Meghan Markle and Prince Harry raised eyebrows when they dropped new photos of them two days after Buckingham Palace released a new picture of the new fab four — King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. The Sussexes' new photos seemed to be their response to the new royal line-up that didn't include them.
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Competing With The Royal Family
Several royal experts reacted after seeing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's new photos after the palace revealed the new "fab four." Angela Levin, author of Harry: Biography of a Prince, said Prince Harry and Markle seemed to be competing with the royals. She also admitted that she thought they wanted to be on a postage stamp because, in one photo, taken before the summit started, both looked so "serious and solemn."
"I just [think, they] did [sharing the photo] in competition with the main royal family," Levin said on GB News. "They just want to squash it down in any way they can, and it seems they can't bear it if they've got publicity and they have to do better or they don't do better."
Unfortunately, according to Levin, there is no chance they could do better than the royal family. Also, there is a new line-up in the monarchy, and it doesn't include them.
"[But] they couldn't do better. It was an amazing picture and there is a whole new life now that's going to happen."
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Made Polarizing Move
Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl also weighed in on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new pictures. For her, the timing was questionable because it happened just days after the palace's big reveal of the new fab four.
"It's all in the timing, isn't it? It does sort of have a sense of 'anything you can do we can do too,'" Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "It was quite polarizing, because you had, just two days before, that incredible image of the king and the Queen Consort, and the new Prince and Princess of Wales."
"It said, 'This is the future of the monarchy.' Of course, so notable by their absence, was Harry and Meghan. So it didn't surprise me to see an image of them so soon after," Nicholl continued. "But it was a pretty bold move, as sort of a reminder that actually there is this alternative royal court across the pond."
The author of the new book, The New Royals, also pointed out that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's photos were not new. They were taken a month ago when they were still in the United Kingdom, and if they wanted to share those shots, they could have released them then. For her, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were making a statement and sending a message to the royal family.
"This is clearly the Sussexes just making a point," she added. "We're visible we're bold and we're not going anywhere... we're doing 'royal' a different way."
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.