Meghan Markleand Prince Harry were all smiles at the Bob Marley: One Love premiere in Jamaica, and the outing might've been a way for them to protect their Hollywood careers. In 2023, the Sussexes were branded as "grifters" and a "Hollywood flop," but they're expected to rehabilitate their image in the new year.
"If they attended the premiere just to have facetime with Brian Robbins, I would consider that a smart move. It's good for their image to be seen in the company of other high-profile and successful people," PR expert Ryan McCormick said in an interview.
The Sussexes spent time with the entertainment executive, the Marley family and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
"As CEO of Paramount, Robbins is powerful and this photo op signals that the Duke & Duchess are still on the A-list. I would advise Harry and Meghan to do this more often," the professional continued.
The Sussexes' time in the Caribbean nation occurred two years after Kate Middleton and Prince William's tour of the island was labeled as an "embarrassment." The Prince and Princess of Wales were met with protestors who were fighting for reparations and to detach themselves politically from the U.K.
"There are issues here which are, as you would know, unresolved, but your presence gives an opportunity for those issues to be placed in context, put front and center and to be addressed in as best [a way] as we can," Holness said in an interview. "But Jamaica is a country that is very proud of our history, very proud of what we have achieved."
"And we're moving on and we intend to attain in short order our development goals and fulfill our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country," the politician continued.
OK! previously reported royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes the American-based royals used the event to promote themselves.
"Harry and Meghan clearly staged this appearance in Jamaica because they knew it would get a huge amount of publicity during a difficult week for the royal family, with the King due to enter hospital and Catherine in hospital after an operation and due to take some weeks to recover," Fitzwilliams said in an interview. "This appearance by the Sussexes was no accident."
"It will reinforce the royal family’s views that they are not to be trusted and it seems a deliberate ploy by the couple to remind the wider world of the pull their brand could have had in the Commonwealth," he continued.
Fitzwilliams also referenced the pair's royal tour of the region and said their arrival could be perceived as a way to make a silent statement.
"Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, made it clear during the Waleses visit in March 2022 that the country would become a republic," the journalist explained. "A referendum is required to achieve this and it is therefore by no means a foregone conclusion."
"However he was blunt in his comments in front of his royal guests," he added.
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McCormick spoke to the The Mirror.
