Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Plummeting Popularity Has Affected the Work of Their Lookalikes, Royal Expert Claims

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity has allowed people who look like them to have a career as celebrity impersonators. However, according to some polls, the Sussexes’ popularity has declined in the past year. A royal expert even claims that this has affected the amount of work available to their professional lookalikes.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lookalikes have fascinated people

Harry and Meghan are royals and celebrities, which means they usually are not reachable to the average Joe. This has created a need for lookalikes who can take on roles that the real Harry and Meghan themselves might not.

For example, in 2014, before Harry met Meghan, FOX had a reality TV show called I Wanna Marry “Harry.” On the show, several American women compete to be Harry’s partner, but Harry was simply played by a lookalike named Matthew Hicks.

Meanwhile, a Meghan lookalike named Sarah Mhlanga told Daily Mail she got a lot of job offers to pose as Meghan in 2017 after Harry and Meghan got engaged.

“I was featured in a newspaper article – and the floodgates opened,” she said. “Offers of work came rolling in, from royal-themed parties to walkabouts, promotional work and TV appearances … In the run-up to the Royal Wedding I was doing one or two Meghan bookings a week and the phone was ringing off the hook to the extent that I was thinking about giving up my day job.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lookalikes are reportedly having trouble finding work

According to royal commentator Neil Sean, the demand for Harry and Meghan’s doppelgängers have went down along with the Sussexes’ popularity.

“I’ve contacted quite a few agencies and I was speaking to some lookalikes myself recently,” Sean said in a YouTube video. “What’s interesting about them is that once before people were fascinated by them and, of course, they liked them and wanted to be pictured with them and stuff like that.”

Sean added, “Now the sort of bookings they’re getting are for things like Halloween nights and nightclub appearances, where perhaps wet sponges may be thrown at them. Truly, that’s the level we’re at.”

The royal expert also shared that, per his conversations with these lookalikes, they used to make “an incredible living.” However, after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in early 2020, the demand for their work changed.

Meghan Markle’s lookalikes once said people use her as a ‘punchbag’

Being a celebrity lookalike also has some downsides. Speaking to Closer (via Daily Mail) Mhlanga revealed that Meghan critics sometimes channel their anger with the duchess toward her.

“There are some people who feel like [Meghan is] waging a war on the royals, and people can’t access Meghan so they’re using me as their punchbag,” Mhlanga said. “I get messages saying I’m attention-seeking and that I should be ashamed to represent Meghan. It’s so hurtful.”