Prince Harry's PR team are stage managing his public appearances to avoid ... trends now
Prince Harry is carefully stage-managing public appearances as he aims to control the narrative around him by avoiding 'gotcha' moments, royal experts claimed today.
The Duke of Sussex is thought to be working with his PR advisers at Archewell to do all he can to manage photographs and videos from his public appearances - with any output being edited by Archewell or event organisers before being released.
This week, Harry was not on the free livestream of a BetterUp event in San Francisco - meaning an in-person ticket costing more than £1,200 was the only way to see him.
And Netflix revealed last night that the couple will be executive producers on two new shows – which commentators said was also a nod to them staying in control.
The series will focus on lifestyle and polo, with Netflix hoping the couple's ongoing £80million deal will attract more viewers to the £17.99-a-month streaming service.
On Wednesday, Harry appeared at a San Francisco summit held by 'life coaching' firm BetterUp. It was livestreamed via the website for free, but Harry did not appear in any videos - and in-person tickets sold out despite being $1,595 (£1,272) each.
Harry had previously been advertised as a speaker for the Uplift conference, but not the specific event - and so the only way of seeing him was to be present at the event.
Following the discussion in which Harry participated, a glowing press release with four photos was posted on his new website Sussex.com, describing the 'insightful' conversation about 'the pressures of today's world and modern corporate life'.
In another carefully-managed appearance on March 14, Harry addressed a group of Diana Legacy Award winners in a room in London via a live video from California.
Prince Harry with Kelly Jones, Cisco 'chief people officer', and Dr Adam Grant, BetterUp's chairman of the 'Center for Purpose and Performance', in San Francisco on Wednesday
Prince Harry posed with The Office actress Mindy Kaling during his appearance at the 'Beyond Burnout: Transforming C-Level Stress Into Strength' session in San Francisco on Wednesday
This was done after the ceremony at the Science Museum had finished - and after William had appeared in person, with the estranged brothers avoiding each other.
On the same day, the Duchess launched her new business venture American Riviera Orchard with an Instagram teaser. A vintage-style video of her cooking and arranging white hydrangeas and roses was posted to the brand's new account.
It comes as the Sussexes continue to focus on monetising content after their £15million Spotify deal was axed last June after just one series of Meghan Markle's podcast Archetypes.
Experts today told how the Sussexes are doing whatever can to manage photos and videos from public appearances to avoid negative PR.
Former BBC TV royal correspondent Michael Cole analysed the Duke's situation, telling MailOnline that it is 'clear that Prince Harry is now being 'produced'.'
He said: 'The majority of his 'public appearances' are not public appearances at all but carefully choreographed video recordings played into events where his name on the invitation has been the main attraction.
'There may be more than one reason the Prince is distancing himself from 'live' events but one is certainly an anxiety on his and his wife's part that he could be confronted by people he does not wish to see and questions he would rather not address. And would not know how to handle either.
'In Britain, the popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has dwindled rapidly since they chose to go into self-imposed exile, in Canada initially, then California.
'But even in America, where they were at first very popular, their approval ratings have been dropping as rapidly as the thermometer in mid-winter.'
He also pointed out the 'very real possibility of a media 'gotcha' - someone with a microphone asking a provocative question or throwing an insult in order to get a reaction from the Prince that would garner millions of social media hits worldwide.'
Mr Cole continued: 'It is obvious that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are well aware of the disapproval, hostility and contempt they have incurred among many people by their words and actions since they left Britain and they clearly do not wish take any risks of a confrontation they cannot control - let alone stop.
'It is all down to 'control'. With her Hollywood background, Meghan Markle is determined to 'curate' the way in which the world sees her and her husband. 'Live' events cannot be completely controlled.
March 14 - In another carefully-managed appearance, Harry addressed a group of Diana Legacy Award winners in a room at London's Science Musum via a live video from California
'But if you record things, then the message and the image both come out in the way you would wish the world to hear and see.
It's clear that Prince Harry is now being 'produced'. The majority of his 'public appearances' are not public appearances at all but carefully choreographed video recordings played into events where his name on the invitation has been the main attraction.
There may be more than one reason the Prince is distancing himself from 'live' events but one is certainly an anxiety on his and his wife's part that he could be confronted by people he does not wish to see and questions he would rather not address. And would not know how to handle either.
In Britain, the popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has dwindled rapidly since they chose to go into self-imposed exile, in Canada initially, then California. But even in America, where they were at first very popular, their approval ratings have been dropping as rapidly as the thermometer in mid-winter.
And then there is the very real possibility of a media 'Gotcha' -- someone with a microphone asking a provocative question or throwing an insult in order to get a reaction from the Prince that would garner millions of social media hits worldwide.
It is obvious that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are well aware of the disapproval, hostility and contempt they have incurred among many people by their words and actions since they left Britain and they clearly do not wish take any risks of a confrontation they cannot control - let alone stop.
It is all down to 'control'. With her Hollywood background, Meghan Markle is determined to 'curate' the way in which the world sees her and her husband. 'Live' events cannot be completely controlled. But if you record things, then the message and the image both come out in the way you would wish the world to hear and see.
That is what we are seeing here. Uber control at work, with Meghan pulling the Prince's strings, advising him what to do and how to do it, leaving nothing to chance, even if that means failing to show up at a live event.
But Prince Harry is playing a game that can only have one winner - and it won't be him. He's trading on his royal status for money and then failing to deliver. This will not only diminish his personal reputation, it will be disappointing people who have paid good money to see or hear him.
And that is a very bad idea.
You cannot play fast and loose with people's expectations. Very soon he will find that the law of diminishing returns kicks in -- there will be fewer gigs and less profitable pay-days. In short, people will quickly become bored with a hit-or-miss royal who shows up when he wishes -- but then sometimes doesn't show at all.
It has always been The Big No-No at Buckingham Palace: No Member of the Royal Family Should Exploit their Special Status for Commercial Purposes or Allow Others to Do So.
When it happens, it always ends in tears. The Duchess of Edinburgh had to give up her PR business in contentious circumstances when a newspaper sting revealed she was trading on her marriage to the late Queen's third son, Prince Edward. Peter Phillip, the late Queen's first grandchild, was severely criticised for advertising milk on Chinese television. Prince Michael of Kent created disquiet by allowing his name to appear on the letter heads of companies which were then revealed to be dubious in one way or another.
Prince Harry's USP -- his Unique Selling Point -- is that he is the younger son of King Charles III and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and as such he is fifth in line to the British throne. Essentially, that is all he has to sell. He has become a good public speaker but he would not be getting those speaking gigs but for his royal status.
If it becomes clear to people that he is a 'Royal for Hire', he will rapidly lose his lustre. It is often said that familiarity breeds contempt. If he is not very careful about the things he chooses to do, and who he works with, he runs the risk of being associated with people and projects that prove to be unworthy in one way or another.
None of this would be happening if he were still a working member of the Royal Family. He would have no need to earn his living on a daily basis and what he did and how he did it would have been decided in the general interests of the monarchy, the country and the British people. Now, he has a wife and family to support and a very expensive lifestyle.
Security alone is burning through a lot of money; three shifts a day of burly men to protect the hilltop Camelot of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Montecito, north of Los Angeles, is extremely expensive, 365 days a year.
But it would be a grave mistake for the Prince to spread himself too thin, signing up to promote or participate in projects that are not worthy of a Prince of the Royal Blood.
If he then doesn't turn up - or fails to come through on his side of the deal, as it would be seen in Hollywood -- he will find that the offers will cease to come and his income stream will rapidly dry up. And that would create real problems, not just for himself but for the highly ambitious Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, who has big plans of her own.
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'That is what we are seeing here. Uber control at work, with Meghan pulling the Prince's strings, advising him what to do and how to do it, leaving nothing to chance, even if that means failing to show up at a live event. '
He also said that the Duke is 'playing a game that can only have one winner - and it won't be him'.
Mr Cole continued: 'He's trading on his royal status for money and then failing to deliver. This will not only diminish his personal reputation, it will be disappointing people who have paid good money to see or hear him. And that is a very bad idea.
'You cannot play fast and loose with people's expectations. Very soon he will find that the law of diminishing returns kicks in - there will be fewer gigs and less profitable pay-days.
'In short, people will quickly become bored with a hit-or-miss royal who shows up when he wishes - but then sometimes doesn't show at all.'
He said it had always been a 'big
