Can This Hollywood PR Firm Change the Public’s View of Meghan Markle?
Meghan Markle seems to always be at war with the media. Or rather, the British media seems rather keen on attacking Markle. This constant battle could be partially due to the fact that Markle is new to being a royal.
Coming from the world of Hollywood socialites, the former actress is used to having a lot more freedom to do what she wants. Sure, paparazzi would snap photos of her before, but no one really cared what she did. The worst that could happen was that she would be listed on someone’s worst dressed list.
But now, the stakes are much higher. The smallest thing that she does can become international news. Even Markle wearing jeans to Wimbledon was treated like an affront on the country for weeks.
Markle’s new PR firm
Recently, Markle has reportedly decided to take her reputation into her own hands.
Markle has hired PR firm, Sunshine Sachs to help clean up her image.
According to The Sun, Markel “went behind the backs of Buckingham Palace advisers to hire the company, known for using the so-called ‘dark arts’ of public relations to improve the celebs’ reputations.”
Markle got to know the company when she was working on Suits as Chief executive, Shawn Sachs and Keleigh Thomas Morgan represented her when she was on the show. They have also been helping her through a few recent events, like guest editing Vogue.
The company also worked with Prince Harry to promote Travelyst, the Duke’s new travel initiative. Harry paid for their assistance from his own wallet and not from taxpayer funds.
“We briefly worked on the Vogue project in the U.S. market and were retained in the past few weeks for the launch of Travalyst in the U.S. market,” Chris Bastardi, VP/head of strategy & crisis communications at the firm, told Page Six.
But some people have been wondering why the royals would hire Americans to help with their reputation.
“Why do you need a defamation expert on a charity’s board?” royals author Lady Colin Campbell told the outlet. “The whole thing is farcical and impertinent. Their crisis management is best handled by someone who understands the royal system, and not by Americans.”
Why did Markle hire the firm?
Though Markle has been handling the constant backlash on her own, there is only so much that a person can take before they seek help.
“Meghan is said to be concerned the public is turning on her after damaging revelations,” Dan Wooton said in The Sun article. “These included her relationship with her estranged father Thomas Markle, stories about her negative relationship with William and Kate and hypocrisy over taking four private jet flights in 11 days while claiming she is an eco-warrior.”
Choosing an American team might not have been the best decision, but Markle had to go with people that she trusted.
“Senior palace courtiers have been left bemused over the last few months that the couple have been ignoring advice from their own highly-professional team and will instead listen to outsiders in Hollywood,” a royal insider said. “But Meghan trusts Keleigh, who got a prime seat at her wedding and she’s known for years.”
We’ll have to wait and see if the team is able to work their magic on Markle’s reputation.
