Prince Harry and Meghan Markle now appear to be separating their work interests – and according to a PR expert, there are several ways she can change people’s perceptions of her after a clear own goal
After weeks of laying low, Meghan Markle bounced back into public life with an eye-catching red carpet appearance.
The Duchess of Sussex wore an eye-popping red Carolina Herrera gown as she walked the red carpet at a gala event for a children’s hospital in Los Angeles. The outing came after Prince Harry spent the last few weeks without Meghan, jetting around the world promoting charitable causes close to his heart
Recently a source close to the couple said they are going through a shift when it comes to their working lives, with Harry focusing on his patronage work and Meghan her “entrepreneurial track”, including the launch of her American Riviera Orchard brand.
Meghan made a solo appearance on the red carpet at the weekend (
Image:
Getty Images)
Both the Sussexes appear to be taking a different approach to their work compared to several years ago when the likes of their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s memoir, Spare, railed against their royal relatives and time as working royals – which proved very controversial.
And according to PR expert, Ed Coram James, chief executive of PR firm Go Up, while Harry is forging ahead by now focusing more on his charitable endeavours, Meghan has a ” trickier road to reputational rehabilitation”.
Speaking to the Mirror, he explained: “This is because she simply hasn’t done anything of the scale or popularity as Harry’s work with Invictus or conservation. And, it truly takes something of that scale to rescue a reputation that’s taken a hit as big as theirs. But, she has gone quiet, and been very disciplined about this. That’s the first step.”
So what caused her the most damage to her brand and how can she overcome this? Ed said: “She attacked the Royal Family. And, broadly speaking, Brits love the Royal Family. Unfortunately for Meghan, there is a heavy degree of own-goal to this. Her PR campaign against the royals misfired so badly, that she came out of it appearing vindictive, spoiled, arrogant and attention-seeking. And the people she tried to portray as the villains, came out of it looking, measured, mature and, frankly, Kingly.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games last year (
Image:
Getty)
“When you already have a negative image of someone, and you hear one person saying that that person is lovely, and another saying that she’s terrible, you’re naturally inclined to gravitate towards believing the person that says that they’re terrible. We love a good echo chamber, and we’re not too keen on taking on board new information and using that to help us challenge our deeply ingrained and conditioned beliefs.
“Again, her way to recover from this is the same way to redeem the reputation of her brand. Be quiet. Be patient. Be disciplined. Produce excellent work. Promote excellent charities. And no more attack pieces or PR misfires. If she does this, and for long enough, people will be able to start taking another look. And likely, in doing so, decide that they’ve got her wrong. Or, at the very least, that she deserves another chance.”
It comes after Meghan’s rare red carpet appearance saw her look changed while in the spotlight, according to body language expert Judi James. She told the Mirror: “Meghan’s sudden appearance on the red carpet here seems to show some body language and styling choices that involve the kind of changes that might be making a few deliberate statements.
“Her non-verbal signalling is all about looking coy, slightly vulnerable and even slightly shy. Although she seems to be on her usual form when it comes to placement and direction, her actual posing performances for the cameras lack her usual levels of confidence and assertiveness. She seems to be projecting the idea that she is sweet and rather cute.
“When she spots her friend on the red carpet she throws both hands out and joins her, clasping her hand to register friend-based bonding while also putting her hand underneath in the more passive position as though she is keen to let her friend take the lead. “She even pulls her friend’s hand in front of her own torso to hold it like a protective barrier, in the kind of move you might see from a shy child.