Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are ‘Big Losers’ Compared to Other Royal Family Members, Expert Claims
When Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex left the royal family behind, they likely didn’t concern themselves with their image. After living a life in the spotlight and facing nearly constant public and media criticism, their exit from royal duties provided them with a new chapter away from the negative attention. One royal expert believes that the Sussexes are “big losers,” however, when compared to the image boost that other members of the royal family have experienced during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
Prince Harry and Meghan felt they had no other option
In January, Prince Harry and Meghan announced their plan to take a step back from their royal duties and, once Queen Elizabeth sorted out the details, they arrived at an official date of March 31 to end their royal duties.
After receiving the queen’s blessing for their drastic decision, Prince Harry explained in a speech why he and Meghan felt that the exit plan was their only option to live a more normal life.
“The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option,” he told attendees at a dinner for supporters of Sentebale.
Why Prince Harry and Meghan have ended up ‘big losers’
The timing of their royal exit coincided with the coronavirus pandemic. The royal family in the UK was placed on lockdown and Prince Harry and Meghan were on lockdown in Los Angeles. With their lack of visibility, media coverage of the Sussexes had dwindled, while Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge continued to receive favorable press for conducting royal engagements virtually.
Prince Harry and Meghan haven’t seen this same reception as they have now left the spotlight and author Phil Dampier shared with Express how the Sussexes missed an opportunity to boost their image.
“I think the lockdown has been good image-wise for all of the royals except for Harry and Meghan,” Dampier shared. “They are the big losers in this because they now look somewhat isolated and somewhat irrelevant in this country.”
According to Dampier, UK citizens are less interested in the Sussexes. “They still might have a massive role to play internationally or in America but I think people just shrug their shoulders in the UK,” he said. “They’re just not really interested whereas all the other royals have gone up in popularity and have also played their roles very well.”
The Sussexes have made some appearances
While the queen, Prince William, and Kate continue to press on with their public roles, Prince Harry and Meghan have been seen and heard from less. The couple were seen delivering items to LA residents and Prince Harry released a video message in May about the “dramatic changes” for the Invictus Games. Meghan also addressed her former school, Immaculate Heart High School in a video message for graduates.
“What is happening in our country and in our state and in our hometown of L.A. has been absolutely devastating,” Meghan told the 2020 graduates. “I wasn’t sure what I could say to you.”
She continued, “I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that I wouldn’t, or that it would get picked apart. And I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know.”
She recalled her own experiences and the wise words of a former teacher who told her to “always remember to put others’ needs above your own fears.”
“That has stuck with me through my entire life and I have thought about it more in the last week than ever before,” Meghan explained. “So the first thing I want to say to you is that I’m sorry. I am so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present.”
