Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent UK return has been branded a "hot mess and a dumpster fire" by TV presenter Mark Dolan, who claims the couple's long-term strategy is descending into absolute "chaos."
Speaking on the latest episode of the Express's Daily Expresso, host JJ Anisiobi and Mark Dolan tackled the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent public appearances, including their trip to Nottingham. Mr Dolan offered a scathing personal critique of the couple, arguing that their efforts to re-establish themselves in Britain are falling completely flat.
'No plan' behind Sussexes' moves
Mr Dolan, star of The Mark Dolan Show, claimed there is "no plan" behind the Sussexes' recent moves and warned that, in his opinion, their public standing in the UK is hanging by a thread.
"My perception of the Sussexes is there is no plan - that it's chaotic and frankly quite incompetent," Mr Dolan said. "The idea that they would come back to the UK and now we're hearing, 'oh actually that hasn't worked out and they want to go back to America' - this is chaos."
Nottingham visit dismissed
Reflecting on their joint public appearance in Nottingham - their first major engagement since returning to British soil in August - Mr Dolan dismissed claims that the visit was a triumph.
"I'm horrified to read certain quarters of the press framing Nottingham as a roaring success. It wasn't," he argued. "They weren't booed at Nottingham, but they also were not really noticed either. The public have shrugged their shoulders."
Visa scrutiny and financial motives
The discussion then turned to the ongoing legal scrutiny surrounding Prince Harry's US visa application following disclosures of past drug use in his explosive 2023 memoir Spare. Highlighting discussions with Heritage Foundation expert Niall Gardner, Mr Dolan shared his view on the severe penalties US immigration laws carry for lying on official documentation.
"Based upon US law, if you lie on your visa application, it's up to five years in the slammer and you're thrown out of America, never to return," Mr Dolan stated. He added that if Harry is found to have breached rules while residing outside the US, it could create a major diplomatic headache if authorities attempt to enforce existing agreements. "If he's lied on his visa, he's in a world of trouble," Mr Dolan warned.
The pair then turned their attention to what Mr Dolan believes are the Sussexes' financial motivations for staying connected to the UK media landscape. In his view, one of the core drivers behind their ongoing public profile is the push to generate income and maintain commercial interest through high-value projects.
"The other challenge is to make money," Mr Dolan claimed, listing potential revenue streams including paid speeches, corporate engagements and proposed media projects, including a potential Diana documentary. He concluded that their commercial survival currently relies on these remaining "crumbs" and questioned whether public interest alone would be enough to sustain their business empire in the long term.
