Prince Harry, Meghan Markle In 'Publicity Battle' Against Royal Family, Correspondent Claims

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly going head-to-head with the British royals in a "publicity battle," according to a journalist.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were honored with the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award at the Ripple of Hope Gala in New York City Tuesday night. RFK Foundation president Kerry Kennedy — who presented them with the award — revealed that the couple was recognized for their stance against racism within the institution of the monarchy, their work on mental health and their social impact through the Archewell Foundation, Page Six reported.

The awards ceremony comes just days before the premiere of their highly anticipated Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," a trailer for which was released while Prince William and Kate Middleton were in Boston, Massachusetts, last week for their first U.S. trip since 2014.

U.S. correspondent for Nine Network Australia Jonathan Kearsley claimed on the Australian show "Today" that Prince Harry and Markle's trip to New York this week "is all part of the publicity battle royale that the Sussexes knew was coming and they have certainly been pushing for in the lead-up to this highly anticipated Netflix special." International Business Times could not independently verify the claims.

Kearsley confirmed that there has been no word from Buckingham Palace regarding the Sussexes' new award and upcoming docuseries but suggested that the palace will likely wait until the series has aired before making any comment. However, he claimed that the alleged "publicity battle" between the Sussexes and the royal family is noticeable.

"Take a look at what is going on right now. You've got this award taking place tonight, [and] the first three episodes [of the docuseries] drop on Thursday. A week after that, the next three episodes drop, and on that very day, King Charles and Camilla will be joining William and Kate in a show of unity at a carol service as those final three Netflix episodes go," the journalist said.

Kearsley noted that on the same day Prince Harry and Markle received their award, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared via social media a series of intimate photos where they gazed romantically at each other during their recent trip to Boston.

The images featured the Prince and Princess of Wales at the Earthshot Prize ceremony at Fenway Park Friday night as part of their three-day tour to the U.S.

"The one thing you can guarantee right now is that certainly, these divided sides of this royal family are not singing from the same song sheet at all. Today we have seen William and Kate release a lovely black-and-white image from behind the scenes of the couple at the Earthshot Awards in Boston. This is very much an image fight over publicity. It is an image fight over a legacy. Strap yourselves in because this is far from over," the journalist claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were accused of trying to steal the Prince and Princess of Wales' thunder after Netflix dropped the first promo for "Harry & Meghan" a day before Prince William's second annual Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston.

An unnamed source claimed to Page Six that the trailer was a "coordinated campaign" to "disrupt and clash" with Prince William and Middleton's tour.

In the latest teaser for the Sussexes' docuseries, Prince Harry addressed how the dynamics of the British royal family and the "dirty game" with the media ultimately led to the couple stepping back from their senior royal roles in 2020.

"There's a hierarchy of the family," Prince Harry said, as the trailer showed footage of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour in 2019.

"You know, there's leaking, but there's also planting of stories," he added.

Prince Harry also spoke about the history of bad treatment of women who marry into the royal family.

"The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy," the prince said, as footage of Princess Diana and Middleton followed by photographers is shown in the teaser. "I was terrified. I didn't want history to repeat itself."

Markle added, "I realized they're never going to protect you."

"Harry & Meghan" premieres on Netflix Thursday with its first three episodes. The remaining three episodes will air on Dec. 15.