Did the Sussexes win the royal PR wars this week?
Harry and Meghan seemed serenely removed from the crisis swirling the UK royals
For once, Harry and Meghan seem like a breath of fresh air with their humanitarian visit to Jordan.
The problem that has dogged the Duke and Duchess since embarking on their go-it-alone, semi-royal strategy is the baggage they carry with them.
From their Oprah interview onwards, Harry and Meghan have been so closely identified with their sense of grievance that it colours everything they do. Even when the Duchess is skipping about a kitchen sprinkling flowers on a rainbow fruit platter, there is the inescapable context that we are watching her in Montecito because that is where she is recuperating from her clash with the royal family.
Their trip to Jordan this week seemed different. And crucially they were able to make appearances at a refugee camp and meet mental health practitioners free from the shadow of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
Far from the maddening crowd
In a world where royal stories jockey for the public's attention, their appearance struck a wholesome and uncomplicated tone. Harry’s bedside manner when meeting injured refugees had overtones of work carried out by his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales. There was no sense of Harry or Meghan having to keep up appearances or endure heckling, and the causes they were supporting were worthy and hard to criticise as mere gambits for publicity.
Clever move or lucky timing?
Some may even see this as a clever move – striking a blow for their brand of semi-royal humanitarian work when the royal old guard are embattled.
This would be a mistake: the timing is coincidental. Harry and Meghan plan such trips months in advance, as their representatives have pointed out during previous clashes such as when Harry turned up in Toronto to support military veterans in November while William was hoping for a clear agenda to promote his visit to Rio de Janeiro for the Earthshot Prize.
We cannot read motive into this trip on Harry or Meghan’s part.
Fans vs critics
Their trip to Jordan has not drawn universal acclaim, and people will respond according to their existing views on the estranged Prince. Those who think his breakaway from Buckingham Palace was his only choice in an unbearable situation will praise him for bringing the media spotlight to noble causes.
Those who think he has acted irresponsibly will question what he is doing in Jordan at all. Is he trying to intrude on his brother’s strong bond with Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan?
It is likely that American audiences will be more sympathetic than British ones. Meghan’s popularity in the UK hit an all-time low last month as her positivity rating fell to 19% in YouGov’s regular series of polls asking British respondents if they have a positive or negative opinion of her. She is the lowest rated of any royal family member except Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Harry has recovered slightly from his all-time low of 24% in January 2023, prompted by the publication of his vivid memoir Spare, but still languishes at 31%, far below the 80% level he consistently got when he was a full-time royal.
It is too early to tell whether the Jordan trip will move the dial, but with more humanitarian trips likely to come in the future it could be his best strategy for finding a worthwhile career away from his grievance brand.
Further reading
Best royal photos of the week and royal diary
Celebrating the late Queen’s life in special issue
I saw the King this week and here’s why he reminded me of the late Queen