Sussex Popularity Freefall: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Urged to 'Rein in' Their 'Keyboard Warrior Pals' Online to Rebuild Their Image

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have hired a Britain-based "PR guru" to reportedly "fix" their popularity issue — but a majority of the problem could be their online supporters. This led PR executive Jack Izzard to suggest that the incessant attacking of Kate, Princess of Wales, and her edited Mother's Day photo is a prime example of what's wrong with many of their fans.

"We'll probably never know whether Harry and Meghan got a twinge of pleasure from Kate's blushes," Izzard added. "But what they should definitely get out of the Kensington Palace cock-up is a PR opportunity."

On Sunday, March 10, the Princess of Wales released an image of herself surrounded by her three children that led to internet sleuths pointing out "heavily edited" inconsistencies in the pic. In what many royal traditionalists are calling "media hysteria manipulation," major news agencies issued "kill orders" on the image due to the photoshopping.

Izzard continued: "A supportive word here, a gentle nod towards the importance of Kate’s privacy there — this is a chance to offer a subtle olive branch to the Cambridges. And done right, it can be totally in tune with one of the Sussexes' favorite themes — a call for the conspiracy theorists and keyboard warriors to lay off."

This insight also comes amid the controversy surrounding an ailing King Charles III's "slimmed-down monarchy," which has been made worse by Kate's illness as well.

"There was a big royal family-shaped hole in the Commonwealth service this week," PR expert Nick Ede dished. "Without the star power of the King and the Princess of Wales, it was obvious that, for the first time in many, many years, the service didn’t make headline news — rather, an allegedly doctored photograph did."

The Commonwealth Day Service is typically the most popular royal event during the month of March, but headlines about Kate's edited picture made it barely a ripple in 2024. News also heavily focused on the princess herself who was spotted sitting next to Prince William, who attended the service, in their car after the ceremony. The future queen kept her head turned away from lenses the entire time.

Amid the controversy surrounding the picture and Her Royal Highness' firm commitment not to return to the public stage until sometime in April, some point to Harry and Meghan in comparison.

"Having a photoshopped photograph is absolutely nothing about telling lies," royal expert Angela Levin told an outlet. "The most important thing is that you can trust people, and I don’t believe you can trust Harry and Meghan. Meghan only wants to come here because it will increase her popularity in getting work, she hopes."

The Sun reported on expert opinions.