Prince Harry and Meghan Markle advised to ‘disappear professionally’ after latest business fail to salvage reputation
Via Page Six:
Everything Prince Harry and Meghan Markle touches doesn’t turn to gold.
After their “Cookie Queens” documentary — which marked their theatrical feature debut as executive producers — crumbled at the box office, they’re now being advised to halt their business ventures.
According to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” the two have plenty of name recognition, but haven’t found a way to turn that into revenue from loyal consumers.
“I would tell them to disappear professionally for a little while, dramatically reduce the number of announcements, and identify one genuinely compelling project with experienced people around them who know how to execute it,” Schofield exclusively tells Page Six.
“Reputation recovery is possible, but I don’t think it comes from another rebrand or another glossy publicity campaign,” she also says. “I would recommend the opposite. Less talking, fewer announcements and more execution.”
“Success is one of the most effective reputation-management strategies in Hollywood. Make something undeniable and suddenly the conversation changes.”
Markle in particular has tried her hand at multiple business ventures, including podcasting, her Netflix cooking show, “With Love, Meghan,” and launching her As Ever brand.
The Spotify podcasting deal ended in 2023 — which made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a whopping $20 million — after only one season of her show, “Archetypes.” Netflix also ended their partnership with her in March.
Schofield comments, “When you try to establish authority in every category simultaneously, you can end up establishing authority in none of them. Pick a lane, become good at it and allow success to rebuild credibility.”
“They need to stop treating their celebrity as the product and start creating products strong enough to survive without their celebrity.”
Schofield advises that the couple “get out of the way” and not try to make decision when it comes to projects they’re involved in while, instead, letting the pros handle it. She also notes that they need to find projects which have nothing to do with their grievances with the royal family.
“There are only so many times you can tell audiences why you left the royal family,” she explains. “If they want longevity in entertainment, they have to prove people are interested in their taste, ideas and storytelling when the monarchy isn’t the hook.”
“I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re seeing renewed efforts toward reconciliation with King Charles at a moment when Harry and Meghan need to rebuild their credibility,” she adds. “I suspect that they understand that their fractured relationship with the royal family has become a professional liability.”
“Cookie Queens” — which follows four young Girl Scouts during the height of the intense cookie-selling season — was released on Aug. 7 in select theaters and made just $735 per screen, opening at No. 15, according to Boxoffice Pro.
It’s since grossed a total of $513,148 domestically, reports The Numbers.
But Markle, 45, and Harry, 41, aren’t letting their disappointing box office showing get them down. They stepped out for a date night at a gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of David Foster’s foundation earlier this month in Canada.
Markle honored her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, by wearing the iconic royal’s diamond and sapphire earrings during the glam red carpet appearance.