Prince Harry makes bid to showcase himself as ’post-royal statesman’ but faces ’hijacking’ by wife Megan Markle

Prince Harry is making efforts to launch himself as a ‘statesman’ in the US after stepping down as a senior British Royal. His recent trip to New York was however overshadowed by fresh controversy involving his wife Meghan Markle. The Duchess appears to have somewhat inadvertently ‘hijacked’ the limelight as Harry flew in from California for the Clinton Global Initiative summit.

The Sussex team rallied together a lengthy list of staffers past and present this week as a counter to claims that Meghan was a ‘difficult’ employer. An increasing number of allegations have emerged in recent days about the complexities of working with the Sussexes — with many labelling Meghan as 'Duchess Difficult'. Words such as ‘dictator’ and ‘demon’ have also surfaced with some alleging that she had 'psycho moments'.

“This totally hijacked any coverage Harry got…it was quite an own goal,” one political insider told Page Six.

The Duke of Sussex spent part of the week in New York and appeared at several humanitarian and philanthropic events that ran alongside the United Nations General Assembly Week.

“Parenting doesn’t end with the birth of a child. Neither does founding a company. We have a duty and a responsibility to see our creations through,” Harry said at the Clinton Global Initiative.

He also revealed that his smartphone lock screen is a photo of his children — five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet.

The Archewell Foundation, which Harry founded with his wife, Meghan Markle, to carry out their philanthropic work recently launched an initiative supporting parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms. Harry highlighted the work of that initiative, called The Parents Network, in his speech on Tuesday. The foundation has also partnered with the World Health Organization and others to end violence against children, an issue he and Meghan outlined during a recent trip to Colombia.

(With inputs from agencies)