The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have always appeared united in their choices and decision-making, including when they announced they would be stepping back from Royal Family duties in January 2020. But Pauline Maclaran, professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway, University of London, says that behind the “power couple” with their “fairly coherent brand image together”, difficulties adjusting to one another’s lifestyles are evident at key moments.
Professor Maclaran told Express.co.uk that “individually, they have had very different brand images”.
She added that Meghan’s brand was orientated around her status “as a (previously) minor Hollywood celebrity associated with the Suits brand”, whereas Prince Harry was embedded in the “Royal Family brand” and is “not yet comfortable with Hollywood celebrity culture”.
She said: “The mix of these different brand cultures is bound to create tensions at times and certainly did when Meghan tried to be a working royal during their time in England.”
Professor Maclaran, who is a co-author of ‘Royal Fever’, also referenced Prince Harry and Meghan’s recent appearance at the NAACP Image Awards, where many onlookers thought the Duke appeared wooden onstage compared to his wife.
Professor Maclaran claimed “Harry’s unease” reflected the difference between the brands with which the husband and wife pair were familiar, and “that he is not yet comfortable with Hollywood celebrity…
