Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “can recover” their popularity and even become “hot property” in their own right but it will require them to refocus away from the Royal Family, a PR expert told Daily Express US.
PR expert and author Rhea Freeman believes the Sussexes have a lot to offer whether that be Meghan’s advocacy for women and girls or Harry’s work with veterans and the Invictus Games.
But the Sussexes have seen a drop in popularity following the release of Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare which saw a series of bombshell claims lobbed at the Firm.
“I think that they can recover but it won’t be an overnight project and it will take a lot of work where the Sussexes don’t comment on or talk about the Royal Family in a negative way,” she said.
She added: “I would say the connection [with the Royal Family] isn’t necessarily helping them in establishing themselves in their own right, and that’s where I see them really shining.”
Freeman believes that the Sussexes have a lot to look forward to outside of the Royal Family if they focus on making a “positive difference” in the world.
She added: “It’ll be really interesting to see what they do next as there are a lot of opportunities that they could pursue.
“We mustn’t forget that both Harry and Meghan, in their own right, let alone together, have the potential to be incredibly ‘hot property’ and we know the interest people have in their lives.”
Since Meghan and Harry split with the Royal Family and moved to California in 2020, much of their press coverage – from the now famous 2021 Oprah interview to Harry’s appearances surrounding Spare – has focused on their Royal connection.
In December 2022, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a six-part Netflix docuseries which detailed their relationship, marriage and eventual split from the Royals.
Tensions reached a boiling point, however, after the release of the memoir in January and Harry’s media blitz to promote the book.
It became an instant bestseller but the Prince lashed out at King Charles’s wife Queen Camilla as well as Harry’s brother Prince William and reportedly further strained relationships within the family.
It also saw the Sussexes’ popularity drop in a series of polls conducted in the US and the UK.
It now comes down to Meghan and Harry to “reduce the negative noise” by “setting clear goals” and working towards them if they want to bounce back in the public eye, says Freeman.
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