Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seemed to have kept a low profile in recent days following reports they have drifted apart in their ventures. This may seem odd coming from the outspoken couple but a royal reporter suggested that the timing sends a good message to King Charles III and Prince William.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have noticeably not made any direct major announcements in recent weeks. It’s quite a contradiction, as some noticed, given their penchant for venting out their feelings in public, especially about the British Royals. They normally also announce any charitable undertakings and keep royal fans updated on their public engagements in and out of America.
They have also been criticized of hogging the news when senior royal family members carry out their own engagements. But the Sussexes have been laying low and this has led to speculations that they have deliberately stepped back to allow Prince William and King Charles III to have their moment. News.com.au reporter Bronte Coy thinks it could be some kind of internal agreement the Sussexes made with Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.
“I do think it is very deliberate that they didn’t say or release anything really in the last couple of weeks because these things had been in the diary for so long — the King’s tour [of Australia and Samoa] and William’s homelessness project,” Coy told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show.
She added: “The optics are so bad where there’s been a couple of announcements that have coincided with things like Kate’s finishing up her chemotherapy video. I think there was an announcement that day from the Sussexes and things like that. Even if it is not deliberate from them that they’ve been released at the same time, the optics are that it’s quite petty.”
Referring to King Charles III and Prince William’s engagements, Coy said that the Sussexes “would have known these things were coming up they’ve been really well publicized.” She talked about the Earthshot Prize 2024 happening in South Africa this week and how the couple could have been informed about it ahead of time so they would “just stay quiet for a few weeks” as it happens.
There have been instances in the past when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made some announcements that coincided with those coming from the Prince and Princess of Wales team. Of course, this painted an ugly picture of the Sussexes trying to steal the attention away from the royals.
Take for instance the announcement from Kensington Palace about Kate being cancer-free back on Sept. 9. She shared a lengthy emotional video in which she talked about the importance of valuing family and of the lessons she learned through her cancer journey.
Just hours after the video came out, Netflix announced a new docuseries coming from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Productions called POLO. The film “follows elite global players and offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of the sport.” Naturally, the timing of the announcement raised eyebrows, with some deeming it “inappropriate” while another accused the Sussexes of doing it for clout and wrote on X: “They need the clout, can’t manage it on their own. Netflix will be cancelled.”
The couple’s decision to lay low couldn’t have come at an inopportune time amid new rumors of trouble in their marriage. Prince Harry has been carrying out engagements solo and there’s been no sighting of Meghan Markle in public too. But royal author Phil Dampier thinks the duchess is also busy behind the scenes, especially as she prepares to launch her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, which was recently hit with trademark issues.