Ignoring Prince Harry Would "Spell Disaster" for Charles, William and Kate, PR Expert Says
They need to keep up appearances, says Carla Speight.
In his interview with Tom Bradby on ITV back in January, Prince Harry clearly stated that his attendance at the upcoming coronation would depend on his family's willingness to build bridges before then.
He said at the time, "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it."
Two months later, we still don't know if there have been peace-brokering conversations, nor if the Sussexes are planning to attend.
All we know is that King Charles has made the unexpected decision to evict Harry and Meghan from their U.K. home of Frogmore Cottage, which is unlikely to make the U.S.-based couple more willing to show face at the historical event on May 6.
And for one public relations expert, it should really be up to the King and other senior royals to make the first move towards a reconciliation—if only for public appearances' sake.
"With regards to the coronation, I actually think it’s King Charles, Prince William, Princess Catherine and the Queen Consort that need to think about keeping up appearances," Carla Speight told Express.
"They need to show up as the happy family, which means they’ll have to work out the damning things that Harry has said."
She added, "public appearances need to be looking a lot different than they currently are."
Speight observed that the late Queen always tried to keep up appearances, "but it seems the King is happy to let it all play out in public and remain stoically silent."
The expert was unequivocal in her advice to the royals. "They really need to fix this if they want to be taken seriously and keep the public opinion on side," she said. "Especially William and Catherine. They are the loudest supporters of mental health issues and yet they ignore what Harry has been through. Is this what they will be like as the King and Queen? Full of strikingly obvious contradictions in their public and private life?"
Speight concluded, "Harry wants to be listened to, they can’t ignore him anymore. If they do, they will lose the respect of the public, which could spell disaster for the future of the Royal Family’s public favor."
Plenty of people have hypothesized as to whether or not the Sussexes will make the trip over to the U.K. for the coronation, though it's still very hard to tell who's right.
"It will be very difficult for both Harry and Meghan to attend the coronation, given what has gone on," royal correspondent Charles Rae previously said.
"In saying that, I believe they will be invited. Remember after the Oprah interview they were invited to the Platinum Jubilee.
"However, they have the perfect excuse not to come, as on the same day, it is Archie’s fourth birthday. They may choose to stay in California to celebrate that instead."
Let us see!
