King Charles visits Ukrainian military recruits training camp taking part in a hongi as he met a kiwi solider. Video / Getty
OPINION
Last week was a huge one for royal news.
There was practically wall-to-wall coverage as print headlines spawned endless TV discussions and segments.
With two of the family’s senior members on a royal tour overseas and others undertaking a series of official local engagements in the countdown to King Charles’ coronation, can it be any surprise that they’re taking up so much space? Well, yeah. Because they’re not.
In fact, the two royals firmly at the centre of all that noise were, as usual, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
So let’s break down the events of the last seven days or so.
Senior royals Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex embarked on a jam-packed official tour of the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas.
Prince William, left and Kate, the Princess of Wales arrive to attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023. Photo / AP
As always, the couple’s glamorous appearance at the annual BAFTA Awards (of which William has been President since 2010) earlier in the week made a splash, as their showbiz outings always do – but those occasional events do not a royal diary fill.
(Their last red carpet showbiz event was for the Top Gun premiere in London last May).
And what of our new King and his Queen Consort?
Charles met Ukrainian military recruits training in the UK, held two official ceremonies, hosted dignitaries and visited some charities. Camilla hosted an authors’ reception at Buckingham Palace, visited a newly refurbished historic house, and dropped into a fashion academy.
Suffice to say, they were all pretty busy.
Now, let’s cross the pond and check on Harry and Meghan’s schedule for last week: Empty.
As far as we can tell, they didn’t even leave the house.
Yet I’d be willing to bet a king’s ransom on the fact that the Sussex coverage is about the only royal news most people remember from the last seven days.
Between the blistering South Park episode that roasted “The Prince and Princess of Canada” for their “Privacy Tour” and the non-stop speculation over whether or not they’ll attend the coronation in May, they have been absolutely dominating headlines.
South Park brutally rips Meghan and Harry in episode 'The Worldwide Privacy Tour'. Photo / Comedy Central
And here lies the big problem for Charles: This is now very familiar territory.
Aside from the fact it once again tragically highlights what may have been possible had the monarchy and the Sussexes managed to iron out their issues and collaborate, what’s also become clear is how challenging it is for the new King to cut through the noise they make when they’re (seemingly) not even trying.
Let’s rewind back to Sophie and Edward’s royal tour, for example.
This is no small working holiday. Multi-day engagements such as these come with an eye-watering price tag, but the pay-off is the kind of goodwill exposure the royal family thrives off.
Sophie, in particular, was lauded by many as the monarchy’s “secret weapon” in the wake of Harry and Meghan’s exit, a rising star who could help fill the gaping hole left behind.
The royal family shared a few pictures of Sophie and Edward’s royal tour. Photo / The Royal Family
This tour, with its picturesque backdrop, should have been an easy PR win.
But if press coverage mirrors public interest, then Charles can surely see plainly that people were simply not tuning in.
A recent poll showed that William and Kate are still easily the two most popular members of the family – but with conversations swirling around the future of the monarchy in the wake of the Queen’s death, they can’t be expected to capture and hold focus all on their own.
As he continues to build the foundations of his reign, Charles will be attempting to stamp out any doubt over the royal family’s purpose through a steady stream of positive work from all its taxpayer-funded players.
But given that they were overshadowed by Harry and Meghan – who didn’t produce a single piece of content or even step out their front door to cast that looming shadow – he’s certainly facing an uphill battle.
The only real winners last week? South Park creators Trey Stone and Matt Parker.
