It seems that Prince Harry has realised that his decision to release his bombshell tell-all book Spare may not have been the best idea to boost his popularity, after seemingly costing him his reputation and relationship with his family. Tom Bower's new book Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the royal Family, has claimed that Harry was left furious when he discovered his brand value had dropped after he and Meghan Markle appeared in their Netflix series, where they discussed their exit from the Royal Family in 2020. The show and Harry's book featured many tales about Harry's family, leading to an estrangement between him and his brother and father, Prince William and King Charles.

While the move was certainly financially beneficial at the time, it appeared Harry and Meghan had no real grasp of the long-term consequences of their destructive move, until the Duke of Sussex was reportedly left "stunned" by what the Sentebale charity chairwoman told him. Sophie Chandauka is said to have told Harry, "people don't want to be associated with your Netflix shows and especially not with Meghan", leaving him wondering why "he couldn't bounce back like Johnny Depp after his trial with Amber Heard". Yes, really.

He was also told that not only did Meghan have little brand value in America, but that she also damaged his. Meghan's love of speaking out to "share your truth" can certainly be considered an admirable quality in some circumstances, but a complete dunce could tell you there's a time and a place. And accepting millions of dollars to go on a global platform to speak out against one of the oldest and most revered institutions in the world was always going to bite them in their cash-padded behinds. Now, Harry and Meghan are quickly running out of options, and the worst thing is, they are only just realising where they've gone wrong.

PR & Brand consultant Chad Teixeira told Express.co.uk that there is a reason why the Royal Family have maintained their silence, as he said it is vital to exercise restraint in public responses.

He said, "Historically, the royal family has adopted the 'never complain, never explain' approach, which from a reputation management standpoint can be very effective. It limits attention to the story and avoids escalating public disputes. In many cases, repeatedly responding to criticism simply prolongs the news cycle and keeps the controversy alive longer than it otherwise would be."

He hinted that Harry and Meghan's TV appearances, book release and statements from their PR team have been detrimental to their otherwise carefully curated image, adding: "The risk with responding too frequently, however, is that it can appear defensive and keep old issues circulating in the media. From a PR perspective, the goal is always to shorten the lifespan of a negative story rather than extend it.

"Ultimately, the most successful reputation strategies balance timing and restraint. Speaking out can help someone reclaim their narrative, but knowing when to step back and allow the news cycle to move on is just as important for maintaining credibility and protecting a public image."

It is safe to say that Harry has never known when to step back, whether it be allowing his dirty laundry to be aired in court to going with Meghan on pseudo-royal trips around the world. Anyone can tell he has been doing himself no favours for years, and now the chickens have finally come home to roost. Marketing expert Jonathan Mildenhall is said to havr told Harry: "The more you ascend, the less oxygen you have to tell the truth," and it is definitely a hard lesson that Harry needs to learn, and fast. Whether he can learn to take on the advice of those around him and try and save his image, only time will tell.