Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a “lose-lose situation”, according to GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker. On this week’s episode of The Royal Record Podcast, Walker claimed the couple “cannot win” amid mounting criticism.
During the podcast, Cameron Walker and GB News Digital Royal Editor, Svar Nanan-Sen spoke about the Duke of Sussex receiving the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPY Awards last week. Prince Harry was joined in the audience by his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.
The late Pat Tillman, who died in 2004 while serving in the US Army in Afghanistan, had given up a lucrative NFL career. His mother, Mary Tillman, spoke negatively about Prince Harry receiving the award named after her son, calling it “divisive.” In his acceptance speech, Prince Harry addressed Mary’s criticism, saying, “His defense of Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and (he respects) it.”
Svar Nanan-Sen commented: “Sources close to Harry said he was stunned by the backlash his nomination for this award generated. But what I found interesting was that he chose to address Mary Tillman in his acceptance speech and said he had respect for her family and all she has done in campaigning for veterans.
He also said that he was accepting this award not as Prince Harry, but as a representative of the Invictus Games Foundation. So I think that’s where his point lies, that the Invictus Games are bigger than him in terms of their impact on the military community.”
Cameron Walker replied: “Yes. To be honest, it’s a lose-lose situation at the moment in Harry’s life. He’s made a lot of enemies or non-supporters because of what’s happened over the last four years. Whatever he does, no matter how well he does at the Invictus Games or what prestigious awards he wins, there are always going to be people at this point who are going to punish him for it and be very angry about it. Whatever he does or whatever Meghan does, they can’t win.”
Since stepping back as working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken openly about their experiences within the royal family through Netflix documentaries, high-profile interviews and memoirs. They are not believed to be on speaking terms with Prince William and Princess Kate, despite once being dubbed the “Fab Four”.
Walker concluded: “It will be very interesting to see how they handle it and whether they can turn things around. The damage they caused, as some would see with the Netflix series and the Spare memoir, is long-lasting, and I think they are still suffering the consequences.”