Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the new Royal glamour couple

PRINCE Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle are the new royal glamour couple, as their star power dominates headlines, and overshadows his brother Prince William and his wife Catherine.

PRINCE Harry and his soon-to-be-wife Meghan Markle are the new royal glamour couple, with their star power dominating the headlines, and overshadowing his older brother Prince William and his wife Catherine.

The glamorous Ms Markle has become an international fashion influencer, and the pair are in hot demand for overseas trips, public appearances and charity patronages.

But constitutional experts say Harry, as sixth in line to the throne, will never have the “eminence’’ of his older brother, who retains more political and constitutional power as a future king.

Harry will always have to rely on his father or brother for financial support, as he will not have access to the private Duchy of Cornwall coffers, which will be handed down from Prince Charles to Prince William.

MORE: Windsor’s incredible $5 million makeover

MORE: Shock cost of Meghan’s wedding dress

RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan reveal their engagement secrets

The new royal glamour couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Picture: AP

And the two couples, who are close friends, live next door to each other at Kensington Palace, share royal household staff and jointly run their main charity, the Royal Foundation, are unlikely to have any enthusiasm for competing with one another.

With only a handful of days remaining until Prince Harry, 33, weds Ms Markle, 36, thousands of journalists from around the world have descended on the United Kingdom, making the prince and his American fiancée the most talked-about couple in the world right now.

Their popularity ratings are sky-high, and magazines and newspapers are almost exclusively focused on the younger prince and his glamorous American bride, to the exclusion of most of the other royals.

BEER: The brew inspired by the Royal wedding

The happy couple on Christmas Day at St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, Norfolk. Picture: Mega

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is also not making public appearances, spending time at home with the couple’s newborn baby son Prince Louis, who arrived on April 23.

But commentators said the two couples complemented each other, rather than competed.

Royal biographer Katie Nicholl said Prince Harry and Ms Markle could be seen as the “great

alternative couple’’ to Prince William and Catherine.

“I get the impression they are going to be a very hardworking royal couple, they are going to want to travel, I think they are going to be quite international and do a lot of a charity work,” Ms Nicholl said.

“They could be the great alternative couple to William and Kate, it would be a shame to pit these two couples against each other.

“Harry and Meghan will have a different role and they can be an alternative couple and be a great success.”

Bob Morris, from University College London’s Constitution Unit, agreed there was much attention focused on Harry and Meghan in the lead-up to the wedding, and that it “seems likely that Meghan will continue to catch American attention, possibly to a greater extent than Catherine.

“But Harry is now only sixth in line and is unlikely ever to be heir or king,’’ Dr Morris said.

“William and Catherine, on the other hand, will carry exclusively the constitutional and political weight of the monarchy.

“They and their children will be at the apex of our system, and Harry and Meghan will never have quite the same eminence.’’

Dr Morris said Harry would need to find the right role for himself in public life.

“Supporting roles are difficult to play: you don’t want to overshadow your principal, but you must also be your own man,’’ he said.

“The key will be to identify roles that complement the unavoidably stiffer roles of your brother and support the monarchy’s continuing welfare and service functions in the nation’s life.

(L-R) Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, US actor Meghan Markle and her fiancee Britain's Prince Harry attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in central London, on March 12, 2018. Picture: AFP

“Like his brother — with whom he seems very close — Harry will need to identify public interests in which to involve himself and promote for the general good.’’

British valuation firm Brand Finance examined Harry and Meghan’s star power. Chief executive David Haigh told News Corp they had estimated Prince Harry and Meghan’s Markle wedding would inject $1.8 billion into the UK economy this year.

This includes the $637 million expected to be spent by the additional 350,0000 tourists who are forecast to visit this year, the $455 million that locals will spend throwing parties and visiting local venues on the day of the wedding, the $91 million in merchandise and souvenirs expected to be snapped up, and another $273 million in press coverage.

The promotion given to products and brands that are used in the wedding including the dress, cake and flowers is anticipated to be worth another $273 million.

“The value the overseas coverage of the event will have is tremendous, we have journalists from China, America and of course Australia all visiting the UK for the event,’’ he said.

“The product endorsement is also going to be huge. Whichever designer (Ms Markle) chooses for the dress is going to get a significant boost which could be worth as much as £100 million ($A182 million) in the PR and coverage they get.’’

Mr Haigh said Ms Markle could currently be worth more as a brand ambassador than Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

“Even though they are about the same age they appeal to different audiences. Kate is quite conservative and appeals to a slightly older audience in their 30s and 40s. What she wears normally flies off the shelf and she tends to be quite demure and conservative,” Mr Haigh said.

Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton are the more ‘eminent’ couple, Royal watchers say. Picture: AP

“Meghan is slightly edgier and has more of an impact on younger people in their 20s and 30s. Even though she is in her 30s a lot of what she wears appeals to women who are younger.

“Both have a huge brand impact, Meghan isn’t putting Kate in her shadow, but just appealing to a different audience.”

Prince Harry and Ms Markle will visit Australia in October to attend the Invictus Games, the

international sporting event set up by Prince Harry to support wounded and ill servicemen and

women.

Their appearances are expected to attract huge crowds and the visit will be the first, or one of the first, international working trips they make as a married couple.

Prince William will visit Israel, Jordan and Palestine later this year, an event which won’t draw such big crowds, but is extremely important politically, as it is the first official royal tour of Israel and Palestine.

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. Picture: Mega

Catherine and their three children won’t be joining him on the delicate diplomatic mission, although the two older children, Prince George 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3, travelled to Europe with their parents last year, and Prince George charmed the world when he greeted former US president Barack Obama in his pyjamas at Kensington Palace.

Dr Morris said any official trips by the young royal couples would be carefully managed on the advice of the Prime Minister Theresa May and the Foreign Office.

“Much in practice will depend on the roles that the two princes develop,’’ he said.

“That said, William and Catherine will always represent the country.

“Though Harry and Meghan will no doubt take on some of the travel burden, they are more likely to do so from the point of view of their interests or some special function, rather than specifically as formal representatives of the British state.’’

Dr Morris said he expected the Foreign Office would consider the enormous popularity of Harry and Meghan when deciding what trips they’d like the royals to undertake, particularly when considering visit to Ms Markle’s homeland, the United States.

“Opinion polling does not seem to have investigated American views (about the monarchy) in any depth, though American journalists note the degree of popular interest arising particularly at times of notable events, such as royal weddings,’’ he said.

“The American public will be aware of the ancient ties between the US and the UK, but will no doubt prefer their republican system, if at the same time observing royal events, at least on the level of a special kind of soap opera.’’

Prince William Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge are laying low after the birth of their third child Louis. Picture: Mega

Dr Morris said Harry and Meghan would have more freedom to choose their activities and who they associated with, as they were not bound by such tight royal protocol as future King William.

“It is true that they are less likely to be constrained by official protocol and therefore freer to choose their own company and their activities,’’ he said.

“On the other hand, they will not want to compromise the family when everything they do will be subjected to intense media scrutiny.

“Judging from the close bond that the princes seem to enjoy, Harry will be loath to do anything that might embarrass his brother.

“Rather, his instinct will be to support him while at the same time establishing his marriage and selecting areas of interest supported also by Meghan — as they have already begun to do.’’

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the new Royal glamour couple