Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s marriage has been under as much scrutiny as their newfound careers in entertainment. The duo struggled to establish themselves in the competitive industry, and in the process, critics quickly began to dissect their union. Recently, royal biographer Angela Levin slammed the Duchess of Sussex for influencing the Duke of Sussex.
“He has no power. You don’t feel that he’s making decisions. The decisions come from Meghan,” Levin told GB News. “Maybe Meghan discusses them with her mother, or maybe she just tells her mother, but Harry as a shrunk in every single way.”
At public outings, Meghan is often seen guiding Harry through spaces, but the commentator views it as infantilizing the prince.
“She writes his speeches, she tells him what to do. Pushing him here and there, moving him to different places like you might do with a child,” she added.
Throughout 2023, the Sussexes had to fight off split rumors and deal with their company, Archewell, losing lucrative contracts. OK! previously reported the duo’s reputation was greatly impacted by Spotify ending their partnership, and executive Bill Simmons calling them swindlers.
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. ‘The F——- Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” Simmons said in an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
“I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea,” Simmons shared. “It’s one of my best stories… F— them. The grifters.”
The news led to a gradual decline in the Sussexes’ popularity in the U.S., and expert Tom Bower wasn’t surprised by the outcome.
“Of course, they’ve lost their big Spotify contract — one of the big contracts that was clearly going to be their basis for fame,” Bower told an outlet. “The ‘grifters’ line has tarnished them for life.”
Despite Levin’s analysis of the Sussexes’ romance, body language expert Darren Stanton had a different take on the duo’s mannerisms.
“From a non-verbal perspective, we have definitely seen Harry develop a lot emotionally, certainly in the last year. He is far more willing to speak his mind, to be open and honest about how he feels,” Stanton said in an interview.
“Megan remains super confident. However, I do feel that she will sometimes try to come across as very happy, but it doesn’t always seem that way,” the hypnotist noted. “There are times where you can see her frustration shine through, whether it is with Harry or herself.”
Although Levin sees the Sussexes’ dynamic as imbalanced, Stanton believes they have a “great respect and support for each other.”
“They had some highs and lows, but they still remain a strong brand as ever,” the commentator continued. “If you introduce a couple together and the world knows them together, and then they find themselves in a situation where they need to find their own projects and their own identity, there is going to be a lot of speculation.”
