Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Tarnished Their Brand Built Around Idea Of ‘Wokeness’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are at risk of losing the support of consumers and corporates after they reportedly tarnished their brand.

In an article for ABC Australia, senior lecturer Michael Carrington from the University of Melbourne claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex damaged their brand.

“The question for the brand ‘Harry and Meghan’ — the Sussex without the Royal — is whether corporates and consumers will continue to perceive this as a brand that reflects who they are or who they want to be. The Sussex Royal brand image was built around the idea of ‘wokeness,’ an idea supported by Harry's speech at the 2019 Google Climate Change Conference and their many Instagram posts referencing their environmental and social concerns. But this has already been tarnished,” he said.

Carrington went on to say that Prince Harry and Markle were accused of environmental hypocrisy after they traveled in private jets last year. The situation, according to the expert, was dubbed as a brand manager’s nightmare.

“Sponsors and consumers alike will already be wondering if this tarnish will rub off onto their own corporate and personal brands,” he said.

Meanwhile, the senior lecturer also talked about Queen Elizabeth’s decision to ban Prince Harry and Markle from using the Sussex Royal brand after they officially quit The Firm at the end of the month. He said that Her Majesty’s recent decision poses real damage to the royal couple’s brand.

“While Sussex grounds the brand in a tangible peerage, Royal takes the brand into a level of prestige that is desirable yet unattainable — a desire that can only be satisfied by buying into the brand. With the Royal removed and even Sussex on potentially shaky ground — with public calls for Harry and Meghan to also lose their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles — the very core of what Harry and Meghan stood for as a brand is at risk. What remains is at best unclear, and at worst, vacuous,” he said.