The Royal Family is losing a battle, but King Charles III and Prince William are focused on winning the war against Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The renegade royals have had a busy end of 2022 and early 2023 filled with drama and shocking revelations. It all started with Markle’s Spotify podcast Archetypes that served as the amuse-bouche.
It did not contain any frontal attack on the Royal Family. The former actress mostly used it to clear her name with a few little rebukes here and there.
The power couple then moved to the appetizer in the form of a hit documentary on Netflix Harry & Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted to up the ante by launching some real attacks on the Prince and Princess of Wales.
However, it is Harry’s tell-all memoir earlier this year that really took the war with the Royal Family to the next level. In the book and the ensuing interviews, the father of two proved that nothing was off-limits.
His strategy did wonders, and he delivered some impressive numbers for Penguin Random House. The Firm was put on the defensive, and supporters of the British monarchy pushed for a forceful response.
It never came because King Charles decided to answer with a dignified silence. This was a coup de maître that removed a lot of air from what Harry is selling.
The Sussexes work best if they have a clear villain. However, the Royal Family has refused to play this game. It might not have been easy in the beginning, but in the long run, this will pay off.
Edward Coram-James, a PR specialist, told the Daily Express: “What should the Royal Family do in response to these claims? In a word: nothing. They have pulled a blinder. The biggest mistake that they could make would be to respond to any of the allegations. They are simply not serious enough allegations to warrant them breaching their long-held code of silence.”
He continued: “Breaching that silence will imply guilt. Remaining silent gives an air of maturity and remaining above the fray. The Royal family have had a game plan and, unlike the Sussexes, whose game plan has appeared ill-conceived and often strayed from, the royals have toed the line throughout.”
The communications maven also stated: “The Royal Family knows that it will all blow over soon enough, as the news cycle moves on and today’s news becomes old hat. They will be deeply relieved that no fatal accusations were made and will perhaps feel that Harry’s revelations were not nearly as damning as they will inevitably have prepared for. The Royal Family will look forward to King Charles’ coronation knowing that they may have taken a mild bruising, but they never came close to being on the receiving end of any knockout blows.”
Queen Elizabeth II had endorsed a similar tactic following the Oprah Winfrey bombshell interview in 2021. Royal observers say Harry and Meghan will eventually run out of material to sell their projects.
They believe that is how King Charles will be victorious without ever getting in the mud with his rebellious son.
