Prince Harry’s visit to the U.K. this week didn’t just thaw out the family feud with King Charles III, it seemed to have shined a light on Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s public image.
Royal experts are chiming in about the Duke of Sussex’s trip back home and how he was a breath of fresh air for palace coverage — but it comes at the expense of Kate and William.
“At last, Prince Harry has got it right, which is bad news for the Prince of Wales,” wrote Tina Brown in her Fresh Hell Substack column on Sept. 10. “After five years of exuding choler and wrath and spouting therapeutic gibberish, the ginger whinger finally realized that all the royals have to do to win public enthusiasm is zip around the UK and smile.”
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Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Founder and Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, deliver remarks at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Nation Home Welcome Reception on February 7, 2025 in Vancouver, Canada.
Getty Images for Invictus Games
Brown described Harry’s effortless appearances as “buoyant” while noting that William looked “sober” and “appropriate” at his engagements. Kate didn’t fare much better as the royal author called her “infinitely perfect” — and no, that wasn’t a compliment.
Daily Mail writer Amanda Platell hasn’t been a big fan of Harry and Meghan Markle over the years, but she might be changing her mind about the Duke of Sussex. She put the Prince and Princess of Wales on warning with her Sept. 12 column.
“Harry’s visit brought us something we have not seen for a very long time from the royals – laughter and joy,” she wrote. “Which leaves many of us asking why William and Kate have decided to hide away and become the Prince and Princess of Boring.”
Platell gave Harry high praise, comparing his visit to a Princess Diana engagement during her era. “And that is why Harry’s visit should be a wake-up call for his estranged brother William. In my book, he should stop skulking and be the man he was born to be,” she added.
The palace is said to be frustrated with Kate and William’s light work schedule. It was understandable last year during the Princess of Wales’ cancer battle, but they are reportedly not pleased with the royal couple’s workload this year.
Brown shared that Charles is “currently less irritated with the prodigal Harry than he is with his elder son and heir. After five confirmed family vacations in the past seven months, William’s first-week-back diary pulsated with two outings: a father-daughter excursion to a Women’s Rugby World Cup pool match and a stroll through the Natural History Museum’s new gardens.”
There’s no indication that William and Kate are heeding the British media’s calls for stepping up their public image, but Harry’s visit might make them realize that the royal narrative is shifting quickly.
Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.
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