The Real Reason Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Are Searching For A New Brand

The Daily Beast reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be trying to reinvent themselves. Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal duties, the couple has been known for spilling the tea on the British royal family, creating scandalous headlines. But recent U.K. polls may be why Harry and Meghan want to rebrand themselves.

Sky News reported Harry and Meghan had the steepest drop in royal popularity in the U.K. since 1996. According to the outlet, Harry's U.K. popularity rating in 2018 was 81%. Now, only 31% of people in the U.K. have a favorable view of the prince. Harry's 50-point drop in public approval is brutal, and it is the steepest drop in royal family popularity since Prince Charles admitted to cheating on Princess Diana. Harry's father's approval ratings went from 82% in 1991 to 41% in 1996, per Sky News. The outlet reported that Charles' current popularity is 45%. Since the future king is one of the least-loved members of the British royal family, the fact that Harry is less popular than his dad had to be a blow for the once-beloved prince.

The British people already had a lower approval of Meghan, so her fall-from-grace hasn't been as dramatic as Harry's. In October 2019, Meghan had a 55% popularity rating in the U.K. Now just 32% of the U.K. view her favorably. According to Newsweek, the Sussexes saw a sharp drop in their U.K. popularity after their tell-all interview with Oprah. Keep reading to learn the real reason Harry and Meghan are searching for a new brand.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be finding out the hard way that stoking outrage might make headlines, but it's not a good long-term strategy for a business. The Daily Beast reported on Meghan's recent 40x40 project as an example to show that creating scandals is easier than building a global brand. In the 40x40 project, Meghan asked 40 friends to spend 40 minutes mentoring a young person. Meghan's initiative was launched with lots of press, but now ... crickets.

According to The Daily Beast, "Selling out the royals is pretty easy. You sit down, you talk, the world gasps in horror." The outlet reported about the problem facing Meghan and Harry, saying, "The sensational attacks they have spent the past year firing off at the royals are sucking up all the oxygen from the worthy stuff."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex started the Archewell Foundation with big dreams. According to the website, the purpose of the non-profit is to "uplift and unite communities—local and global, online and offline—one act of compassion at a time." Meghan and Harry have one very successful charitable initiative that could help them do good, the Invictus Games, the wounded veteran tournament Harry founded in 2014. The Daily Beast reported that building on Harry's work with the Invictus Games might be a way the couple can channel their desire to do good for others into a reality.