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Prince Harry has gotten praise for embarking on a series of engagements as a solo agent.
The Duke of Sussex is in New York City to support several of his charities. The 40-year-old will then fly to London where heβll attend the WellChild Awards on Sept. 30.
The father of two was last in Manhattan in October 2023. At the time, he was with wife Meghan Markle to support World Mental Health Day.
Doug Eldridge, an agent, celeb branding and marketing expert as well as the founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that the solo trip is a smart move for the British prince. He pointed out that since the couple made their royal exit in 2020, together theyβve been plagued with problems.
βThis is akin to splitting aces at the poker table: together youβd think theyβre unbeatable β and normally they would be β but oftentimes itβs better to play two separate hands with an ace as an anchor,β Eldridge explained.
βRight now, when you see Harry and Meghan together, it conjures an immediate association to the drama, none of which is positive: leaving the royal family, the tell-all book, the sit-downs, the negativity. By contrast, when seen separately, they can almost play their hand, just like the pair of aces you split at the table.β
βFor the time being, Harry can be seen like the charming guy he was always thought of, while Megan is free to brand her forthcoming line of goods,β he shared. βFor her, the royal tag is no longer applicable and the affiliation with Harry hasnβt been selling β at least not to the consumer numbers that she would need to be a viable brand.β
βIn the long run, I donβt know if this will be beneficial for their partnership, but in the short term, it could be productive for their public relations battles,β Eldridge added.
Before the New York City trip, Harry took to the stage on Friday at the star-studded One805LIVE! concert, hosted by Kevin Costner, in Carpinteria, California. The event helps raise funds for Santa Barbara County First Responders. According to multiple reports, Meghan was too sick to attend.
Harry has had a strained relationship with his family and has seen his father infrequently since he and his wife quit royal duties in 2020. At the time, the couple said the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British press were what prompted them to step back as senior royals.
The royal has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family in TV interviews, a documentary and his memoir, βSpare.β
In the book, Harry singled out his stepmother, Queen Camilla, for leaking private conversations to the media to burnish her own reputation. He also detailed his sibling rivalry with Prince William, heir to the British throne, claiming that his brother physically attacked him during a fight.
Most recently, those close to the prince spoke to People magazine, claiming that his father, King Charles III, has left his sonβs phone calls and letters unanswered. An unnamed source recently spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about the Duke and Duchess of Sussexβs staff, labeling Meghan a βdictator in high heelsβ who has reduced βgrown men to tears.β
A request for comment was sent to a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It is understood that Josh Kettler, the coupleβs former chief of staff who left the position after three months in August, was hired on a trial basis. The decision to part ways was described as βmutual,β with both sides agreeing it wasnβt the right fit.
Several former and current staff members have since come forward to Us Weekly, defending the couple and their work ethic.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that the Sussexes need all the positive publicity they can get.
βThus far, his NYC trip has been a success for Harry because he has stuck to what he is good at, being empathetic for a worthy cause, just like his mother was,β Fordwich explained. βRefraining from criticizing his own family and whining constantly about his very privileged life is far more endearing. Indeed, it could be a first step on the path back to being relevant.β
βHarryβs London appearance marks another significant event without Meghan Markle by his side,β said Fordwich. βActually, itβs been more than the other way around as he has been dubbed the βplus one.ββ
βEven worse than a βspare,β he has been relegated to more of a foil for Meghan Markleβs appearances,β she claimed.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, told Fox News Digital itβs too soon to tell if the Sussexes working separately is a good strategy to help boost their reputation.
βI guess heβs doing fine? He hasnβt accused photographers of engaging in a near-catastrophic car chase yet,β said Schofield. βI think heβs kept things safe. Meghanβs presence can sometimes heighten his anxiety associated with security. Heβs absent from that feeling this trip.β
Schofield claimed that the road to winning the public over after nonstop scandals will be a long one.
βLast summer, Rolling Stone ran the story, βMeghan Markle and Prince Harry Are in Their Flop Era,ββ she explained. βThe Sussexes have accomplished nothing significant since. Are they still technically in their flop era?β
βI am not going to applaud Prince Harry for successfully networkingβ¦ I have higher expectations than that,β she said. βBut if we continue to see Prince Harry work away from Meghan after the new year, I think itβs fair to debate what a professional divorce means for the couple personally.β
βLast year there were reports that Meghan was upset with their professional failures,β claimed Schofield. ββ¦ Are the weeks that Harry travels to work without Meghan a result of that?β
But Harryβs family has been on his mind during the whirlwind trip.
On Sept. 23, Harry FaceTimed his wife and their two young children before hitting the stage at the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit, People magazine reported.
According to the outlet, Harry panned the camera around the room, giving his children a mini-virtual tour of the event space.
Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, a recipient of the Diana Legacy Award, told the outlet that backstage he was calling the former actress, 43.
βI thought that was just so sweet, and it helped humanize him,β she said.