MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry’s Time Magazine cover is a “stab in the heart” of the Queen’s reputation, an expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were this week named in the magazine’s list of top 100 most influential people in the world.
Glossy pictures showed Harry standing behind his 40-year-old wife with his arms on her right shoulder.
And Time’s picture editor Dilys Ng said the portrait captures the Sussexes’ “powerful dynamic as equal partners”.
But Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek: “Meghan and Harry landing a cover spot of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People will be seen as a stab in the heart of the Monarchy’s reputation because of the greater implicit credibility it affords them and their previous claims against the crown.”
The couple’s inclusion in the list comes six months after they accused an unnamed member of the Royal Family of racism in their explosive Oprah interview.
Meghan also told Oprah she felt suicidal while working as a royal – but that staff had dismissed her pleas for help.
Schiffer added: “The strategy Harry’s built is to out gun William and to be seen as the authentic prince on a global stage and it’s been beautifully executed.
“They’re very disciplined at it.
“The combination of the leaks and the framing of themselves in part as victims of certain behaviour and on top of that connecting in such authentic ways with global Gen Z and Millennial audiences and allowing them to actually feel what it’s like to interact with a member of the royal family, that on a human level has been powerful.”
Meghan and Harry’s entry in Time mag was listed under the “Icons” section, and joined prestigious names who have also graced the magazine’s cover – including Barack Obama, the first black US president.
A short profile accompanied it, but glossed over the couple’s royal rift.
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José Andrés, whose food relief charity works closely with the Archewell Foundation, wrote: “In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don’t know, the Duke and Duchess have compassion for the people they don’t know. They don’t just opine. They run toward the struggle.
“Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame.
“It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent.
“That’s not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are. They turn compassion into boots on the ground through their Archewell Foundation.”
Writing on their website shortly after the news broke, Meghan and Harry said they were “humbled to be part of this year’s TIME 100” and went on to praise the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Okonjo-Iweala, who was also shortlisted.
They wrote: “Each of us can change our communities, all of us can change the world.”
