Growing tension seemed to have thawed following his recent trip to the UK, but last week jaws dropped when it emerged that Prince Harry would be releasing a tell-all memoir with more “truth bombs” aimed at the royals.
The book – the proceeds of which will go to charity – is due to be published late next year. It will be an “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life and, in Harry’s words, will be written “not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become”.
The bombshell publication – for which Harry received a £15m advance – will come after months of shocking accusations from him and wife Meghan Markle, where they made claims of racism within the royal family – which the Palace denied –and a lack of mental health support when Meghan was experiencing suicidal thoughts – with Harry later also claiming that he had a “trapped” upbringing tainted with “genetic pain and suffering”.
However, the announcement received a backlash, with many criticising the timing of the book’s release, which will coincide with his grandmother the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.
Despite Harry, 37, being voted most popular royal in YouGov polls in 2018, his and Meghan’s popularity has plummeted since they stepped down from royal life and moved to LA last year – dubbed “Megxit” – and their subsequent critical interviews about the Palace.
In the 2021 poll, they stood at the bottom of the ranks at 13th and 14th, only just above Prince Andrew, following his controversial association with billionaire US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s popularity seems to have skyrocketed – especially after their recent appearances at Wimbledon and the Euros.
And while they initially had much public support in the US – where Meghan, 39, was born – it seems their appeal there too is fading, with Harry’s comments about the First Amendment, which he called “bonkers”, riling American fans on social media.
Now US media guru Perez Hilton tells Closer that Harry’s repetitive interviews have seen the couple’s appeal decline.
Perez says, “Harry and Meghan’s popularity has waned recently, because I think we’ve all realised that Prince Harry is just a bit boring. I mean, he is! But good on them making the money. They are cashing in left and right with so many projects – one thing after another.
“But they’re walking a fine line right now – they’re making all this money and doing all of these different projects, but I think with all that their popularity will take a nose dive eventually.”
And royal expert Duncan Larcombe – who wrote Prince Harry: The Inside Story – agrees that with the saturation of their interviews and subsequent criticisms of the royal family, Harry and Meghan are at risk of “overdoing it”. He says, “At first, I think people saw them as exciting and a glamorous breath of fresh air, even after Megxit.
“But they are now just coming across as broken records – and extremely bitter. The book release is a year away – will he keep talking until then? If so, by then, he will surely have said it all. It’ll be a marvel if they sell one book!”
Since leaving the royal family, Harry and Meghan have set up the Archewell Foundation – a organisation which, they say, strives to “drive systemic cultural change across all communities, one act of compassion at a time”.
But while the couple – who share children Archie, two, and newborn Lilibet – lent their support to Vax Live earlier this year to help the global vaccination drive, they seem to have shifted their primary focus from charity work to media work – signing multi-million- pound deals with the likes of Netflix, Spotify and Apple TV, and doing scathing interviews with James Corden, Dax Shepherd and Oprah Winfrey – where discussion about the royal family has been the focus.
Duncan adds, “Since stepping back from the royal family, Harry and Meghan have hit the headlines for their mega-money media deals and for what they’ve said against the royal family.
“Their status is becoming more and more solidified in history as not two people who wanted to make the world a better place, but as the couple who ‘betrayed’ the royal family. I think Meghan, in particular, will be remembered as the woman who took Harry away from the royals. And this book has the potential to drill that home even more. This betrayal – especially from Harry as a brother, son and grandson – will be something that haunts them, their careers and their reputations forever, and will probably overshadow any charity work they do.
“I think Meghan will be known in history as the woman who took a pot shot at the royals and ran off with Harry, more than being an actress or philanthropist.”
After the inflammatory comments about race and mental health made by Harry and Meghan during the Oprah interview, the Palace were said to be “livid” and broke their “never complain never explain” protocol, issuing a statement saying that the issues would be “dealt with privately”.
Check out: 9 times Meghan Markle dressed like Princess Diana
All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana - slider
1 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
The glittering Roland Mouret gown worn by Meghan at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Totem show was reminiscent of a Catherine Walker dress Princess Diana wore in 1990.
2 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Both Meghan and Diana chose a monochrome color palette for visits to Royal Ascot.
3 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
It seems both royals are a fan of pairing red and purple. Princess Diana wore the combo a visit to Hong Kong in November 1989 while Meghan wore it on a visit to Birkenhead in January of 2019.
4 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
In 1987 Princess Diana wore tartan at Bute Highland Games in Scotland and two decades later Meghan wore a Burberry tartan coat for an official visit to Scotland during her engagement.
5 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Meghan sheer pleated Givenchy skirt (which caused quite the controversy) and matching top may well have been inspired by Princess Diana's all-blue look from 1982.
6 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Both royal women are a fan of pinstripes, as seen by this pinstriped blazer worn by Diana in Sheffield and the buttoned Altuzarra dress Meghan wore at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.
7 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Even at the end of her royal duties, Meghan channelled Diana in her wardrobe. Just look at this green dress and matching hat worn by Meghan on Commonwealth Day compared to Diana's Trooping of the Colour dress and hat from 1982.
8 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
At the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, one of the very first times we saw Meghan and Harry in public together, Meghan and her cali-girl vibes looked very similar to an outfit Princess Diana wore while in Bosnia.
9 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Not ones to shy away from colour, Princess Diana and Meghan also both know just how amazing a simple white dress can look.
10 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Both have sported tailored blush pink dresses. Princess Diana wore a Versace coat dress in 1995 while The Duchess of Sussex wore a modern take on the trend when visiting the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre in London.
11 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Meghan's second wedding dress (a Stella McCartney design) was noticeably similar to a high-necked evening gown worn by Princess Diana at a reception at Spencer House in London.
12 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Meghan wore a stunning Safiyaa caped red gown o the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall that looked very similar to the red Jacques Azagury dress Diana wore to an American Red Cross dinner in 1997.
13 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
The chic plaid suit that Diana wore while at Paddington Station in London in 1988 looks very similar to an off-the-shoulder structured shirt Meghan wore on a visit to Wales.
14 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
The off-the-shoulder pink Carolina Herrera dress Meghan wore to Trooping the Colour was rather similar to Princess Diana's look worn at the Royal Ballet in Germany in 1987.
15 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
At Commonwealth Day in March 2019 Meghan wore an emerald green Erden coat not dissimilar to the one worn by Princess Diana in 1982.
WATCH: Anna Vakili and Amber Gill: ‘They said I was going a bit too crazy’ | Love Island Secrets
READ MORE
Gemma Collins' close pal: 'Removing toxic people from her life has helped heal her'
And Duncan says that should Harry’s upcoming book contain more bombshells, the royals will have no choice but to hit back, and Harry would likely be cut off from the family for good.
He adds, “They’ll have no choice but to hit back with something to defend themselves. It depends what exactly is said, but if we have the serious accusations he’s made in the last few months to go by, then I imagine the royals will have to have their say. If anything will break the camel’s back and cut off Harry for good and ruin all chances of a reconciliation, it’s this.
“If you look at people within the Firm who have ever spoken out about them – whether you’re a butler, a protection officer or a PR – as soon as you break the circle of trust, you’re cut off, never to be spoken to or mentioned again. I imagine this could happen to Harry – as heartbreaking as that would be. It wouldn’t surprise me if their titles were taken away from them at this point.
“Of all the crazy things Harry could have done, writing a memoir is up there. It’s unfathomable. It’s an incredibly dangerous and risky move for the future of the royal family. I don’t think he knows how much damage he’s doing.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.