Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Needed 'Better Communication' With the Royal Family Before Leaving the U.K.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle famously left the royal family in 2020, but it could've been 'less controversial,' according to an expert.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle famously left their senior-level positions in 2020, and since moving to California, the couple publicized their royal family drama — but experts wonder if the infamous 'Megxit' scandal could've been avoided altogether.
Public relations expert Andy Barr analyzed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's explosive migration in an interview, and the professional believes the transition had the potential to be smooth.
"Better communication would have made the move less controversial and removed the tinge of sadness that many across the globe now feel," Barr told an outlet.
Barr later claimed the Sussexes' decision to leave wasn't well received by the royals.
"Airing your family grievances via a globally best-selling book and a ground-breaking documentary was never going to resonate well with the royal family let alone their team of advisors," he explained. "The real power play here was between the armies of communications and brand advisors that both sides employ."
Barr speculated that if the famous brood was clear about their restrictions, the Sussexes' concerns wouldn't be front-page news.
"If the royal family and Harry had been more stern in their ruling that neither side should brief negative messages about each other to the press then much of the discussion could have been done behind closed doors, directly and with more dignity," he explained.
"[The royals] are clearly not blameless in this either and possibly took the mantra of 'never complain, never explain' too far," he continued. "Whilst they garnered worldwide respect for not responding to every new sordid revelation, they could have better handled some of the more inflammatory elements such as the accusations of a physical altercation between Harry and William."
Royal analyst Bonnie Brownlee shared that the Duchess of Sussex could've been an asset to the monarchy, but according to Meghan, they were unable to accommodate her emotional needs.
"Meghan could have been extremely helpful (to the royal family), especially in the Commonwealth… there are a lot of millennials around the world in the Commonwealth nations," Brownlee said.
"I think Harry and Meghan would have been highly successful, and sometimes I think they didn’t realize how powerful they already were before they moved to Los Angeles," she continued.
During the Sussexes' 2021 televised conversation with Oprah Winfrey, the pair admitted to Winfrey that they didn't quit their royal jobs.
"We never left the family and we only wanted to have the same type of role that exists, right? There’s senior members of the family and then there are non-senior members," Meghan told the talk show host.
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The Duchess of Sussex later mentioned the letter the couple released announcing their initial relocation to Canada.
"And we said, specifically, ‘We’re stepping back from senior roles to be just like several?.?.?.’ I mean, I can think of so many right now who are all?.?.?.?they’re royal highnesses, prince or princess, duke or duchess?.?.?.?who earn a living, live on palace grounds, can support the Queen if and when called upon," she stated.
"So we weren’t reinventing the wheel here," the Suits star doubled down. "We were saying, 'OK, if this isn’t working for everyone, we’re in a lot of pain, you can’t provide us with the help we need, we can just take a step back. We can do it in a Commonwealth country.' We suggested New Zealand, South Africa.?"
Experts spoke to The Mirror.
