Royal Expert Explains Harry’s ‘Conscious’ Choice to Stay Out of Meghan’s Show: ‘He’s Doing Things…’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their new multi-year deal with Netflix on August 11. As part of the partnership, Markle launched Season 2 of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, with other shows in the pipeline. The eight-part series, released on August 26, saw the Duchess whipping up delicacies and chatting it up with a slew of celebrity guests. Commenting on the same, royal expert Jennie Bond believes Harry consciously decided not to appear in his wife's Netflix show to allow them to 'thrive' in their independent ventures.
Bond suggested that the Duke of Sussex wanted to give Markle her space and focus on the things he feels 'comfortable doing.' She told The Mirror, "I think she's [Markle] probably feeling a lot stronger now back in her home country and her own patch, and talking her own sort of California speak. She’s better rooted and happier and dealing with things in a more resilient fashion because of where she was." Speaking of the Duke, she added, "Harry has taken a conscious step back and this is Meghan's thing...He's doing things which are quasi royalty, the sort of stuff he was comfortable doing in his previous life."
The expert also suggested that Harry likely finds it 'odd' to constantly be in front of the cameras, given his toxic and acrimonious relationship with the paparazzi since childhood and their role in the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She argued, "It’s an odd thing to have tried to do, make television programs, be in front [of] or even behind the camera, be associated with cameras in any way because he hates cameras... So I think he's much better off campaigning on the things he feels strongly about." Bond further advised the Sussexes to continue protecting their two children as they grow older in the spotlight.
As for Markle's new Netflix series, Bond opined that her approach may not appeal to everyone’s taste, but her experimentation was admirable. She shared, "It's a lifestyle program, it’s light, it's frothy, it brings a bit of fun, a little bit of joy...Making things look presentable is an essential part of cookery. I don't think we should keep knocking her for that. The show is what it is, it’s not pretending to be anything else." The expert also opined that Markle has been 'reasonably good' and 'fairly professional' with her business ventures now than before.
The expert’s remarks on Harry’s deliberate absence from Markle’s show may also tie into the couple’s reported nine-month ‘professional divorce.’ According to an insider, the Duke allegedly spent this period mapping out the future of his individual brand, deliberately distancing it from Markle’s. As reported by GB News, the source claimed, "Harry is unkindly described as the 'spare' to Meghan's endeavors. In reality, he has been giving her the space to flourish. Now it is his time to throw himself into exciting new work." The pair's ‘professional separation’ reportedly represents a change from relying on informal advisers for their public and commercial activities.