Prince Harry was warned that he needs to up his efforts in promoting his charitable causes if he wants to “win back public trust”, according to a royal commentator.
The Duke of Sus𝑠e𝑥, 40, has been largely praised after a series of solo engagements in New York, London and now Lesotho in the past couple of weeks.
Last week, Harry carried out several high-profile engagements in New York without the Duchess of Sus𝑠e𝑥 during UN General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week.
On Monday, he was in London to attend the WellChild Awards which celebrate the inspiring qualities of some of the country’s seriously ill young people and the dedication of those who keep them healthy and happy, including health, social care and education professionals.
Currently, the Duke is in Southern Africa for a week-long trip to promote the work of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded with Prince Seeiso in 2006, in Lesotho.
Now royal author Phil Dampier warned that even though Harry “showed his best side” recently, it is still “too early to say he has turned over a new leaf”.
He told the Mail: “He showed his best side the other day in London and now he’s carrying on good work in Lesotho and South Africa with his Sentebale project.
“But I think it’s too early to say he has turned over a new leaf.
“He has new PR people and I’m sure they’ve told him he has to stop moaning and slagging off the Royal Family as people are sick of that, not just in the UK but also in the US and all over the world.”
Mr Dampier went on to say that Harry carrying out solo engagements could be “the way forward” but he cautioned that the Duke needs to stay focused on his charitable work if he wants to win back the public’s trust.
He explained: “Now it seems he is striking out on his own and doing things without her (Meghan Markle) and maybe that’s the way forward. She can concentrate on her American Riviera Orchard products and make money for the family, and he should go back to helping good causes.
“So If the old Harry comes back that’s a good thing.
“But it’s going to take a lot more than just a couple of weeks of headline-catching jobs to win back the trust of his family and the affection of the public.”