Once America’s most popular couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are fast becoming persona non grata – at least as far as New York high society is concerned.
In the latest sign that Prince Harry and Meghan are losing their footing in the US, a scion of the Rockefeller dynasty – known as ‘America’s Royal Families’ – has claimed that the Duchess of Sussex is now seen as too ‘controversial’ by many Native Americans.
Kayla Rockefeller, 23, shared her insights into how the American public now views the Sussexes, while admitting she didn’t want to dress Meghan, 41, or model for Kayla Jacqueline’s new jewelry line because she couldn’t afford it. Chance’ on such a controversial figure.
“That would be controversial,” she told DailyMail.com when asked if she would like Meghan to model her new designs. As a new jeweler I couldn’t take any chances. I mean, I can but people are 50/50 (about Megan).
Heiress Kayla Rockefeller claims Meghan Markle’s popularity in the US has seriously waned because many people view her as too “controversial”.
While launching her own jewelry line, Kayla Gaslyn, the 23-year-old heiress, said she didn’t want Meghan, 41, as a model because she “couldn’t take that chance” on such a controversial figure.
Kayla (pictured with her parents, Kimberly and Stephen at her jewelry launch party) is a scion of the Rockefeller family – America’s most prestigious and wealthy family
Kayla’s comments come just six weeks after a surprise poll in February showed Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the US had fallen to an all-time low, making them even less popular than the disgraced Prince Andrew.
Between December 2022 and February 19, when the Redfield & Wilton poll was conducted for Newsweek, Harry’s rating fell by 48 points, while Meghan’s rating fell by 40 – giving them approval ratings of -10 and -17, respectively.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s rating at that time was -2.
The new ratings came after Harry completed a publicity tour to promote his tell-all memoir, Spur, which was released less than a month after the Sussexes debuted their Netflix documentary series.
In the book and in several TV interviews he’s given to promote it, Harry, 38, has made several damning claims about his family – at one point accusing his brother William of grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the ground during a brawl at a Nottingham cottage.
The book’s publication sparked a slew of backlash from royal insiders and the Sussexes also watched Suffering the gross humiliation of being mocked on an episode of South Park titled The Worldwide Privacy Tour, which parodied the duo’s pleas for privacy.
Now another prominent American institution appears to have turned its back on the Sussexes: the Rockefellers.
Kayla is the scion of a ubiquitous dynasty, one of the most famous and wealthy families in America – which together have a fortune of over $360 billion.
‘That would be controversial,’ she told DailyMail.com when asked if she would like Meghan to model her new designs (pictured). “As a new jeweler, I couldn’t take any chances.”
However, Kayla says she’d like to enlist superstar Karlie Kloss to model for her jewelry label
Through their charitable endeavors, the Rockefeller family in the area donates $200 million annually to various charities.
Speaking at Kayla Jaclyne’s launch party at White Olive restaurant in Manhattan, Kayla told DailyMail.com that she’s interested in using her platform to sell jewelry and becoming a philanthropist.
Before her debut at Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, Kayla suffered a terrible disappointment when she struggled to find the perfect gem to match her first dress.
She realized there was a gap in the market for traditional jewelry designs with a modern twist and from there Kayla Jacqueline was born.
“I was supposed to do the collaboration with someone else, but it just kind of fell apart,” she said.
My mom was like, “You can totally do it yourself, it’s my creativity and something you care about.” I owe a lot to my entire family besides my mother.
Some might ask why Kayla omitted the iconic Rockefeller name from her new jewelry brand — to which the budding designer replied that she wanted to ensure both sides of her family were represented, not just the side with all the “star” power.
“Although Rockefeller got all his star quality and undivided attention,” she said, “I would like to say that both sides of my family have played an important role in my life—no one has played a more important role.”
Kayla celebrated the launch of her jewelry company at a glittering Manhattan event attended by many family members, including brothers Stephen III and Christian Rockefeller.
Kayla has a very close relationship with her dad (pictured together) who she describes as “a lot of fun”
“Jacqueline is my mother’s mother: my grandmother who passed away last year. As a little girl, I found myself fascinated by my mother’s jewelry box… I would often go through her things and try to do them without permission.
My appreciation and admiration has broadened over time. Her jewelry box contained a wide variety of pieces, and she found the aesthetic in its diversity; She represented different styles, cultures, and trends throughout her life and travels.
I later discovered that many of the pieces I had been eyeing had originally belonged to my great-grandmothers.
My fascination with jewelry began with my appreciation for strong and empowered women, emphasizing the importance of individuality through their unique sense of style.
I started collecting jewelry at an early age. I found myself traveling and collecting tokens to represent journeys and moments.
Not all of them were particularly valuable, but they did refer to historical periods in my life. I loved the idea of having someone rummage through my jewelry box one day. Now, Kayla has designed Jacqueline as an ever-changing jewelry box for all of you.
“It was just a personal decision to go on my own.”
While Kayla won’t be trying to recruit Meghan as a model anytime soon, she believes British actress and activist Emma Watson would be a perfect fit for her brand.
A budding jeweler (pictured with her mother Kimberly) named the brand in part after her maternal grandmother Jacqueline
Kayla, along with some of her best friends, attended the jewelry launch party that was held at Olive White Restaurant in New York
I’ve always loved Emma Watson, she’s so beautiful and so accomplished but she’s so much more than that. She’s beautiful, she’s so much more than just a cover girl.
Another contender for her merchandise design is supermodel superstar Karlie Kloss, who is married to billionaire businessman Joshua Kushner.
“Karlie Kloss is another woman who has a lot more behind her modeling or acting focus,” Kayla said.
Besides the family’s reputation in banking, Kayla’s family also boasts an impressive political lineage – her great-grandfather, Nelson Rockefeller, served as Gerald Ford’s vice president between 1974 and 1977.
But unlike Prince Harry, Kayla says she has no plans to reveal her family’s roller coaster history in the pages of the book.
“We are the last to ever write everything,” she said. I feel very fortunate to have my own family, we are a close-knit family.
I would say two things on this: the Rockefeller brand, it’s a family but it’s also turned into a brand and I feel it’s very well established and surprisingly the history is so deep. I’m so grateful to be a small part of that.
