumours that the pair planned to apologise to the royal family over comments they made in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The cost of their royal rift
A UK newspaper said the pair was prepared to “eat humble pie” over claims they made about members of Harry’s family commenting on the colour of Archie’s skin. It alleged Meghan would say sorry as part of an effort to reconcile with the royals.
However, an insider denied there would be an apology, saying it was “complete nonsense”.
It’s understood that Harry and Meghan haven’t seen the King or any other members of his immediate family since they returned, and they’re expected to
spend Christmas in California rather than at Sandringham. Repairing the rift is crucial to their future, say several experts, to keep them relevant.
They need to maintain credibility with people in the entertainment industry, as well as with the public. Entertainment writer Emanuella Ngimbi says the fact that Meghan and Harry were not invited to a charity gala in London hosted by George Clooney and his wife Amal is very telling.
“The Sussexes could’ve desperately done with the useful invite, which might have quietened reports that Hollywood is turning its back on Harry and Meghan. George and Amal are just the latest to quietly distance themselves from the couple in a bid to avoid complicating their own relationships with the monarchy.”
