Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned that the “huge deal” of hosting their new event shouldn’t be just to gain “positive PR” for themselves.
The couple are set to make a trip to New York City for the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit – the company’s first-ever in-person event.
The conference will focus on addressing the ways in which social media is affecting young people’s mental health, with the couple having invited parents who have lost a child as a result of negative social media.
Due to its nature, and that it is Archewell’s first in-person event, PR expert Jane Owen believes that it will provide a great opportunity for Meghan and Harry.
As the couple will be present, Ms Owen said: “I’m extremely glad to see that they are stepping up and showing up for this event.
“Their attendance brings a huge amount of national and international attention to an extremely important cause.”
Speaking to the Mirror, Ms Owen also said she hopes they won’t only show at things like this when it is “convenient” for them.
She said: “I hope that no matter what they keep supporting it as much as possible and [that] they attend the next event and then next and not just when an appearance is convenient in other ways.”
The expert also highlighted that the event will certainly “help their reputation” as they commit to their promises – adding that in Hollywood, that is a “big deal”.
With the topic of mental health on a rise, Meghan and Harry’s willingness to speak on it will be beneficial.
Ms Owen added: “Mental Health is a very important cause and I hope they continue to bring their massive following to the table to support it.
“The destigmatisation of Mental Health is a relatively new charitable concept and their support is game changing. As long as they keep it up.”
This will be the couple’s second trip to the Big Apple since their car chase in the city five months ago.
At the time, the couple released a statement claiming that they had been involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” while riding in a yellow cab.
Meghan and Harry founded Archewell in 2020, shortly after stepping down as senior working royals.
According to the company’s official website, it claims to “unleash the power of compassion to drive change through non-profit work & creative activations”.
The company has, however, experienced a range of setbacks with the loss of various members of staff over the last few years.
