Harry and Meghan’s recent series of events and the ‘provocative’ relaunch of their website are part of an effort to move on from their damaging claims about the Royal Family, experts have said.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made several public appearances in recent weeks, the latest of which saw Meghan appearing via video link in London to open a new wing of an animal charity.
That came after she made dumplings with Afghan female refugees earlier in February, before a clip of the visit was posted on the Archewell Foundation website on Monday.
Harry meanwhile gave a series of American media interviews following the launch of the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, Vancouver, before he and Meghan attended a lavish gala dinner.
His latest outing saw him make a surprise appearance at the NFL awards in Los Angeles, less than 48 hours after he briefly visited the UK to see his father King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
Meghan Markle (left) at Powder Mountain in Utah with friends Heather Dorak (centre) and Kelly McKee Zajfen (right), in a photo posted on Instagram by both Dorak and Zajfen today
And Harry and Meghan’s new website went live last month, prompting accusations they are trying to be ‘more Royal’ despite stepping away from official duties.
PR expert Nick Ede told MailOnline that the couple ‘need to move on’ from making toxic revelations about the Royal Family, adding: ‘They will be wanting to be careful to not reflect on the past but to look at a clear future with a path towards building them away from ridicule and building themselves as humanitarians, producers and campaigners.’
Royal writer Phil Dampier said: ‘Their recent appearances are clearly part of a PR blitz but I’m not sure it’s working for them long term and they need to nail down some hard core issues, both commercially and to do good, and concentrate on those.’
Feb 9: Harry’s surprise appearance at the NFL awards
Less than two days after his brief visit to the UK to see his father King Charles following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, Harry made a surprise appearance at the NFL awards in Las Vegas.
He gave a gag-filled speech and handed out the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The winner, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, was surprised to see him.
Less than two days after his brief visit to the UK to see his father King Charles following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, Harry made a surprise appearance at the NFL awards in Las Vegas
He hugged the duke before exclaiming: ‘Prince freakin Harry, I’m just shocked, that’s Prince Harry.’
Harry joked about that the United States ‘stole rugby from us and you made it your own’.
Poking fun at what might have happened when American Football was created, he said: ‘Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forwards. Why not wear pads and a helmet?’
‘Of course, have an offence and defence, that makes sense, and why not have a breather every 15 seconds?
‘And you know what? Instead of a 10-month season, let’s just make it 18 weeks. Genius’.
An animated Cameron Hayward of the Pittsburgh Steelers poses for a portrait after winning the Walter Payton Man of the year with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex, 39, handed the Walter Payton Man of the Year award to Pittsburgh Steelers football player Cameron Heyward
He went on: ‘All kidding aside, what you guys do on and off the field is truly remarkable.
‘You are role models for millions in the way you carry yourselves and the way you give back.
‘This final award, the highest honour, is all about serving your community, and there is one special man we’d like to pay tribute to now.’
Feb 13: Couple’s ‘provocative’ new website
Meghan and Harry’s glossy website went live last month, prompting instant controversy.
The couple’s decision to relaunch their homepage as ‘Sussex.com’ was branded ‘provocative’ and sparked accusations they are trying to be ‘more Royal’.
Well-placed sources said the new online venture would provide a ‘big challenge’ for Buckingham Palace’s Lord Chamberlain.
The top Royal official must decide whether to take the Sussexes to task or ‘let it slide’ in order to keep the already fragile family peace.
The new homepage for ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ went live on Monday evening.
The new homepage of Sussex.com features an image of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September 2023
It features Meghan’s coat of arms and glowing biographies for the couple, as well as the latest news about the pair.
Many close to the royal household believe it is a flagrant breach of the supposedly cast-iron assurances Harry and Meghan gave the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit as working royals in 2020, and comes perilously close to using their royal status for commercial gain.
Others described it as a betrayal of the agreement, ‘if not in letter, certainly in spirit’.
But a source close to the couple brushed off the claims and defended the use of their royal titles for the website.
The Duchess of Sussex’s coat of arms appears on the newly launched Sussex.com website
This is an image issued by Kensington Palace on May 25, 2018 showing the Duchess of Sussex’s new coat of arms which was released at the time of her marriage to Prince Harry
They said: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’
The palace has declined to comment, preferring to focus on The King who returned to London yesterday for meetings and cancer treatment.
But one insider said: ‘Buckingham Palace may have its hands tied in taking action. The King has other things he needs to focus on at the moment and the last thing His Majesty needs is another fight with his son. But this won’t go down well at all.’
Following the so-called ‘Sandringham summit’ in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex agreed to step back from royal duties and not use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections.
The couple’s new Sussex.com website has a link at the bottom (circled by MailOnline) under the logo ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ which directs users back to SussexRoyal.com
They were also forced to put on ice their existing website, Sussexroyal.com, which had been launched weeks earlier without any warning and effectively contained their ‘manifesto’ for a new life half-in, half-out of the royal family. Since then they have traded under their new guise of Archewell.
The couple’s decision to launch Sussex.com was therefore seen as reopening old wounds.
Feb 14: Harry’s Invictus Games publicity blitz
Harry gave a series of American media interviews last month following the launch of the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, Vancouver in Canada.
In one he mentioned his father, King Charles, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
He told Good Morning America (GMA) his father’s illness could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the family, adding: ‘I love my family’.
Harry and Meghan headed to Vancouver to help promote the event and enjoyed a lavish gala dinner with 200 guests.
Meghan looked glamorous in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige quilted coat while Harry was dressed down in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak when they attended an Invictus launch event in February
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Invictus Games One Year To Go event in Whistler last month
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were filmed as they attended the event in Whistler
Meghan was filming or taking pictures watched by an Invictus official
The Duke of Sussex told Good Morning America earlier this month the King’s cancer diagnosis could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the royal family
Prince Harry walks to the stage after Michael Bublé’s altered version of My Way at an event in Vancouver held to help promote the games
Meghan burst into laughter as Michael Bublé sang an alternative version of Frank Sinatra’s My Way at the Sussexes’ Invictus Games send off – including telling Prince Harry ‘I think we know to stay the hell out of your way’.
Harry, wearing a dark suit and a black tie, then spoke about the Invictus Games telling the audience that the athletes, who are comprised of injured and sick servicemen and women, embodied ‘courage, leadership, and fortitude.’
The couple had been expected to head home to Montecito, California following three days of Invictus Games events in Whistler and Vancouver but extended their trip by a night to enjoy a party with athletes and organisers.
Although not part of the official schedule and intended to be held away from the media, the gala at the Vancouver Convention Centre was signposted with black and gold Invictus signs.
Feb 22: Meghan leads opening of animal charity’s new wing
Meghan appeared in London via video link last week to open a new wing of an animal charity named in honour of her late friend Oli Juste
Last week, Meghan appeared in London via video link to open a new wing of an animal charity named in honour of her late friend Oli Juste.
The Duchess of Sussex emotionally told how dog trainer Mr Juste’s sudden death in January 2022 left her heartbroken as his friends and family gathered at the Mayhew in the north-west of the capital, where the Oli Juste wing was unveiled in his name.
Meghan had been patron of The Mayhew, said to be her favourite animal charity, since 2019, holding the role in a private capacity after being introduced to it by friend Mr Juste.
But she stepped down from the role in 2022, one year after she and Harry moved to California.
In the video message watched by Mr Juste’s friends and family, Meghan said: ‘A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful team at Mayhew who have worked tirelessly to bring this dream to life.
‘It was so important to find a way to celebrate Oli’s memory in a manner that he would have loved.
‘Mayhew is a beacon of hope for those in need and a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together.’
The video message was announced on the Archewell website.
Mr Ede added: ‘I think they have a window and 2024 is that window where they develop their personal brands and Archewell as a brand in itself too.
Meghan’s ‘beloved friend’ Mr Juste died suddenly in 2022
‘This is a crucial time for them to become the brand that they want to be and step up and out of the shadows of the previous years.’
Asked why the couple have recently carried out a series of royal-style engagements, he said: ‘Its proven that this is something the public want, they expect it from anyone with a title and as Harry and Meghan still have titles they will be using engagements and ceremonies to highlight causes and events close to their hearts and ones that will build their brand.’
Mr Dampier added: ‘There’s no doubt Harry and Meghan need to improve their image and their PR people seem to be working overtime at the moment.
‘Their popularity has plummeted both in the US and UK and they must realise they have an uphill struggle to regain respect and trust, both from the royal family and the public.
‘Harry came over to see his father when he was diagnosed with cancer, and has dropped hints he would be prepared to do some royal duties.
‘Meghan has been seen at various charities, getting down with people who need help, and the couple have renamed their website to give it an air of royalty, almost like a rival court.
‘But the problem is how genuine is all this and will people react favourably to it?
‘I have my doubts. If I was advising them, and if they had any sense, they would start doing things which show they truly want to leave the past behind and start to move forward in a positive way.’
However, he said there is ‘certainly’ no future for them as working royals.
He said: ‘The late Queen made it quite clear they couldn’t be half in and half out and I’m sure the King and Prince William feel the same way.
‘Visiting Afghan refugees and animal charities in the US is fine, but it can’t be a gateway to resume royal duties, it’s just not the same.’
Feb 26: Meghan cooks dumplings with female Afghan refugees
The Duchess of Sussex was seen cooking dumplings with female Afghan refugees in a photo published on Tuesday
Earlier in February, Meghan cooked traditional Afghan food with a group of 15 women who resettled in the US from Afghanistan.
Archewell previously revealed how Meghan had joined the Southern California Welcome Project for an ‘evening of cooking and storytelling’ on February 10.
Then, on Monday, a clip was posted on the Archewell Foundation website of the visit, which shows the Duchess wearing an apron branded with her organisation’s name.
Meghan was seen joining the group of women cooking traditional Afghan food including Ashak and Mantuu, which are both types of dumpling.
An Archewell press release on Meghan’s Welcome Project visit said the women then discussed ‘their personal stories and the support they find from this intergenerational group of women’.
The visit was in partnership with Mina’s List, an organisation based in New York which has worked with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan since 2014.
Archewell previously revealed how Meghan had joined the Southern California Welcome Project for an ‘evening of cooking and storytelling’ on February 10
A photo previously issued by Archewell of Meghan at The Welcome Project on February 10
Meghan is seen at The Welcome Project on February 10 in a photograph issued by Archewell
Archewell said that in 2021, Mina’s List helped evacuate and resettle over 2,000 Afghan women and families ‘through independent and coalition efforts’ – many of whom resettled in Southern California.
Mina’s List and Archewell then ‘joined forces to provide community and support to these remarkable women as they begin to rebuild their lives in the US’.
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