The BAFTA Tea Party is the biggest British showbiz night in Hollywood. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were allegedly deliberately excluded from the list because of their fallout with the Royal Family. The Tea Party took place on Saturday 14 January at the plush Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
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'PR disaster'
Ever since the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries and Prince Harry’s bombshell book, the couple has been a popular PR choice. US advisers have been keen on capitalising on the publicity surrounding their conflict with the Royal Family.
Despite how lucrative the opportunity would’ve been to have Prince Harry and Meghan at the party, a BAFTA insider has claimed that London executives rejected the suggestion. According to The Sun, the consultant at BAFTA said:
Bafta decided it was a terrible idea, they thought it would be a PR disaster.
Prince Harry, in his book and docu-series, has roundly attacked the Royal Family.
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Why the Sussexes were snubbed
Prince William heads BAFTA and it is believed that having Prince Harry around cameras would not be a wise decision. The source explained:
The US team was reminded that Harry’s arch-nemesis, his brother Prince William, is president of Bafta.
So, for them to roll out the red carpet to Harry and his wife would be like setting off a nuclear bomb. It’s a no-go.
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The Prince of Wales' PR team apparently has no knowledge or involvement in any of the decision-making at BAFTA. The insider added:
Any interviews he or Meghan gave would go viral. Anything negative on William would be devastating.
A spokesperson for Prince William chose not to comment and a BAFTA spokesperson denied the subject of inviting the Sussexes had ever been discussed.
Source used:
The Sun: Harry and Meghan ‘snubbed’ by Bafta tea party as they were ‘not welcome’ amid fallout from his attacks on royals
