Meghan's Rebrand: from Faltering to Floundering
In April, the Duchess of Sussex tried to distance herself from the Palace drama and relaunch (again), but her efforts are already in free fall.
Last month, Meghan travelled to New York with Harry and her mother Doria to accept the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Award from Gloria Steinam at Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. It was an appearance that was supposed to act as a focal point for her new effort. The Duchess of Sussex is in the midst of another rebrand. Unfortunately for Meghan, her effort is already in free fall.
This latest iteration had its inception in the ashes of the explosive failure of the once-upon-a-time royal couple’s disastrous winter. In December, the much anticipated Netflix documentary finally launched. It proved a catastrophe for the couple. Although a certain segment of American society watched the series with sympathy, it irritated more American viewers than it won over, while the couple’s poll numbers cratered even further in the U.K. That difficult defeat was quickly followed by the debut of Harry’s book Spare. Although a commercial success, the book sent the waning popularity of the two into an even greater tail spin.
Meghan disappeared during this time. She left the promotion of the book to Harry alone, which isn’t entirely bizarre—it was his story not hers, after all—but for a couple who explained to the world how wholly tied at the hip they are, it was noteworthy.
Once the book promotion died down, both the Sussexes went to ground. I commented in an earlier post on this Substack that it felt like the two, and especially Meghan, were home trying to figure out next steps, and hopefully a successful pivot from their poor predicament.
When the couple finally provided their tardy RSVP to the Palace for the Coronation, it quickly became clear that Meghan’s decision to decline was two-fold. I believe she chose to eschew the event because her diminished status as a “former senior royal” would be highlighted. At the same time, she clearly decided it was time for a rebrand and new launch. She seemed to want to distance herself from the drama with Harry’s family, which was smart, since that public relations war was inflicting real damage on her and Harry.
The rebrand began just a few days after the couple announced their Coronation arrangements. Meghan appeared