Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been advised to "disappear professionally" and dramatically scale back their public announcements following the flop of their latest venture. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hit a new professional low after their debut feature documentary, Cookie Queens, which they executive-produced, crumbled at the box office.
Box Office Failure
The film, which follows four young Girl Scouts during the annual cookie-selling season, opened at a disappointing 15th in the box office ranking and pulled in just $735 (£543) per screen during its opening weekend, grossing just over $513,000 (£379,256) domestically.
Now, top royal commentator Kinsey Schofield has urged the couple to step back from the spotlight and completely rethink their strategy if they hope to save their lingering Hollywood ambitions.
Advice from Royal Commentator
Speaking to Page Six, the host of YouTube's Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered warned that the couple's heavy name recognition is no longer translating into commercial success or consumer loyalty.
"I would tell them to disappear professionally for a little while, dramatically reduce the number of announcements, and identify one genuinely compelling project with experienced people around them who know how to execute it," she said. "Reputation recovery is possible, but I don’t think it comes from another rebrand or another glossy publicity campaign. I would recommend the opposite. Less talking, fewer announcements and more execution."
Recent Setbacks
The film’s quiet rollout is only the latest setback for the Montecito-based pair. Meghan's $20million (£14.8million) Spotify podcast deal ended abruptly in 2023 after just one season of Archetypes, while other high-profile media partnerships have steadily stalled.
Ms Schofield argued that the Duchess in particular has spread herself too thin across podcasting, lifestyle brands and television projects without mastering a single area: "When you try to establish authority in every category simultaneously, you can end up establishing authority in none of them. Pick a lane, become good at it and allow success to rebuild credibility," she warned, adding that the couple must stop "treating their celebrity as the product".
Public Appearances and Criticism
Despite the setback, the couple appeared unfazed, stepping out in Canada for a glamorous night at David Foster's foundation gala, where Meghan paid tribute to Princess Diana by wearing her iconic diamond and sapphire earrings. However, following the move, the Duchess has been accused of trying to "stake a claim" on Princess Diana's legacy by the host of the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast, Richard Kay.
He claimed: "It does feel to me she is trying to stake a claim on Diana's legacy [...] She does look to me like she's trying to channel the mother-in-law she never met." Columnist Sarah Vine also described the move as "calculated" and said it was "bizarre" to see the earrings worn at an ordinary red carpet event.
