Once Upon a Time: The Rise and Fall of Prince Harry
Once upon a time, Prince Harry was the crown jewel of the media’s affections—a war hero with a cheeky grin that could melt glaciers. He was the guy everyone wanted to be around, the fun royal who could do no wrong. Royal correspondent Elsa Anderson, who served as the late Queen Elizabeth’s press secretary from 2001 to 2013, adored him. She reminisced about the golden era when Harry was practically untouchable in the eyes of the public.
In a glowing recollection, Anderson described Harry as the media darling—always up for a laugh and happy to pose for photos with staff, even outside a lady’s lunch. Compared to his more serious and reserved brother, Prince William, Harry was the life of the party: funny, intelligent, and passionate about the military. “He was everything you’d expect from the world’s most eligible prince,” Anderson gushed. Until, of course, he wasn’t.
Fast forward a few years, and that same charming, fun-loving prince has undergone what can only be described as a complete personality overhaul. Once a beloved figure, Harry now finds himself alongside Meghan Markle, struggling to make things work on the other side of the pond. What happened to that cheeky chap who could do no wrong?
Well, according to some, he has turned into a grifter. Yes, grifters—this is the label the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received from none other than Spotify founder Bill Simmons, who didn’t hold back after the couple failed to deliver content as promised for their much-hyped “Archetypes” podcast. “The effing grifters,” he reportedly said, adding that his Zoom meeting with Harry was a story worthy of its own podcast. One has to wonder what could have gone so wrong during that meeting to prompt such a public declaration.
But wait, it gets better. An anonymous insider took the whole grifting narrative up a notch, likening Harry and Meghan to King Midas. However, instead of turning everything into gold, they managed to turn it into something far less appealing. According to this source, everything they touch “turns into poop.” It seems their magical touch has gone terribly awry since stepping down from royal duties in Britain. The Sussexes have faced an avalanche of issues, and their once-promising careers in the United States have devolved into a series of mishaps, failures, and, most recently, a delinquency notice regarding financial reports for their nonprofit, Archewell.
They’ve gone from one public relations disaster to another, seemingly unable to manage anything without turning it into a fiasco. But what’s the real issue here? Are Harry and Meghan incompetent, or are they trying to swindle their way through life with big promises and little follow-through?
According to that same insider, it might just be a case of good old-fashioned incompetence rather than malicious grifting. However, that doesn’t make them more appealing to potential investors or admirers. After all, who wants to back a couple that seems to have the reverse Midas touch?
Even Anderson, the former press secretary who had such fond memories of Harry, couldn’t resist a sigh of relief when asked about the current state of affairs. “Thank God I’m not there,” she quipped, clearly not envious of the royal staffers who have to deal with the ongoing drama. Anderson praised the royal household for managing the situation with grace, calling it a relentless 24/7 job. Like many others, she seems to be watching from a safe distance, happy to have left before the storm hit.
