Meghan Markle 'sick' as she misses high-profile event with Prince Harry

Prince Harry attended the star-studded One805Live! event in Santa Barbara honouring first responders on Friday night - but wife Meghan Markle was notably absent.

Prince Harry graced the stage at Kevin Costner's polo field last Friday, while Meghan Markle was noticeably absent due to illness. The Duke of Sussex honoured a fellow helicopter pilot for their bravery at the event celebrating first responders.

Despite attending the event solo this year, anticipation is high for Meghan to attend with him in 2024. Speaking to an enthusiastic audience at the Santa Barbara One805Live!

event, which raises funds for county first responders, Harry, in a suit without socks, awarded local hero Loren Courtney right after his 7pm arrival.

Sharing a light-hearted moment, he quipped about their shared comfort in a helicopter cockpit rather than on stage. The night's festivities also included performances by Pink, the 80's icon Richard Marx, and even Costner himself.

An insider remarked: "We were all hoping Meghan would attend like she did last year but the word is that she is sick and could not make it."

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Prince Harry is slated for a New York trip to attend the Diana Awards among other events and will also be present at a UK event on September 30. Following commentary from PR expert Edward Coram-James on the Sussexes' PR missteps contributing to their waning public image, he tersely concluded, "It's just that they had a bad PR plan."

Harry and Meghan have experienced a significant drop in popularity since relocating to the US, as revealed by a recent poll. The dip in their public standing has been attributed in part to Harry's incendiary remarks about the Royal family, the Mirror reports.

However, PR expert Mr Coram-James has shared his insights on the matter, stating: "To be fair to the Sussexes, they seem to have learned the lessons from bad PR, and appear to have turned the page."

He further commented: "I attribute much of their fall-from-public-favour purely as a reflection of what can happen with bad PR. It does not mean that they're bad people. For all we know, The Sussexes could be kind, caring and incredible people."

Mr Coram-James, who is associated with GoUp, emphasized the impact of PR on public perception, noting, "That's the thing with PR: if it goes wrong, the public can, fairly or unfairly, decide that it makes you a bad person, where, when it goes right, the public can decide that you're a good person. Its why communications are so key," he explained to Express.co.uk. The Ipsos survey also highlighted that Harry still holds considerable appeal among younger demographics, based on the responses of 1,097 British adults aged between 18 and 75 questioned about their support for Harry should he choose to return.

The poll, carried out on the 8th and 9th of October, revealed that 34 percent of participants would back Harry, with a significant 46 percent of those supporters falling within the 18 to 35 age bracket.

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