‘Harry’s tell-all truth bomb could really backfire for Meghan’s political hopes’: Prince’s cocaine confession, his claims about killing 25 Taliban and complaints while living a privileged life could have ‘dire consequences’, PR experts claim

• Harry’s revelations could scupper Meghan’s political hopes, PR experts claim
• The Duke’s book detailed drug use, killing 25 Taliban fighters and losing virginity
• Brand expert said his cocaine confession ‘will not play out well in the US’

‘Truth bombs’ revealed in Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare could have ‘dire consequences’ for his wife Meghan’s political ambitions, according to PR experts.

The Duke of Sussex’s book, of which copies and excerpts have been leaked ahead of the January 10 publication date, includes confessions of drug use and claims that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

In one passage, the prince – who was known as ‘Captain Wales’ while in the military –  wrote that did not think of those killed ‘as people’ but instead ‘chess pieces’ he had taken off the board.

Another scene described taking cocaine ‘a few times’ as a 17-year-old and a bad mushroom trip which saw him hallucinate that a bin was talking to him.

But brand experts have said the revelations could scupper Meghan’s political hopes amid speculation that she may have ambitions for elected office.

Prince Harry pictured in 2001 at a polo match in Cirenchester, Gloucestershire

Harry pictured during his second tour of duty at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan, in 2012

Nick Ede, founder of the East of Eden PR firm, told MailOnline that while his autobiography could make make him rich, it may also trigger the beginning of a ‘fall from grace’ including ‘dire consequences’ for his wife’s ambitions to enter US politics.

The brand expert said: ‘The revelations from the new book Spare will have a direct effect on Meghan’s lofty ambitions of running for office.

‘With her husband’s candid admissions of drug use, lurid tales of his loss of virginity and more importantly his admission to killing 25 people when on active duty, these could potentially have dire consequences on her and her ambitions.

‘We know that when someone has political ambitions that they are constantly under the microscope not only from the media but also political opponents.’

According to reports, the Duchess is tipped to write down her own life story amid speculation she has her own political ambitions.

A bestselling memoir would put Meghan in a well-trodden American political tradition, amid reports that she may have ambitions for elected office, given her outspoken views on women’s rights and other issues. 

Harry and Meghan pictured in September last year at Global Citizen Live in New York 

But Mr Ede said Harry’s ‘tell-all truth bomb could really backfire on her and stop her in her tracks’.

He added: ‘From a brand point of view I do not think this will solidify the couple as an all-conquering brand.

Harry claims he hallucinated that a bin was talking to him during a bad mushroom trip in his memoir

‘In fact I think it is setting them up for a fall from grace and one has to remember that this is not their truth, it’s their perspective and they are two very different things’.

It comes as Harry’s admission that he killed 25 insurgents during his 2012 tour of Afghanistan has sent shockwaves through the military world.

One veteran claimed the duke broke ‘an unwritten rule’ by revealing his ‘kill count’ while the Taliban, Afghanistan’s ruling party, branded him a ‘big mouth loser’. 

Predicting the US will tire of the Sussexes’ endless moaning while living a gilded life, Mr Ede said: ‘The US will start to turn on the couple because they don’t want their celebrities to complain.

‘The constant bombardment of the Royal Family, who the US like and admire, will backfire on them.

‘Anytime a privileged talent complains about their lives there’s a backlash from the public you can see it with the Kardashians or other reality stars, which let’s face it – the duke and duchess are becoming.

‘Brands and charities won’t want to be affiliated and the public tide will turn quickly’.

Meanwhile, PR guru Mark Borkowski, said that Harry’s revelation that he took drugs is very bad for the Sussex brand and his wife’s political ambitions.

He said: ‘The drugs revelations will not play out well in the US, especially in middle America’.

The Duke of Sussex ‘s book Spare includes confessions of drug use and claims that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan

Meghan and Harry pictured during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022

On Harry’s admission that he killed 25 Taliban, he said that it will be less of an issue in the US than the drugs, but is ‘an almighty catastrophe in the Middle East and Muslim nations’.

‘Toes will never be uncurled’: Harry and Meghan’s Netflix expert joins TV hosts Kate Garraway and Lorraine Kelly in criticising the ‘human hand grenade’ Duke’s revenge attacks on his own family 

PR guru Mark Borkowski warned that Prince Harry will regret ‘weaponising’ his past in his ‘dirty laundry’ book – and so will his wife – because it leaves them with little left to sell.

Adding that the couple had been poorly advised, the brand expert said their ‘desperation’ to make headlines has echoes of Edward VIII, who ‘became a sad irrelevance’ after selling his story in full after abdicating.

He continued: ‘The content of the book is very damaging for their ambitions. Post the chaos of the coming TV interviews how much more can he reveal. He is playing his last shot.

‘The Royal Family’s silence makes it more difficult for Harry to continue to generate future headlines. He will hate being ignored and underlines his powerlessness.

‘He is drifting toward irrelevance. This need to tell his story echoes Harry’s great-grand uncle, the Duke of Windsor.

‘He became a sad irrelevance after he, penned his version of the events that led him to abdicate the throne to marry American divorcée, Wallis Simpson.

‘The key concern for me the outing of his service kills. He has placed himself and his family in grave danger to create a sensational publicity hook.

‘Has he forgotten the recent attack on Rushdie in Boston? These jihadis play a long game. Again this smells of desperation and poor guidance.’

He added: ‘Harry and Meghan got through the documentary with a bit of dignity intact but the book is just a bit crass and petty –dirty laundry stuff.

‘So the Royals just have to keep quiet and they’ll look dignified and like they’re taking the moral high ground’.

Meghan was ‘offended’ when she was ‘reprimanded’ for telling Kate that she ‘must have baby brain’

Meghan’s political ambitions have long been talked about since she and Harry emigrated from Britain, including claims that she would ‘seriously consider’ running for president if her husband dropped his royal title.

Two years ago a friend of the Duchess told Vanity Fair magazine that one of the reasons she did not give up her American citizenship when she married into the Royal Family was to allow her to keep open the option of entering politics.

Earlier this year, the Duchess revealed she is willing to go to Washington DC to join protests against the Roe v Wade abortion ruling and urged people to vote in the November midterms. 

In a past interview with Vogue, Meghan also urged men to be ‘more vocal’ with their anger at the repealing of Roe v Wade and revealed that Prince Harry’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision was ‘guttural’.

She said: ‘My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He’s a feminist too’ and in an intervention that will be widely perceived to be pro-Democrat, she said: ‘We have to channel that fear into action. We can start this November in the midterms. We have to vote, every time’.

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