Harry and Meghan face wildly different public perceptions in the UK and US

The latest tangle between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and a gaggle of paparazzi photographers on the streets of New York has highlighted their struggles with celebrity in the US.

Their journey toward a new – and potentially lucrative – life in America has had a mixed reception in the country’s media where they are seen as just one famous couple in a country with an already large celebrity quotient.

But in the UK the intense tabloid interest has fueled a market for exclusive pictures of the pair – whether in their new home state of California or at the type of high-profile event they were attending in Manhattan.

That means where Prince Harry and Meghan go, the paparazzi follow. “If you get an exclusive of a candid moment you could get tens of thousands of dollars,” says a source in the photography industry.

The existence of widely different public perceptions of Harry and Meghan on each side of the Atlantic highlights some of the difficulties of the tactics they have played of seeking attention with TV interviews and award appearances, while also demanding privacy.

Earlier this year, the couple were skewered in an episode of South Park that portrayed them as both publicity-seeking and publicity-avoidant. The Worldwide Privacy Tour episode even produced reports that Harry and Meghan might sue the show’s creators.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex later said the rumors of potential action was “all frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports.”

Still, the question of media intrusion into the couple’s lives in the US has previously come up. In July 2020, they sued for invasion of privacy over illegal images they say were taken of their son Archie in their Montecito, California, backyard.

According to the suit, the Daily Mail published the address of their home and paparazzi flew drones and helicopters over their home hoping to get a picture.

“Some paparazzi and media outlets have flown drones a mere 20 feet above the house, as often as three times a day, to obtain photographs of the couple and their young son in their private residence,” the complaint said.

“Others have flown helicopters above the backyard of the residence, as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as 7:00 p.m., waking neighbors and their son, day after day. And still others have even cut holes in the security fence itself to peer through it,” it added.

On Wednesday, New York police rejected claims that the couple had been in a “near catastrophic” car chase with photographers.

“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”

A spokesperson for Getty Images said that no Getty-affiliated photographers were part of or involved in the incident. “All images on the Getty Images website were taken at the Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Ballroom and before the alleged car chase took place,” they added.

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A photographer familiar with the market for celebrity pictures in New York, but had not covered the Ms Foundation event that they were attending, suggested the claims could be designed to play into the Diana, Princess of Wales narrative, given how popular she was in the US.

“Americans are a bit more sympathetic to the couple than the Brits right now,” they said.

The market for Harry and Meghan pictures is readily apparent. In March, Meghan was filmed as she left a Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood. The images were credited to paparazzi agencies Mega and Backgrid and published by the Daily Mail and People.

A spokesperson for Mega declined to comment on Tuesday’s incident.

But there are jokes, too, that photographers are tipped off by the couple themselves. Meghan was photographed going hiking with friends in California on the day of her father-in-law’s coronation which led to some sniping in the US media.

“‘Oh you, oh hello … where did you come from? How on Earth did you know I’d be here?’” snarked former TV anchor Megyn Kelly, a critic of the couple. “It was obvious, like everything with this woman.”

There are also signs that Harry and Meghan’s star profile is waning in the US. Tellingly, the couple, whose US celebrity was catapulted by an Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, were noticeably absent from the talkshow queen’s Montecito birthday party in January.