Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest decision to part ways professionally could see the royal duo benefitting in the long run, a PR expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gradually separated their professional projects in recent months, allowing the couple to embark on specific ventures.
Meghan Markle attended the LA Children’s Hospital Gala and a digital wellness initiative in Santa Barbara, whereas Harry jetted to New York, London and South Africa to “advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives”.
Renae Smith, founder and director of PR firm Atticism, exclusively told Express.co.uk that while their latest decision to go solo could benefit them in the long term, it could spark negative consequences in the short term.
The expert said: “I think their decision to pursue individual brands could indeed work in their favour over the long term, although it’s bound to spark a fair amount of public speculation in the short term.”
Commenting on the couple pursuing their own interests, she said: “From a PR perspective, this shift might allow each of them to create distinct brands that better reflect their different priorities and resonate more coherently with their individual audiences.”
She believes the Sussex brand has failed to deliver and reach its true potential because it lacks “momentum and a cohesive identity” due to the couple’s “differing interests”.
The PR expert added: “By going solo, they can build brands that feel genuinely reflective of their own values, without the need to constantly align with each other’s interests.”
Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Eden previously said Meghan and Harry “are separating in terms of their strategies”.
Richard continued: “When they recorded their first podcast, it was very much them together. It was the pilot episode and that was going to be the pattern: them together. We saw that again on the Netflix series, but for whatever reason – whether it’s Meghan or it’s Harry – they’ve decided that’s not the way to go.”
Since Meghan and Harry stepped down as working royals in 2020, they signed a deal with the streaming giant Netflix worth an estimated £80million.
Following the release of the joint docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’, the duo are awaiting the launch of their separate Netflix initiatives.
Ahead of Harry’s Netflix series titled ‘Polo’, Netflix issued a series of stills from behind-the-scenes. They wrote in a caption on X: “POLO is a new documentary series that follows elite global players and offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of the sport. From Archewell Productions and Boardwalk Pictures. Premiering this December.”
Meghan’s own show, a title which currently remains unknown, will explore home, garden, and general lifestyle content and is set to compound her existing brand ‘American Riviera Orchard’ which features food and wellness products but has struggled to fully claim the name due to copyright issues.
The former Suits actress has so far sent out samples of items in her new line, including a jam, to 50 influencers and celebrities to share the product with their followers.
