Harry and Meghan’s face-off with the crown showcases the power of PR

The second half of former British royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s controversial Netflix special aired this week, and the battle lines were immediately drawn: Harry was quickly dubbed a “traitor” and Meghan a liar for their revelations, while supporters of the couple accused Buckingham Palace of mistreating and failing to protect the famous pair.

The second half of the special focuses on rifts with royal family, the couple’s continued harassment by the media and their new life in California. The first half was laser-focused on the predatory nature of the British press, characterizing the institution as a relentless, terrifying entity that harasses the royal family with impunity, spurring the famous couple’s retreat to the U.S.  

Buckingham Palace needs to come up with a forward-thinking plan of action fast if it wants to effectively address any fallout from the series — because a tell-all book is coming next.

Netflix has said the special has had the highest premiere week viewing time of any documentary to debut on the streaming service in its. Last week, the #HarryandMeghanNetflix hashtag was trending atop Twitter in both the UK and the U.S. the first day the series aired — and was reportedly the fourth highest worldwide.

Harry and Meghan are savvy communicators successfully controlling the narratives and getting their sides of the story out. The royals across the pond would be well-advised to ratchet up their own communications efforts and prepare to hit back.

The Netflix series kicked off by warmly detailing through video diaries and interviews with friends the couple’s unlikely love story. The series also set the stage for discussions on race.

Producers cleverly used experts to explain how immigration issues fueled Brexit, while also simultaneously highlighting the country’s alleged fascination with Meghan’s biracial roots. Harry referenced a social media post he saw that depicted a couple walking either side of a chimpanzee with the caption: “Royal baby leaves hospital.”

The claims from Harry and Meghan make for an explosive mix, with the truth most likely somewhere in between.

The couple broke from “The Firm” — as the apparatus surrounding the British royals is called — and the current dynamic has them facing off in opposition to the rest of the family. But viewers would be wise to avoid fully believing either side — and to realize that most of the time, truth resides somewhere in the messy middle. While fans of the family shouldn’t reflexively condemn Harry and Meghan or completely write them off as opportunistic and spoiled, neither should the couple’s supporters buy into everything they say, since perspective often colors views.

One thing that has become clear, though, is that the royal family continuously appears to be frozen in time and operating as if in a bygone era. When it comes to communicating effectively, the monarchy appears to be flailing, struggling to adapt to a fast-changing world where the person who drives messages the most effectively wins the hearts and minds of a distracted and quick-to-judge public.

The most sensitive and attention-grabbing topic in the world right now is probably race. And the royal family seems to be feeling vulnerable, forced to contend with the assertion that it has not fully embraced the changing face of Britain.

If there were any doubts as to how seriously the royal family is taking allegations of racism, just look at how quickly the monarchy demoted Lady Susan Hussey, the late Queen’s lady-in-waiting of more than 60 years, after she repeatedly asked a British-born Black charity boss during an event where she was “really” from. Hussey — godmother to King Charles’s eldest son, Prince William — swiftly resigned and was moved to a “ceremonial” role. Terse statements from a royal spokesperson noted that racism has “no place in our society.”

Unfortunately, the timing of the misstep couldn’t have been worse for Buckingham Palace. When the salacious story broke, William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were flying to the United States on a charm offensive. Their goodwill tour ended up being overshadowed by the ensuing controversy, as well as the release of titillating trailers heralding the impending Netflix special.

Unless Buckingham Palace switches things up quickly, it will continue losing the PR battle cunningly waged by Harry and Meghan. The crown must fight fire with fire if the Royals want to avoid further embarrassment and risk further losing the affection and respect of the public. If the Monarchy actually has the facts on its side, on a range of topics, then the royals need to counter false allegations much more aggressively by describing them as such and proving it.

The royal family’s apparent default strategy of failing to dignify unflattering allegations with responses and hoping they disappear simply will not work. Harry and Meghan are skilled manipulators of the media and are proving very effective at communicating strategically. The crown must change its approach if it hopes to survive and thrive, becoming much more engaged if they disagree with Harry and Meghan’s version of the facts. 

Buckingham Palace must be willing to flatly contradict and counter the power couple causing reputational ripples from Los Angeles by pushing out evidence to support its own messages. Otherwise, the royal family should expect to absorb even more criticism. 

To count on King Charles as the face of modernity is a losing proposition. At age 73, the often-irritated king is far too set in his ways to change in any significant way. The monarchy should employ Prince William and Princess Kate as counterweights to Harry and Meghan. They are smart, articulate, polite, attractive and photogenic. The question is, are these even-tempered, meticulously mannered royals up for the job?

If the crown doesn’t step up its PR game, then the Netflix series will almost certainly be another homerun for Harry and Meghan and strikeout for Buckingham Palace. The BBC has reported more than 2.4 million viewers in the UK watched the first episode of the Netflix series. After all, tears, intrigue and raw emotion make for good TV. For the famously stuff royal family, a focus on drama is precisely what they want to avoid. 

Harry and Meghan are pushing their views in a very American way — with boldness and brash confidence. They have proven unafraid of wading into controversy and high emotion, as evidenced by their tell-all interview with Oprah and subsequent efforts.

In this high-stakes family face-off, Harry and Meghan will continue to rule — unless the buttoned-up Buckingham Brits take off their white gloves and get into the fight.

Evan Nierman is CEO of crisis PR firm Red Banyan and author of “Crisis Averted: PR Strategies to Protect Your Reputation and the Bottom Line.”