The Sussexes are “always sucking up to Hollywood royalty”, Richard Eden said

The Duke and Duchess thought they could hold a parallel ‘royal court’ in California, Richard Eden claimed

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been blasted for unsuccessfully “sucking up to Hollywood royalty” in the wake of Taylor Swift’s internet-breaking selfies with Prince William and his children.

The singer-songwriter sensation had posed with the Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte on William’s 42nd birthday after he took the two royal children to one of her Eras Tour concerts last week.

Photos of the musical and the royals alongside Swift’s NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce, had gone viral online, prompting praise for Taylor’s enthusiasm and William’s on-the-pulse celebrity hobnobbing alike.

But after it came to light that Meghan Markle allegedly wrote Taylor Swift a “personal letter” inviting the popstar to appear on her much-maligned podcast – which was swiftly rebuked – the Sussexes have been panned for their failed attempts at cosying up to stars on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Sussexes are “always sucking up to Hollywood royalty”, Richard Eden said

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The Sussexes have been panned for their failed attempts at cosying up to stars

PA

The Mail’s Richard Eden highlighted the disparities between William and Kate’s, and Harry and Meghan’s, approaches to celebrity networking.

Eden said: “It’s a very different relationship because, essentially, Taylor Swift is here and she wants to show her respect for the Royal Family.

“In a way, you could say [she is] paying court to Prince William – whereas with Harry and Meghan, it’s the other way round.

“They’re the ones who seem to be always sucking up to Hollywood royalty.

“They thought when they moved to California, ‘we’ll be at the centre of this sort of royal court and everyone will come to see us.’

“But it never seems to be working out like that.”

In another indictment of the contrast between the Sussexes’ and Waleses’ celebrity engagements, Royal and Showbiz reporter Kinsey Schofield told GB News’ Mark Dolan that Swift was “siding with Team Wales”.

Schofield said: “So I think we are seeing Taylor side with Team Wales here over the last few hours… A lot of people are pointing out the pictures of Meghan and Harry at the Beyoncé concert, where Harry looks pretty miserable, versus Prince William shaking his tail feathers at the Taylor Swift concert.”

But celebrity engagements aren’t the only way the Sussexes have tried their hand at a foray into Hollywood stardom; the pair have, of course, partnered up with Netflix over the years for a number of reality TV-style projects.

Just weeks ago, when it emerged that the exiled pair would release another duo of documentaries based on cooking and professional polo, commentators slammed the move – Director of the Common Sense Society Emma Webb said the royal couple were “bleeding talent from a stone” and slated the new productions as the “latest ridiculous thing” to come from the Sussexes.

And author and broadcaster Amy Nickell-Turner jokingly jabbed that royal fans have been “waiting with bated breath to see what will they do next”.

Nickell-Turner claimed that Netflix are “really keen to get some good content out of the pair”, noting that their contract with the company is “worth a bazillion pounds and is for five years”.

Meghan and Harry’s approach to celebrity networking was put on blast

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