Sussex Fatigue in America: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'Have Blown It' in the U.S.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may 'have blown it' when it comes to their longstanding popularity in the United States.
The reputations of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have "soured in the U.S." thanks to overall fatigue with non-stop reports of their issues with the British royal family.
"It started off very well. They were very popular. They got a really enormous welcome to America, but they have since blown it. They are polling really poorly, and people are bored of them," Republican Overseas Chairman Greg Swenson told an outlet.
"I wouldn’t call it overstaying their welcome but it hasn’t played well with the general public. Better would have been, 'thank you for having me,' that would have played well. There was open arms for both of them. People were all excited about Meghan’s marriage and Harry moving to the U.S.," he added.
Swenson continued: "It has soured completely, and I think it goes along in many ways, like opinions in the U.K. have."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California in 2020 after their departed from the monarchy, known as "Megxit," took place. At first, the pair insinuated they wanted "privacy," and gave no hint they wanted to become media sensations. The start of the pandemic lockdowns in the spring of that year saw the focus on their new lives shift, but all of that came roaring back when they sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an explosive tell-all interview in March 2021.
When combined with their lucrative Netflix and Spotify deals inked in the autumn of 2020, the fiery-haired prince and former actress were soon front-page headline generators. Much of their favorable support today is found in the American media, with British and wider European press markets taking a majority skeptical and largely negative approach to reporting on the duo.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were soon characterized as opportunists by many, since neither would be worldwide names without their royal connection.
"The only thing Harry and Meghan currently have going for them is their royal titles, which they cling to like a life raft. I see no way back for Harry in terms of returning to the royal fold," royal commentator Nile Gardiner once told a publication. The expert insisted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will "fight to keep their titles" because of the "prestige" that "His/Her Royal Highness" brings to their brand.
Despite endless amounts of criticism leveled at them — much of it concerning their personalities — the fifth in line to the British throne insists jealousy over Meghan was always at play.
"The issue is, when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this, that upsets people," Prince Harry claimed when describing how he feels his wife was initially treated in the monarchy.
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GBN interviewed Swenson.
