Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “high risk” strategy may benefit them in 2024, but the couple has been warned that the “world is watching,” by a royal expert.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced steep challenges in 2023 surrounding the release of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare and other media ventures, but they still have the opportunity to thrive away from the Royal Family according to royal expert Dr Tessa Dunlop.
She said: “It has delighted naysayers and critics of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that American showbiz bible, The Hollywood Reporter, cited the couple on their list of 2023’s losers.”
Dr Dunlop added: “Here was proof that even Harry and Meghan’s Californian colleagues had grown fed up with a couple called out for being whiny and hypocritical.
“But how many of us double-checked exactly what the original article said? Sure, the Sussexes are labelled ‘losers’, but the Hollywood Reporter concedes all the ‘scorn and mockery’ heaped upon them beats ‘having to attend 200-plus official royal family engagements year, which sounds hellish’.”
READ MORE: Prince Harry’s claims that he ‘misses UK’ rubbished as Meghan branded ‘spoilt’
Speaking to The Mirror, the royal expert continued: “In other words, Harry and Meghan might be in the celebrity doldrums right now but it is better than the performative gilded cage they left behind. The road to freedom was never going to be smooth and the company they kept on that Hollywood list of losers, including the Marvel brand and Disney, suggests that even making the list was something of a compliment.”
Mark Borkowski, a top crisis manager in the UK, believes 2024 has the potential to be “seismic” for Meghan and Harry.
Speaking to MailOnline, he said: “Something is beginning to unwind at the heart of Meghan and Harry. I think 2024 is going to be seismic, either because they’re going to do something to recover and find a new positive tactic or it’s going to be the undoing of the brand. It can only go one or two ways. It can’t stay where it is at the moment. Because it’s clearly not working.”
He continued: “We’ve seen countless appearances of Meghan on red carpets. The story of her being back in play in Hollywood is all about Meghan trying to return to her own turf and being available for work and getting back to Hollywood.
“But I would suggest they are getting perhaps conveniently left behind by the Hollywood machine, who have probably had enough of them and enough of the negativity. They’re hinting at their big plans ahead, but you know, we’ve heard that all before. So they have to deliver something now.”
However, Dr Dunlop pointed out that Harry and Meghan have managed to stay in the spotlight in 2023 – and claimed their “high-risk” strategy could see them through the New Year.
She said: “Despite all the rumours, their marriage appears solid, and they remain one of the few global brands that can knock wars and international disasters off the front pages. The question for 2024 is whether they can convert that clickbait appeal into something more durable.
“A lot of the media storms the Sussexes generated this year have been hangovers from the ‘truth bombs’ detonated in the wake of their departure from the royal family in 2020.”
Dr Dunlop added: “What comes next really matters, presumably that’s why they are taking their time. While a reconciliation with the Royal Family looks unlikely in the near future, further attacks on the monarchy would be a mistake, with the couple insisting they’re looking to the future. There’s talk of a ‘total system reboot’ and Meghan has promised ‘exciting things on the slate’.”
She continued: “The couple appears to thrive on a high-risk strategy, but with so many people willing them to fail, they cannot afford to further squander their brand in 2024. The world is watching.”
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