Meghan Markle has been advised to show some ‘humility’ and ‘really surprise’ people if she wants to win them over, following the soft launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard

Meghan Markle has been advised on the “essential steps” she needs to take to repair her reputation with the British public, according to a panel of PR experts. This comes after the Duchess of Sussex’s recent appointment of a UK-based brand manager in an attempt to mend her tarnished image.

Earlier this week, news broke that Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex have enlisted a new UK-based brand manager as part of their Archewell Foundation’s latest reshuffle. The couple have appointed Charlie Gipson as their primary liaison for all UK and European media. Gipson has previously worked with brands such as Mars, Cadbury and Dominos, marking the first time Harry and Meghan have hired a UK individual to handle media enquiries since their departure from the Royal Family in 2020.

Now, a team of PR professionals have offered their suggestions on what Meghan’s next steps should be following the soft launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

Reveal the ‘real person behind all the gossip’

Mark Borkowski, a crisis PR consultant and author of The Fame Formula, has stated that rebranding the duchess to appeal to British audiences is “one of the most difficult jobs in PR… second only perhaps to doing PR for Prince Andrew”. However, he added that Meghan needs to demonstrate some “humility” and “really surprise” people if she hopes to win them over.

READ MORE: Prince Harry’s ‘question mark’ over spending time with family as he’s left ‘extremely disappointed’

Meghan Markle was ‘very good at speaking with people’ says expert (
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(Image: Getty))

Meghan Markle recently soft launched her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (
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(Image: Getty))
Speaking to the Telegraph, a source counseled: “Sometimes less is more. Meghan seems to be more about the explosion of flashbulbs and grandstanding than she is about the soft and gentle touch. If I was advising her, I’d tell her to do some charity work undercover, then she’d surprise people if the things she was involved in turned out to be a great success.”

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Must be consistent for UK rebrand to work

PR professional Natalie Trice, who has worked with mega-clients including CNN, Sense, and James Cameron, and wrote the book ‘PR School: Your Time To Shine’, argued that the Duchess of Sussex needs a steady focus given her “very scatterbrained approach to her output” thus far. The expert also pointed out a lack of consistency in how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to portray themselves as a unit.

Trice told the Express: “Are they royals or are they not? Do they want to be in the public eye or do they want privacy? People respond to a consistent narrative so a more joined-up approach on who she is and what her goals are will be the first job.”

Meghan seemed to enjoy speaking to royal fans (
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Further, Ms. Trice criticised: “I don’t know who’s been advising them up until now, but their strategy seems so all over the place that I wonder if they’ve been listening to the advice they’ve been getting. A lot of the stories around them have been very toxic and negative. There’s a lot to unpick and correct and that takes honesty and guts and patience. If you air your dirty laundry in public, it will take time for it to dry.”

Be ‘less American’ to win over UK public

Meghan Markle has been advised to tone down her ‘American-ness’ if she hopes to charm the British public, with experts weighing in on how the Duchess of Sussex could turn the tide of opinion.

Rachel Richardson, a content consultant and writer for the culture newsletter Highly Flammable on Substack, believes Meghan needs to dial down her “Hollywood ways” and embrace a bit more British self-deprecation. She shared with the media: “It would be a tough turnaround, but not impossible for a woman of Meghan’s talents. But she would have to want it, and be motivated enough to adjust. That’s where I have less faith.” She opined that the duchess needs to find her “self-deprecation switch and flip it to on” as well as let her actions “speak louder than her words”.

Richardson also expressed skepticism about Meghan’s willingness to bridge the gap with the British people after her experiences, adding, “The rancour runs deep on both sides of the Atlantic and I question whether she would even have the desire to try to reconcile with Brits after her experiences in the UK, but, of course, ambition is a powerful motivator.”

Needs to show Brits the ‘warm, real side of her’

Abesi Manyando, an author and the brains behind PR firm Abesi PR, chimed in, suggesting that Meghan should focus on creating more “relatable content” to truly connect with her audience. Reflecting on Meghan’s time in the UK, Manyando remarked: “When she was in the UK, Meghan was very good at speaking with people on the ground and showing empathy and emotion. To really harness her power, she needs to make content that’s not so glossy and edited and considered. I’d like to see more of that warm, real side of her.”

“That’s how people make a connection to a personal brand and that’s how you can feel relatable even when you have such a high net worth and status. Kim Kardashian is a master of this.”