Celebrity vs. Service: How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Can Reclaim Their Royal Image by 'Following' Queen Camilla's Strategy
Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan Markle, 43, need to reclaim their royal image through a "good PR guru" like Queen Camilla, 77, had in the late '90s after Diana, Princess of Wales' death, ex-royal aide Paul Burrell exclusively tells The Royal Observer on behalf of Slingo.
"Their celebrity status in America has overshadowed the good work they’ve done," the bestselling author states. "They have done some genuinely good work. They need to turn it 'round."
He observes, "Much the same as Camilla's fortunes turned around in the U.K. She was once the most hated woman in the country and is now our Queen. She has a very visible high profile and does a lot in the charity field. Meghan and Harry should be following her example, not fighting against her."
This suggestion comes as King Charles, 76, finds himself in the middle of a feud between his youngest son and Queen consort, which has been brewing ever since the Duke of Sussex called the consort "the wicked stepmothers in storybooks."
"There is virtually no chance of mending the damage between his two sons," a palace insider spills. "The Queen is also still very deeply hurt by the comments made about her, and that’s another obstacle for Charles to overcome."
Veteran royal author Tom Bower weighed in on the Sussex/royal feud by explaining, "The problem is that Harry and Meghan have caused so much damage, it’s hard to imagine how to repair it. But I’m sure that the King would like a solution. Charles has not only got William and Kate [to think of] but he’s also got Camilla, who was very insulted by Harry and Meghan too, so that makes it a great problem for him."
Since Charles III came to the throne in September 2022, his reign has unfolded with the drama of Harry and Meghan becoming a running thread in his kingship. Although the Sussex/royal feud has been prominent since 2020, matters took a "nuclear" turn when the Montecito duo released their Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, in December 2022. The ex-working royals criticized the monarchy, and Meghan mocked the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But royal analysts say that nothing compared to the revelations in Spare the following month. The fifth in line to the throne laid into his brother and sister-in-law while characterizing his stepmother as "dangerous."
The fiery-haired prince described her as a ruthless character willing to "sacrifice others" for the sake of good PR. "That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging with the British press," Harry revealed in an interview. "There was [an] open willingness on both sides to trade information. And with a family built on hierarchy and with her on the way to becoming queen consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street."
For decades, the King has always been protective of the woman his friends call "the love of his life," and it is claimed that his son's comments about her "deeply hurt" the monarch.