Investment

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Investing in Their Future

Published

5 months ago

April 27, 2024

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s international expansion of their PR operation is “long overdue” for a couple in their position and is a strong investment in their future, an entertainment expert has told Newsweek. However, whether it can turn around their divisive public image remains to be seen.

The royal couple have added two high-powered communications professionals to their team to overhaul their relationships with the media, amid a number of new ventures in the entertainment sphere.

Former United Talent Agency communications pro Kyle Boulia has joined the Sussexes’ California team as deputy press secretary and director of communications, becoming the main point of contact for all U.S. media outlets.

PR professional Charlie Gipson has also taken on the task of heading up the couple’s first U.K. hub since their split from the monarchy. As director of communications, Gipson will be the point of contact for all U.K. and European media outlets wanting information about Harry and Meghan.

Both Boulia and Gipson will report to the couple’s incumbent global press secretary and head of communications, Ashley Hansen.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex photographed in Florida, April 12, 2024. The couple have added two new staff members to their communications team.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex photographed in Florida, April 12, 2024. The couple have added two new staff members to their communications team.
Yaroslav Sabitov/PA Images via Getty Images

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These high-powered (and presumably high-priced) new appointments are the biggest signals that Harry and Meghan are planning on expanding their creative and philanthropic outputs and becoming a larger presence on the global stage.

Mark Boardman, entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, told Newsweek this will leave the couple’s newly enhanced team with a series of reputational challenges.

“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s PR team expansion is a long-overdue move,” he said. “The couple’s public image strategy clearly needed reevaluation, and these new hires indicate a new focus with areas for improvement and a more resourceful press team needed to take charge.”

“The appointments, with expertise in both the U.S. and U.K., signal a strategic approach to managing their public personas across continents, and show us that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are investing in themselves and their brand.”

Boardman noted that the couple’s public image, while not wholly positive at present, has the potential to be turned around.

“Public perception is malleable,” he said. “And improved communication can only positively impact the reception of Harry and Meghan’s future endeavors, including documentaries and Meghan’s lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, having had less success than they had hoped for to win back public trust for their lackluster apologies.”

On what the biggest challenge facing the team will be, Boardman suggested “understanding the couple’s current standing” and crafting a communication strategy that effectively works with the media, instead of against it, to “improve relations and better meet public expectations.”

“A more open and transparent approach could be a key component,” he said. “But its success depends on careful execution to ensure improved credibility.”

Overall, he noted, the move is a good one for Harry and Meghan and an important investment in their future as public figures hoping to increase their global presence in a positive way.

“Only time will tell if this PR move will showcase the couple’s work in a positive light, with a more strategic approach to their personas,” Boardman concluded. “When it comes to brand deals to help reignite public acceptance for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a change can only improve the outcome and now the hard work begins for the new starters.”

Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle via email for comment.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.

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Economy

Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets also up

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was higher in late-morning trading, helped by strength in energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also moved up.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 34.91 points at 23,736.98.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 178.05 points at 41,800.13. The S&P 500 index was up 28.38 points at 5,661.47, while the Nasdaq composite was up 133.17 points at 17,725.30.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.56 cents US compared with 73.57 cents US on Monday.

The November crude oil contract was up 68 cents at US$69.70 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.40 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$7.80 at US$2,601.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.28 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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Economy

S&P/TSX gains almost 100 points, U.S. markets also higher ahead of rate decision

Published

5 days ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.

“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.

While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.

Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.

But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.

Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.

“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.

“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.

A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.

It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.

More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.

“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.

In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.

“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.

The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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Economy

S&P/TSX composite down more than 200 points, U.S. stock markets also fall

Published

2 weeks ago

September 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.

The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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