From Paula Froelich, in the Times and Sunday Times, Wednesday
December 31 2025, 10.00am GMT
An open letter
to Meghan and Harry: here’s how to move on from your annus horribilis. I’m not
a publicist for the duke and duchess but this is the best advice they’re going
to get — and they don’t even have to pay me.
My dear Meghan and Harry, wow! 2025 was to be the year you two took us by storm, with the debut of a Netflix show and a new product line, American Riviera Orchard. The good news? You definitely got our attention! The bad news? It wasn’t in the way you’d hoped. The Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, did debut — but it bombed in the ratings and with critics.
Meghan’s product line, retitled As Ever, hit the internet but was widely mocked. Meanwhile, you’ve been dealing with more bad publicity than a couple caught on a Coldplay kiss cam: In March, Harry was forced to leave Sentebale, the charity he founded, after a fight with its chairwoman; in November, Meghan was accused of absconding with clothes from photo shoots; and this week it was reported that the two of you lost your 11th publicist in five years as well as a longtime aide, leaving just one (part-time) employee at the helm of your charity, Archewell. Meanwhile, alleged cash flow issues could mean the future of that non-profit is in doubt.
And so, because I have actually started to feel a little badly for you, I will do what I have done with several other celebrities in the past. I’m going to give you some advice on how to move forward and actually establish a brand, an identity, and perhaps some sort of public affection. Don’t worry, it’s pro bono.
First, Meghan: I actually understand why it may be difficult to see your father, Thomas Markle, ever again, given how he has been trading your name for cash ever since you were engaged to Harry. However, in the spirit of graciousness, now that he is struggling with heart disease, has lost a leg due to complications from diabetes and is struggling to pay for his care, you should do the right thing and cover his hospital bills. You made millions last year and it would do wonders for your public image, which you say is based on kindness and compassion. As of now, a GoFundMe to pay for his bills asks a mere $12,000 — roughly the price of a Chanel dress you obtained after a shoot for The Cut.
Which brings me to another point: Stop. Taking. Freebies. It
might be okay in the world of the D List, but to the rest of us it just looks
tacky … especially because we know you can afford to pay. You’ve already been
labelled a “grifter” by your former boss at Spotify — let’s not give anyone any
more reason to pour gasoline on that fire, shall we?
What else? Ah yes. Stop giving us glimpses of your children on social media. You should be able to stand on your own two feet. And while your son and daughter might be the only two things you have left that Americans actually care about, teasing us with blurred photos of them makes you look like a terrible hypocrite, especially after you moved 5,000 miles away from Harry’s hometown for “privacy”.
Now, for Harry. Poor, misunderstood Harry. Here is my advice to you.
Next year, when your father and brother make state visits to
the US, LIE LOW. As in, no social media posts, no interviews and above all, no
competing engagements. I know this will be hard for you, but trust me. You and
your wife look petty and spiteful when you try to hijack the attention. (Who
can forget your flashy Remembrance Day visit to Canada in November at the same
time your brother was trying to promote his Earthshot Prize in Brazil?) Getting
in the way of actual royals trying to maintain the family business, which
includes diplomatic duties, makes you look vengeful and jealous.
Also? Enough with the lawsuits. Trust me: the British Press
get it by now. You’re not to be trifled with! But even the judge in your case
against the Daily Mail said that resolving your allegations had become
“extremely complex” and an “involved side-show” and noted: “The costs and
resources that would be devoted to resolving the factual dispute would, I am
satisfied, be out of all proportion to any possible evidential value.”
To both of you, I say: Instead of just showing up to collect humanitarian of the year awards, try doing actual humanitarian work. Real humanitarians don’t just helicopter in for disasters or holidays, they work tirelessly, every day, to make a situation better. Take the example of one company in your portfolio, Travalyst, which has no clear message beyond “making travel greener”. Instead, I would suggest you recalibrate it to work with countries that want and need responsible tourism to bolster their economies and stabilize their political situation. Pick one or two countries like Gambia, Malaysia or Uzbekistan — all of which are desperate for tourists, have historical or natural significance, and need a financial boost — and go from there. Meanwhile, enough with the pointless semi-royal junkets to countries like Colombia and Nigeria, where you may get royal treatment like you used to, but it just makes you look desperate.
Also, before launching any new businesses, please look into executive coaching. Coaching has helped countless people become great managers and bosses and frankly, it’s not like you ever had to lead large teams in the past, so this could help you refine your approach with the people you employ. Coaching is a miracle solution, I swear, but only if you listen.
Finally, stay home — even if you are invited to the Met
Gala. 2026 should be a nesting year — so nest! The American public is worn out
by your product drops and your five-year-old complaints about family and your
insistence that you’re “authentic” and “desperate for privacy” when nothing
could be further from the truth.
In the ensuing months, you may even try and find some
empathy for the roughly three in ten American voters who delayed or skipped
medical care in the past year due to rising costs, or the half of the country
that tapped into their savings to cover everyday expenses. As opposed to
dropping $15 on a jar of dried out As Ever flower sprinkles.
In short, stay home, regroup, attempt to do some actual,
prolonged good, and start listening to people — be they PR, film or charity
professionals. Or even average, working people who don’t live within the
rarefied compounds of Montecito.
Do it for yourselves, your children and, honestly, all of
America. We’re tired of your constant chasing for clout and we need a rest.
Paula Froelich is the senior story editor and on-air
entertainment correspondent for NewsNation.
Follow her on Instagram at @pfro.
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