Royal family
Prince Harry seemingly attempted to ‘replace’ his brother, Prince William, in the media in a ‘psychological ploy’ that ultimately’s been unsuccessful.
The tables may have turned between Prince Harry and Prince William, but only for a short time. According to an expert, the Duke of Sussex made an apparent “psychological ploy” to “replace” his older brother, the Prince of Wales, in the media before William reclaimed the top spot.
Harry’s attempt to ‘replace William’ didn’t last
Their public rankings may have shifted, if only for a brief period of time, Dr. Raj Persaud, a clinical psychiatrist, said of William and Harry on TalkTV. Harry, they said, may have attempted to “replace William” in the media, but it didn’t last long.
“If Harry is attacking William because he wants to get the kind of significance and publicity in the media where it looks like he’s replacing William by becoming as important as William because of all the media attention,” Persaud said. “If that was the psychological ploy here, then it looks to dispassionate observers as if that is failing.”
Just like the time “spare” Harry outranked “heir” William, it didn’t last. Now, after a flurry of headlines courtesy of Harry’s Spare memoir and Netflix docuseries, William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are popular stateside. Which reportedly bothers Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
After all, 2023 began with many Duke and Duchess of Sussex headlines after Spare‘s release. Sure, there were some negative ones; however, some said the pair were “winning” the “game.”
Harry’s ‘more important’ status has ‘faded’ as William continues to make ‘headlines’
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“Harry did appear to become more important than William temporarily,” Persaud continued. “But then it faded, and now he’s a relatively obscure figure again. Whereas William continues to dominate the headlines.”
Take, for instance, William getting press attention for visiting Scotland with the Princess of Wales and watching a rugby match with Prince George. These are just a few of the recent events that have seen William in the media as of late.
“Harry made a kind of an open raid on the castle, the edifice that was the status of William. His attack appears to have been repelled. And, therefore, William at this level with this analysis appears to be winning this element of the war.”
Prince William’s ‘focused on work’ amid the ongoing drama with Harry
When the Harry & Meghan docuseries hit Netflix, William — and Kate — stayed silent. The same thing happened when, just weeks later, Harry’s Spare memoir hit shelves in January 2023.
Then and now, the couple followed the wider royal family strategy of silence. According to public relations expert Edward Coram-James, it’s helped William and Kate sidestep any reputational problems along the way.
William and Kate “have not had a controversial year, but instead have just kept their heads down and focused on work,” Coram-James previously told Express. “Because of their ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach, and by not rising or taking the bait, the efforts backfired.” As a result, the Wales family “arguably came out looking better than ever, they not only rode the storm but flew above it.”
The most the public’s gotten from William in the way of a comment on Spare or any of his brother’s accusations came in September 2023. William acknowledged Harry’s birthday during a public appearance, saying he hadn’t “forgotten.”
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