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Earlier this week, we reported on the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be returning to New York City for the first time since they found themselves at the center of an unexpected controversy that angered some high-profile residents of Manhattan.
The Sussexes’ previous trip to the Big Apple was marred by an incident that’s still being dissected and debated in some circles.
According to a statement from their publicist, Meghan and Harry were chased by a pack of paparazzi after leaving a gala event back in May.
The Sussexes say the pursuit went on for over two hours, and they were only able to escape thanks to some daring maneuvers executed by their driver.
Many have cast doubt on Harry and Meghan’s story, including multiple New York-based celebrities who say such a chase could not have occurred in the most highly trafficked areas of Manhattan.
This week, Harry and Meghan are back in NYC for the first time since that incident, and as expected, they’re contending with some negative feedback from media outlets that are fond of dredging up that unpleasant incident from the recent past.
The couple is in New York to represent their Archewell Foundation charity at a summit for World Mental Health Day.
But much of the media — especially in the UK — has been less interested in the event itself than in revisiting the Sussexes’ disastrous jaunt to the East Coast earlier this year.
In general, 2023 has been something of a PR nightmare for the duke and duchess.
Harry and Meghan’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, and even high-profile humanitarian pursuits have provided little relief from the endless barrage of negative press.
Last month, for example, Harry and Meghan attended the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
Harry helped to co-found the annual competition for disabled vets, and Sussex supporters hoped that the couple’s participation in this year’s games would be enough to get their reputations back on track.
Instead, the media focused on the fact that Meghan missed the opening ceremonies and wasn’t wearing her engagement ring during any of the photo-ops.
Sources for the Sussexes had already confirmed that the ring was undergoing repairs, but that revelation did little to discourage the breathless headlines about marital troubles.
Similarly, Harry and Meghan’s return to New York is being overshadowed not only by reminders of the car chase controversy but by a strange new wave of complaints:
According to a recent report from Newsweek, some royal watchers are incensed by the fact that Meghan has continued to use her official royal title, the Duchess of Sussex.
They’re particularly angry that she uses the title when introducing herself, as in the video below:
Comments on the clip have been turned off, presumably in response to overwhelming criticism.
Of course, Meghan is fully entitled to use the title, and it’s still how the British press refers to her.
But it seems that not a week can go by without the Sussexes’ army of rabid haters finding something new to gripe about, and slamming Meghan for her “egotistical” fondness for formality seems to be all the rage these days.
On a more sane note, Meghan’s appearance at this week’s summit went off without a hitch, with the duchess opening up to the crowd about her personal life and praising her husband and children for their support.
“Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life … outside, of course, being a wife to this one,” she told the crowd while gazing lovingly at Harry.
Meghan went on to say that she’s anxious about the prospect of her children using social media.
“But I will say I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened by how it’s continuing to change and this will be in front of us,” she explained.
“They say being a parent – the days are long, but the years are short, so it worries me, but I’m also given a lot of hope and a lot of energy by the progress we’ve made in the past year.”
The internet is a scary place for any parent.
But it must be especially intimidating for Harry and Meghan, who know all too well what sort of vitriol their children will encounter there.
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