Meghan Markle’s potential appearance at the 2023 Gracie Awards Tuesday night could keep the “(public relations) momentum” from the alleged car chase going, a royal expert told Fox News Digital.
It’s unclear if Markle, who was named a digital media national winner for the 49th annual awards, will make an appearance at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The Gracie Awards come days after the Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry claimed they were followed by paparazzi in a “relentless pursuit.”
The royal couple had been trying to leave the Women of Vision Awards May 16, where Markle was honored for her charitable work by the Ms. Foundation.
Representatives for Markle have not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for confirmation on her possible appearance.
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It’s unclear if Meghan Markle will attend the Gracie Awards after she was allegedly chased by paparazzi after the Women of Vision Awards May 16. (Kevin Mazur)
Christopher Andersen, author of “The King,” predicted Markle will attend, telling Fox News Digital, “Harry and Meghan are on a roll.”
“Have you seen the spike in sales of Harry’s memoir since the curious non-near catastrophic New York car chase fiasco? I would be stunned if Meghan didn’t appear at awards just to keep the PR momentum going,” he explained. “I predict a show of emotion, maybe even tears.”
Royal expert Shannon Felton Spence agreed and noted that Prince Harry and Markle are likely to put on “a united front” following reports the couple’s relationship was lacking romance after five years of marriage.
Meghan Markle appears on stage as she was honored for her charitable work. (Getty Images)
However, Kinsey Schofield, host of the “To Di For” podcast, believes the “Suits” actress won’t show due to being “shaken up” from the alleged car chase.
“I don’t think Meghan is going to show up. Her spokesperson will likely say they are too shaken up, but the Four Seasons here is like a fortress specifically built for celebrity. They could pull up in the parking garage. They could exit in the same parking garage.”
Schofield believes Markle and Prince Harry “drove around NYC aimlessly” after the May 16 awards ceremony as to not reveal the location of the private residence they were staying at, and things might have gone differently if the royal couple had stayed in a hotel.
A representative for the couple criticized people downplaying the alleged car chase.
“Respectfully, considering the duke’s family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of PR stunt. Quite frankly, I think that’s abhorrent,” the representative told The New York Times Friday.
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Prince Harry lost his legal battle over security in the U.K. Tuesday. (Chris Jackson)
The Gracie Awards are happening the same day a U.K. court denied Prince Harry’s offer to personally pay for security in his home country.
The British government stopped providing security for Prince Harry and Markle and their children after the couple made the decision to step back from their senior roles within the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now live in California.
Justice Martin Chamberlain said there was nothing “incoherent or illogical” in the government’s reasoning to deny the Duke of Sussex’s request to hire police bodyguards at his own expense. He said providing private protection for an individual was different from paying police as security at sporting and other events.
Further, he said it could strain police resources, set a precedent and be seen as unfair.
Meghan Markle launched her podcast “Archetypes” in August. (Spotify)
“If privately funded protective security were permitted, a less wealthy individual would feel unfairly treated, the availability of a limited specialist resource would be reduced, and a precedent would have been set which it would be difficult to contain,” Chamberlain wrote.
Markle was announced as a Gracie Award winner in March.
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“Thank you to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for this prestigious honor,” Markle said in a statement at the time. “This is a shared success for me and the team behind ‘Archetypes’ — most of whom are women — and the inspiring guests who joined me each week.”
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Papa and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
