Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's public image needs turning around if they are to continue to rise through the ranks of the entertainment industry after a series of setbacks earlier in the year, a new episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast has heard.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have experienced several hard knocks in Hollywood since the beginning of 2023, starting with a roasting from late-night hosts after the publication of Harry's memoir in January, followed by the announcement of their mutual split from streaming partner Spotify and the most recently added blow that their debut Netflix docuseries failed to earn an Emmy award.
Though the couple's fanbase seems as loyal as ever, and their media projects have drawn huge audience numbers, they now face a crucial point in their post-royal lives with one expert previously telling Newsweek it could be the "beginning of the end to their Hollywood ambitions unless they can make a big turnaround."
Chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, described the couple's predicament to listeners of Newsweek's The Royal Report, highlighting recent reports that the Sussexes have decided to move away from media projects focused on the monarchy or royal bombshells.
"What's really damaging to them, it's this idea that actually they've got nothing apart from the world they left behind to trade off," he explained. "And the idea that they've done that story and it's over and they're now scrambling around for something else to say, but not really finding anything. That's the bit that's potentially toxic to them now."
One of the potential boosts for the couple was potential awards buzz surrounding their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan which broke streaming records for the platform upon its release in December, but which met with some negative reactions from critics. With over 81 million viewing hours globally in its first week of release, it was Netflix's biggest documentary debut, according to the streaming giant.
In June, entertainment industry bible, Variety, tipped the series for a nomination in the 75th Primetime Emmys, going so far as to suggest it could take home the win. This peer-voted nomination would have been a gold star for the couple in their new careers, however, when the nominations were announced in July, Harry & Meghan was not among the projects honored.
"It is very important to smell of success," Royston said of the couple in their capacity as fledgling Hollywood industrialists. "And recently they've been smelling too much like failure, and an Emmy nomination, and particularly an Emmy win, would really have made them smell of success again."
One way the couple could project an image of success is to make a return to the red carpet and events they were more accustomed to when they were working royals, with the opportunity to be seen in a high-profile environment, ultimately boosting their profiles with media consumers.
"People might remember the queen [Elizabeth II] had this famous saying that she needed 'to be seen to be believed,'" Royston said. "And it doesn't just apply to the queen. It applies to lots of things, and success is one of those things."
"If you look like you're successful, if you look like success, you exude success with great glamorous pictures of you in gowns on the red carpet and picking up awards and all of that kind of thing, then people really believe that your success is real," he added.
Recent polling suggests that despite a significant dip in Harry and Meghan's popularity in the U.S. in the months after the publication of the Spare memoir, which attracted some criticism on both sides of the Atlantic, the American public is beginning to warm back up to the couple, making their next moves all the more crucial.
The couple have just one major media project announced on the horizon in the form of Harry's Heart of Invictus docuseries for Netflix, which is due for release this summer. After that the biggest event for the couple is the forthcoming Invictus Games which will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, in September.
In previous years, the couple have attended the games together, and there is also a possibility that the public could see the royals' children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet join in the family fun.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
