Prince Harry and Prince William both face a similar public relations challenge when attending official events; how to maintain strong public interest in what they are doing without the support of their high-profile spouses, a new episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast has discussed.
Both William and Harry have undertaken a range of important solo public engagements in recent weeks. William attended several events connected with his homelessness initiative, Homewards; and Harry undertook a multiday working trip to New York.
Both of these undertakings have been made without Princess Kate—who has mostly stepped out of the public eye this year because of her cancer diagnosis and treatment—and Meghan, who remained in California with her children while Harry was in New York.
Though the royal princes attract attention wherever they might be appearing in public, this is undoubtedly significantly increased when they are accompanied by their glamorous and popular spouses.
Speaking to Royal Report listeners, chief royal correspondent Jack Royston noted that, though not always to be considered a negative thing, the reduced attention shown when Meghan and Kate are absent leaves their husbands with the challenge of keeping eyes on what they are doing and ears on what they are saying. Without Kate and Meghan, media attention is not the only factor that is reduced, but also fan engagement across social-media platforms.
"Harry is flying solo for this trip," Royston said of the prince's New York visit. "So, no Meghan to help him out."
"Obviously, fashion is a huge part of people's love of the royals, and so any job that has Meghan will be getting a whole additional audience among people who love her outfits and want to kind of engage from a fashion perspective," Royston added. He said that Harry and Meghan aren't the only couple to experience this.
"For balance, it's not just the Sussexes have that issue; the same is true of William and Kate," Royston said. "And William, I'm sure, is going to be missing Kate when he brings the Earthshot Prize to Cape Town in South Africa later this year—assuming that Kate doesn't surprise everybody and turn up.
"So it's not just Harry and Meghan, who have that dynamic. But Harry is without his wife, and it means just a little bit less audience and a little bit less attention."
Harry undertook several important engagements during his New York stay, which coincided with New York Climate Week and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.
The prince spoke during panel discussions with The Diana Award and African Parks, as well as appearing at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting.
On whether the prince will have been affected by his wife's absence, Royston said that Harry was likely to thrive under the opportunity to focus on his own causes in his own capacity.
"I think he will not necessarily be disappointed," Royston added. "I think he will be happy to stand on his own two feet and be out doing his thing."
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Kensington Palace in London via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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