Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are trapped in a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t scenario” when it comes to their attendance at the Coronation. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s public image would be boosted if they returned to England in two month-time, a reputation management expert said.
However, there are also significant drawbacks looming for Meghan and Harry, in light of the string of accusations and criticism they made against the Royal Family.
Asked if, from a reputational point of view, the pair should attend the Coronation in May, PR expert Edward Coram-James told Express.co.uk: “This is a damned if they do, damned if they don’t scenario.”
Meghan and Harry, he said, need to remain relevant in the public eye to succeed in their venues as entrepreneurs and humanitarians.
And relevancy would be boosted if they showed themselves to be still part of the wider Royal Family, the expert argued.
Mr Coram-James, co-founder of Go Up, continued: “To be seen to remain royal, the Duke and Duchess will have to attend the Coronation.”
Speaking about the downsides the Sussexes could incur if they attended the historic event, the commentator said Meghan and Harry run the risk of “creating strange optics” in light of the Duke’s criticism against Charles and the Royal Family.
Mr Coram-James said: “Why would you want to attend the Coronation of a man that you have been so scathing about?”
He added: “Furthermore, the Sussexes will know that, for a majority of the British public, they are persona non grata at the moment. In an ideal world, there would have been a good few years in between the release of the book and series, and the Coronation, to give enough time for people to forgive, or at the very least forget and move on.
“That it is so soon, will mean that Harry and Meghan may very well find themselves feeling somewhat unwelcome on what should be such safe turf for them.”
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The popularity of Prince Harry among Britons plunged over the past few years, various surveys suggested.
A YouGov poll carried out on 1691 adults in Great Britain between January 10 and 11 showed 68 percent of those surveyed had a negative opinion of the Duke of Sussex against 24 percent who still saw him in a positive light.
Similarly, Meghan was seen negatively by 68 percent of those polled against 22 percent who said to have a positive opinion of her.
The Coronation wouldn’t be the first low-profile attendance the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make alongside other members of the Royal Family since they stepped down as full-time working royals in the spring of 2020.
In June last year, the Sussexes attended two events celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – and were met with a mix of boos and cheers from members of the public as they arrived and left St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving.
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In September, the pair appeared to have been better welcomed by mourners as they made various public appearances following the death of Elizabeth II.
The Coronation, however, would be the first trip across the pond the Sussexes made since the publication of the memoir Spare and the release on Netflix of the six-part biographical documentary Harry & Meghan.
Weighting up all the pros and cons, Mr Coram-James still believes the Sussexes will attend the event at Westminster Abbey.
He said: “On balance, when weighing up all of the varying interests of all of the various stakeholders, there is more to lose (for everyone) than gain by them not attending.
“And, whereas their attendance will certainly draw a not insignificant amount of commentary and punditry, and thus be a slight distraction on the day, the shadow of their omission would likely loom even larger.”
