Prince Harry has been warned to be “more careful” at events after posing with “fake prince” who claims to have connections to Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex received an award on Friday evening at John Travolta’s Living Legends of Aviation gala but was caught out after Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe asked him for a picture.
Mario-Max, who has appeared on Big Brother and is known for asking celebrities for photos at events, has been accused of “harvesting our name” by the German royal family.
Speaking to Talk TV, royal editor Robert Jobson said: “Harry was a bit silly for posing with him. It’s a big comedown from when he was doing royal duties where he was meeting with elite celebrities from Usain Bolt to Presidents. He has to be more careful because it brings him down.
“This guy is clearly someone who is using Harry’s connections to boost his own career. Harry would have been wise to turn him away. In the past, he would have had press officers and advisors to keep an eye on him but that’s no longer the case.”
Meghan Markle was supposed to attend the event alongside her husband, but had to pull out at the last minute with some reports suggesting one of their children was “unwell”.
Mr Jobson added: “Meghan is quite sharp from her days of acting of who to pose with and who not to pose with.
“It would have been more difficult for him to pose with her. She’s very smart when it comes to that kind of thing. If he had been with Meghan he would have been less vulnerable to this guy.”
Prince Alexander Schaumburg-Lippe also warned the Duke of Sussex to “be more careful” after Mario-Max shared the photo on Instagram.
He told Mail Online: “I hope he [Harry] will be more careful in the future and also always keep in mind the dignity of their majesties the King and Queen.”
Mario-Max was adopted at the age of 24 and soon started using the title prince – despite his relatives, including Prince Alexander – asserting that he is not a prince. The royal accused him of “harvesting our name” for fame.
Prince Alexander added: “If Prince Harry read about these things he may exercise more caution in the future, which would be a wise thing to do. In his position, you can’t surround yourself with people without vetting them first.”
Mario Max has been branded the “King of Trash TV” after appearing on several reality TV shows, including Germany’s Big Brother.
