Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to have encountered a series of awkward situations in recent weeks.
Last Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced a lot of criticism from royal experts and celebrities. Allegations have emerged suggesting their involvement in a ‘catastrophic’ car chase orchestrated by an overly aggressive group of paparazzi.
However, subsequent reports, as well as statements from the New York Police Department, the paparazzi involved and the taxi driver who drove them, suggest that events may have been exaggerated from the Sussexes’ perspective.
Adding to their challenges, Prince Harry faced a setback on Tuesday when his legal attempt to challenge the British government’s decision to deny him funding for police protection during his visits to the UK failed.
Daniela Elser, a royal commentator who contributed to News.com.au, noted that Prince Harry has encountered many instances of embarrassment as the Royal Family tend to official engagements. Elser pointed out that according to the latest Newsweek polls, the Sussexes’ approval rating recently entered positive territory for the first time since January.
However, she considered this a “double-edged sword”, pointing out that the period covered by the polls coincided with a period when the couple had kept a low profile and remained relatively calm.
Elser reflected: “The real irony is that the public’s preference for the Sussexes seems to correlate with their silence and absence from the spotlight. (Imagine the level of support they would get if they moved to a corner back from Wyoming, took a PR oath, and deleted Oprah’s contact information!)”
Concluding his analysis, Elser suggested: “At the moment it seems the Sussexes are caught up in a rather unfortunate series of misfortunes.”
