Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s escape to America was meant to be a fresh start for the pair, a chance to get away from Royal rules and duties, an overbearing U.K. tabloid press, and a chance to live a life of plush celebrity luxury and privilege in the beautiful and star-studded Montecito neighborhood they now call home.
Unfortunately for the Sussexes, things didn’t go exactly to plan. Harry’s presence in America has been plagued by accusations of impropriety regarding his visa; Meghan has jumped from one ill-fated venture to another including her “polarizing” Netflix show; the two of them together have been the subject of persistent and swirling rumors about everything from their relationship, their children, to their professional activities. Yet underneath all this, the Sussexes still had their fans — individually and as a pair — and there were many in America who were happy to have them.
Speaking in a new documentary about the Sussexes, journalist Dawn Neesom suggests there’s been a “seismic change” in the feelings of the American public to Harry and Meghan such that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on very shaky ground. The documentary, Harry and Meghan’s American Nightmare, details the travails of Harry and Meghan as they attempted to rebuild their lives in America. The documentary touches on some of the big stories from the couple’s move, including some quite recent events, such as the California wildfires.
During the recent tragic and devastating fires that ravaged much of northern California, Harry and Meghan met with survivors in an appearance branded “disaster tourism” by their critics. Neesom weighs in on this, also referencing the savage Vanity Fair article about Meghan, with a cutting opinion sure to hit the duke and duchess right in the carefully curated public image.
“So, it’s not just Vanity Fair that has turned on them. It does feel like the whole of Hollywood has turned on them, but there has been a seismic change in how people feel about Harry and Meghan in America.”
This will be of little comfort to the pair, whose family and fortunes are now quite squarely set in America. This will be even worse for them considering the $100 million deal with Netflix, where Meghan has just released the first season of her “aspirational” lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan. The show hasn’t exactly been a critical success, although it has apparently positioned Meghan as a “domestic goddess influencer.” And anyway, Netflix apparently has enough faith in the show since it has already renewed it for a second season.
The problem for Harry and Meghan is that when your entire livelihood is based on simple fame — not on, for example, being a talented musician or actor who is actively working and producing content — the only real thing you have is your likeability. Life is not a popularity contest, but for many celebrities, it actually kind of is: Harry and Meghan won’t be able to bring home the big bucks if nobody wants them on their screens, and if what Dawn Neesom says is true and America really has lost its love for the duke and duchess, they could be headed for disaster.
It’s not all bad for Harry and Meghan, though, even if everyone does lose interest: they will still be fabulously wealthy and privileged and live lives most people can only dream of. They just won’t be on TV anymore.
Published: Mar 9, 2025 11:40 am