Prince Harry ‘about to be everywhere’ after announcing sudden international blitz
Harry is set to hit the road – raising the prospect that he could be about to pull off the nearly unthinkable and save Brand Sussex.
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Passport, multiple power adaptors, travel-size Tibetan singing bowl, dream journal, that One Grey Suit, organic trail mix, Jojoba sheet masks, his favourite Frederick Forsyth novel, a special rock he found in the garden …
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex’s packing list is something that I would be willing to spend far too much time pondering, because overnight on Tuesday came the news that Montecito’s most famous failed podcaster is set to take flight.
After three and a half years of staying largely put on US soil (a few family and court case-related sorties to the UK aside), the 38-year-old is orf. Orf on a multi-country, multi-city quasi-tour, the likes of which we have not seen since he and wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex upped sticks and quit the polite handshaking business.
First, on August 9, Harry will be in Tokyo to try and learn how to use chopsticks and to take part in a summit focused on sport, community and philanthropy.
Then, three days later, he will be in Singapore to play in the charity Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup. Also taking to the field will be his pal and owner of the other half of his BFF locket, Argentinian dreamboat Nacho Figueras.
But the duke better not put away his sleep mask just yet, because in September, from the 9th to the 16th, he will be heading back to Europe to attend the Invictus games in Dusseldorf.
(At this stage, it has not been revealed whether Meghan will be attending any of these events faithfully glued to his side as we have seen in the past).
Also in September in London are this year’s WellChild awards, an organisation Harry has been patron of since 2007. Given he devotedly attended the awards PM (pre-Megxit and pre-pandemic), there is every chance he could turn up there too.
Keep in mind also during this period, we will have both Sussex birthdays, with Meghan turning 42 on August 4 and Harry hitting the big 3-9 on September 15.
Meanwhile, at some stage during the northern summer, it is expected that the duke’s long-awaited Netflix doco about the sporting competition he created for wounded, injured and sick service men and women (both veterans and those still serving) will be released.
Given that during this time, the royal family will be off rusticating in a remote corner of Scotland where Wi-Fi is only available at the top of the castle’s keep, prepare for an intriguing switcheroo, with Brand Sussex about to be everywhere and Team Crown largely absent from the picture.
Or, in other words, we are about to see a lot of Harry, everywhere, all at once.
Going into this period, the stakes are high, his flight upgrade has been requested and hopefully someone has remembered to order Aitch’s gluten-free meal.
So, will Harry pull off a major reset? Could this international jaunt turn the tide and right the PR ship for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?
The last couple of months would have to figure as some of the most challenging for the couple since they exited royal working life to make a go of it on their own, with nothing but his inheritance and their titles to keep them afloat. (Brave stuff).
It’s strange to think that their “near catastrophic” run-in with the paparazzi in New York took place less than two months ago, because so much has happened since then.
Their Spotify deal has gone the way of Prince William hairline (and increasingly Harry’s too); their Netflix union looks like it’s on its last legs and their contract is reportedly unlikely to be renewed; every comedian worth their TV special has been poking fun of the royal exiles; Hollywood supremos have taken aim at them, with them famously labelled “f**king grifters”; the Californian paparazzi now seem to be stalking them like a tenacious midge going after a fly-fishing Prince Andrew; Harry has become the first member of the royal family to take the stand in more than 130 years, an experience that reportedly left him close to tears; and all the while, not a single big name has popped up to offer some sort of rallying cry or defence of them.
How much can any two people, even ones with vast estates, more loos than common sense and hot and cold running staff take?
However, this demi-tour could be just the ticket to turn things around for the Sussexes. (Larazus, hold my beer).
We are about to see original flavour Harry return to the fore, with the duke doing charity, connecting with veterans and service personnel and taking to the polo ground to swing a mallet about the place. This is exactly his milieu, the sort of territory where he made his name, back in the days when he was still allowed to use his HRH and the Buckingham Palace pool.
A month and change of photos of a beaming Harry having a ball and doing the work he clearly cares so much about could very well be the circuit breaker that he and Meghan need so badly.
These trips could serve as a perfectly-timed reminder about why, for years, the duke often pipped his grandmother, the late Queen, to the post as the most popular member of the royal family; a reminder about how charming, warm and joyful Harry can be.
This could – could mind you – be a return to regular programming after years of Sad Harry.
We have Sad Harry, the interviews, Sad Harry, the TV show, and Sad Harry, the book. At some stage, somewhere along the line, things tipped from an entirely understandable and arguably healthy unburdening and a natural desire to explain the couple’s actions to wallowing, marinating-in-hurts broken record.
Harry’s Tokyo-Singapore-Dusseldorf peregrination, especially with photos of he and Meghan looking as happy as two newlyweds who have just won Powerball, could go a very long way to signalling a new chapter for them. It could be just the image and brand reboot they are in dire need of.
So, are we about to witness the launch of Sussex 2.0, 3.0, 4.0? Have the last few months just been a challenging blip in what will ultimately be a great success story?
Just remember, everyone loves a comeback and everyone loves a duty-free whopper of a
Toblerone – and Harry could be about to get his hands on both.
Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles.
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