After a year that wasn’t great professionally for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the two vowed that 2024 would be their “redemption year.” But the duchess’s new lifestyle brand, which many thought was going to launch months ago, hit a snag and is now being held up due to her U.S. trademark application being rejected.

Prince Harry’s wife has also been dealing with pretty bad press regarding what she’s like to work for. The Hollywood Reporter published a blistering story after speaking to some of her former staffers who labeled her a  “dictator in high heels.” Even after a few other people came to the former Suits star‘s defense, the “Sussex Survivors Squad” fired back calling her a “demon boss.”

This isn’t the kind of press Meghan needs or wants especially since she’s been on the hunt trying to find someone to run her lifestyle brand once it gets going. It’s also not the kind of press Harry wants to be tied to either as the paperback edition of Spare will be released soon and he has his upcoming Netflix documentary to promote.

And because the duke’s popularity has been slipping along with the duchess’s, he reportedly hired a new PR specialist to rehabilitate his image not just on both sides of the pond but globally as well. Hence his recent solo appearances in different cities and countries. Now, someone who knows the duke very well is discussing his popularity, while a royal expert has an idea of how the prince can try to get it back.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit | John Nacion/Getty Images

Ex-royal protection officer remembers ‘court jester’ Harry being the most popular royal

Ken Wharfe was a Metropolitan police officer before joining the SO14 Royalty Protection Group. He became Princess Diana’s personal protection officer in 1987 and was also a bodyguard to Princes William and Harry. He stopped working for Diana in 1993 but continued with the Royal Protection Squad until his retirement in 2002.

He remembers how popular the Duke of Sussex used to be.

As Wharfe explained to The Sun, Prince Harry was like his mother when he was younger as “they’re both entertainers” and “Harry was always the court jester as a child. Part of the problem with him and his brother was that William was somewhat jealous of his popularity. But like his mother, she liked to be entertained, she liked to be popular.”

Wharfe added: “I haven’t got a great deal of sympathy for [the Sussexes]. Prior to Megxit, he was more popular than [Queen Elizabeth II]. He has a style that’s so unique, he thought he could do six months in and six months out. It hasn’t worked out like that because the queen wouldn’t allow that.”

Commentator says there’s only 1 thing the duke can do to get that popularity back

Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho arrive at a welcome event at Sentebale’s Mamohato Children’s Center in Botswana | Brian Otieno/Getty Images for Sentebale

Royal commentator Tom Sykes believes there’s one way Prince Harry can really try to regain his popularity. But even then, it might be difficult.

Sykes told The Times: “Speaking to sources close to Harry, it’s quite clear that he wants to leave behind the celebrity nonsense … recover his reputation as an honest dealer and become known as a serious philanthropic player. It’s going to be incredibly difficult, nigh on impossible, to transform back into a credible quasi-royal unless he reconciles with the crown. Unless Harry can switch the narrative away from the kind of tit-for-tat melodrama we’ve seen this month, he may never be able to find his way back.”

However, celebrity psychic astrologer Inbaal Honigman predicted that following Harry’s solo trips around the world, his reputation will be “much improved.”

“Opportunities galore come around as a TV project is launched,” Honigman shared on behalf of Spin Genie. “Harry’s reputation is much improved Stateside and he’s asked to support many different organisations and events. There’s a collaboration deal with a large sports brand.”