Prince Harry faces having all allegations levelled at the Royal Family called “into question” should he escalate with further accusations in his interviews with ITV and 60 Minutes. The Duke of Sussex, 38, is scheduled to have his comments released ahead of the publication of his memoir Spare next week. But marketing strategist Edward Coram James told Express.co.uk Prince Harry risks appearing “inauthentic” and suggested he should consider re-focusing the Sussex brand.
Mr Coram James said: “At this point if he escalates, it will look inauthentic: that he is only escalating because he wants more headlines, and this will call into question the authenticity of any claims made.
“The best thing that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could do at this point is pivot.
“Use the memoir to focus on all of the incredible work that Harry has done with the Invictus Games, and yes colour in some of the struggles that he has faced. But, you can colour your own struggles without attacking others.”
He also suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have “run out of road” with their strategy of attacking the Royal Family.
JUST IN: ‘Deeply upset’ Mandela’s granddaughter blasts Meghan and Harry ‘making millions’ from him
The Go Up founder said: “Ultimately, in the UK at least, the Sussexes strategy has largely backfired.
“In terms of PR strategy, the public rarely responds well to negative PR campaigns. A good reputation management campaign focuses on the positives that the principal has brought to the table, using these as a platform from which to then call into question the behaviour of the other side.
“In many ways, Harry and Meghan have missed a huge opportunity. When they left the UK, they were already some of the most high-profile people in the world.
“Had they focused their efforts on championing the causes that they have spent many years focused on: support for wounded veterans, the environment and help for vulnerable women and communities, they could have sent packing all but their most ardent of detractors and built a solid international reputation for advocacy work.”
Royal Family LIVE: Meghan warned she missed huge Netflix open goal but can ‘still cash in’
Prince Harry’s interviews come less than a month after the release of their first major project with Netflix, the docuseries Harry & Meghan.
In the programme, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reiterated their disappointment in the Royal Family helping them cope with the pressure of public life.
Prince Harry also claimed Prince William’s aides actively briefed against them with the press in order to keep negative stories about the Prince of Wales out of newspapers.
He said the brothers had previously struck an agreement not to engage with reporters to trade stories after witnessing the impact the strategy had on their parents’ marriage.
DON’T MISS
The Duke of Sussex said: “William and I both saw what happened in our dad’s office, and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.
“I would far rather get destroyed in the press than play along with this game or this business of trading.
“And to see my brother’s office copy the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.”
The couple’s former spokesman, James Holt, suggested the institution sought to put the couple “in a box” after noticing their growing popularity among members of the public.
Mr Holt said: “When some people in the institution around the family started to see that a new couple could destabilize the power dynamics, whether actively talked about or not, the aim was to put them in a box or make them irrelevant.”
