The 1 Mistake Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Made During Royal Exit That Ruined Their Reputation, Per Expert

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made waves when they left the royal family back in 2020. Ever since, things between the Sussexes and the rest of the royals have been unsteady at best. Harry and Meghan are hardly on speaking terms with the royal family, and the British public hasn’t exactly seen their exit as a good thing.

The two have struggled to maintain a good reputation since leaving the family, and one expert claims that they made one huge mistake during their royal exit, which might have permanently damaged their reputation.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should have had ‘better communication’

According to Harry and Meghan, the royal family never stood up for Meghan as she was bullied by the press. One royal also reportedly made comments to the couple regarding Prince Archie’s race. If these accusations are true, then it makes sense why Harry and Meghan wanted to step away from that kind of negativity. However, one PR expert says the two lacked strong communication about their actions, which has caused irreversible damage to their reputation as a couple.

“Better communication would have made the move less controversial and removed the tinge of sadness that many across the globe now feel,” Barr told GB News (via Express).

However, Barr also added that the royal family could have done more to further their communication with Harry and Meghan, too. “The real power play here was between the armies of communications and brand advisors that both sides employ,” he said. “If the Royal Family and Harry had been more stern in their ruling that neither side should brief negative messages about each other to the press, then much of the discussion could have been done behind closed doors, directly and with more dignity.” Plus, it also might have prevented Harry from speaking so negatively about his family after his exit, which many members of the public did not enjoy.

Should the royal family have spoken out more about Prince Harry’s claims?

Harry and Meghan were upset that the royals didn’t protect Meghan’s reputation, but in many ways, the royals also did not protect their own reputations when Harry and Meghan spoke out about them — and Barr said this was a mistake on the royals’ end. “Whilst they garnered worldwide respect for not responding to every new sordid revelation, they could have better handled some of the more inflammatory elements such as the accusations of a physical altercation between Harry and William.”

Comments from the royal family might have prevented Harry from speaking so much about his family, which could have in turn helped Harry’s reputation more than he realized. Ultimately, though, things between the Sussexes and the royals have soured so much that it’s hard to see a future in which they all get along. However, Harry has mentioned he is open to reconciling with his father and brother, though it’s been nearly a year since he said so, and it’s unclear where things stand at this very moment.