Meghan Markle Wants To 'Piggyback Off' Of Trooping The Colour; Ex-Actress Getting Poor Advice Or Doesn't Listen To Suggestions: PR Guru
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's public moves are intentional, according to a PR guru.
The Duchess of Sussex raised eyebrows when she seemingly tried to steal Kate Middleton's thunder during the latter's return to the public spotlight. The Princess of Wales joined the royal family on the balcony for Trooping the Colour. However, hours before the event, Prince Harry and Markle's pal Nacho Figueras promoted new products from Markle's label, American Riviera Orchard. A PR expert scrutinized the timing of Marlke's moves and how they seemingly fell during the same period when the royals had big events.
"When you're at the level Meghan and Harry are on, everything you do publicly is intentional," Sarah Fruman, a Hollywood publicist and founder of Soul Evolution Media, told the Daily Express.
The PR guru weighed in on the timing of Markle's pal promoting her new product during Trooping the Colour. Fruman was convinced that she was trying to "piggyback off" the royal family's event as the world talked about it, especially after Middleton confirmed she would be joining the royal family. The Duchess of Cambridge had been missing for months after she announced her cancer diagnosis in March.
"I would imagine that the intention would be to piggyback off the high-profile day; however, if she were my client, I would have advised her to consider the potential downsides to leveraging that publicity," Fruman explained.
"It'll get her attention, but it's not the right attention."
The expert said that Markle could have used another strategy. Just recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hired two new PR gurus to join their team for strategic counseling. Fruman speculated that the former actress either had poor advice or didn't listen to the PR experts surrounding her.
"There are plenty of strategies she can use to get publicity, and the most impactful would be to get creative and authentic -- neither of which Meghan seems to be doing," Fruman continued.
"It appears that Meghan is either getting poor advice or she's not listening to the advice she is given. The latter may be more likely."
Richard Fitzwilliams, a British public relations consultant and royal commentator, previously shared the same sentiment. He criticized Markle's move and even considered it a "ridiculous" blunder and something that "makes no public relations sense."
"Megan and Harry know perfectly well every single thing they do is monitored by the press," Fitzwilliams told The Sun.
"The idea that they would do something on the day of Trooping the Colour. I mean, it's pretty silly. I mean, it is a clash of a sort. What was done was just silly. We know in March, Meghan launched American Riviera Orchard."
A lot of things have been happening within the royal household for months. King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis in February without disclosing what type of cancer it was. Middleton had abdominal surgery in January and had been missing after the Palace announced the procedure. Later that month, Middleton was accused of manipulating her Mother's Day photo, prompting some to wonder if she was still alive. At the time, there was an increasing call for transparency within the royal family.
"Everybody feels unsettled by uncertainty, and there is too much uncertainty that is surrounding the monarchy right now," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People at the time.
"Queen Elizabeth used to say, 'I need to be seen to be believed.' It is important for Charles and his reign for the public to know a little bit more."
