Meghan Markle podcast ‘long time coming’ says commentator

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex currently have “good potential” to appeal to an audience the Firm is struggling to conquer, according to Royal Holloway Professor Pauline MacLaran. The expert noted the fact that Prince Harry and Meghan are reportedly experiencing a difficult relationship with some members of the Royal Family could help the pair charm Millennials – people born between 1981 and 1996.

Professor MacLaran, co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture, told Express.co.uk: “It is certainly damaging to their brand to be pushed aside by the royals although it does presently set them up as a rebel brand with good potential to appeal to Millennials with their alternative visions of how to do royalty and humanitarian work.

“In this respect, Harry and Meghan do appear to aim for a global reach.”

Analyses carried out earlier this year have suggested younger generations, including Gen Z and Millennials, aren’t currently as keen on the monarchy as older Britons.

A survey conducted by YouGov between May 16 and 17 on 1,600 adults showed 22 percent of those polled want Britain to become a republic in the future.

While the support for the monarchy is higher than the support for a republic across all ages according to these findings, the margins are very narrow when considering the answers provided by those in the 18-24 age group.

Among the younger adults polled, 33 percent said Britain should continue to have a monarchy in the future while 31 percent backed the election of a head of state.

Support for the monarchy was higher among those aged between 25 and 49 – with 56 percent supporting Britain being led by a monarch against 26 percent wanting a republic.

However, the support for the monarchy was lower in this age group when compared to answers given by adults aged over 50.

Since stepping down as working members of the Firm, the Duke and Duchess have been outspoken about certain issues not normally discussed or championed by the Royal Family.

During the summer of 2020, Meghan joined forces with feminist Gloria Steinem to cold call Americans and invite them to register to vote in that year’s Presidential Elections.

She also sat down with Harry for a video filmed for Time 100, during which the Duke, after saying he had never voted in his life due to his status in Britain, urged to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity”.

The Duchess also said people deserve to be heard and they could do so in November that year by voting in the “most important election of our lifetime”.

Before returning to the sovereign their roles of President and Vice President of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust as a consequence of their decision to step down as working royals, the couple also took part in a discussion with young leaders, saying the Commonwealth “must acknowledge the past”.

In 2021, Harry and Meghan also started campaigning to support Covid vaccine equity globally.

Most recently, both the Duke and Duchess voiced their criticism of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the ruling which had granted reproductive rights across the 50 states since 1973.

Meghan and Harry are to return to the UK in less than two weeks for a trip during which they will attend events linked to organisations they support.

And, since they have retained a close relationship with Her Majesty even after they stepped down as full-time working members of the Firm, Professor MacLaran believes Meghan and Harry may want to meet her.

She added: “Nevertheless, I’m sure they will want to meet with the Queen but whether this will be possible with the Queen’s schedule, remains very unclear.

“It is certain, however, that all the media speculation will run rife over the next month and put pressure on both sides to make some kind of acknowledgement that they are in the UK.”

The Duke and Duchess’ first event in the UK will take place on September 5, when the new leader of the Conservative Party will be make public.

This announcement will be followed by a meeting of the winner with the Queen, who is set to ask them to form the new Government.

The couple are not believed to be planning to meet Kate and Prince William, the Telegraph previously reported.

Prince Harry spoke about his relationship with the Duke of Cambridge during his interview with Oprah Winfrey in early 2021, saying he loves “William to bits” but they are now on “different paths”.

In April, asked by US broadcaster Hoda Kotb if he was missing his father and brother, the Duke failed to address the question, saying: “Look I mean, for me at the moment, I’m here focused on these guys [the Invictus Games athletes] and these families and giving everything that I can, 120 percent to them to make sure they have the experience of a lifetime. That’s my focus here.

“And when I leave here, I get back and my focus is on my family who I miss massively.”

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