Prince Harry, once the dashing and highly regarded Royal, now finds himself in unfamiliar territory, making appearances on a late-night talk show, caught up in the Halloween spirit.
On Thursday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Duke of Sussex participated in a kitschy haunted maze attraction whimsically titled "Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Mass" at Rockefeller Center. What’s curious, however, is that Harry wasn’t even an official guest of the show; he merely served as a prop in Fallon’s latest comedic spectacle.
As Fallon escorted the bemused prince through a series of spooky scenes filled with ghoulish actors, including a grotesque zombie gnawing on what seemed to be a fake corpse, one of the maze’s actors—perhaps confused by the unlikely pairing—turned to a colleague and inquired about Harry’s identity. Upon hearing that it was indeed Prince Harry, the actor’s shock was palpable. Harry humorously quipped, "Is that Michael B. Jordan?" only to be met with Fallon’s cheeky jab about Harry’s past attempts at singing.
This scene presents quite a contrast to the image of the Prince who once graced royal engagements with all the pomp and circumstance befitting his station. Now, instead of attending prestigious events or championing charitable causes, Harry is traipsing through a haunted maze, playing second fiddle to Fallon’s antics without even the dignity of a proper interview. It’s a far cry from the stately figure he once embodied. He’s not promoting a new book, a charity, or even something remotely substantial—no jar of homemade jam to hawk, no worthy cause to support. Instead, he’s playing the role of Hollywood’s court jester, appearing more like a sidekick in a gimmick-filled skit than a member of the Royal Family. It’s doubtful this is the life he envisioned when he traded in his royal title for a more private existence in California.
Perhaps most telling is how Harry’s social circle seems to have shifted. On this particular episode of The Tonight Show, esteemed actress Cate Blanchett and Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernandez occupied the prime guest slots, while the once-beloved prince was relegated to playing sidekick in a comedy routine. This apparent downgrade raises questions about Harry’s current trajectory. Is he desperately trying to rehabilitate his image, distancing himself from his wife Meghan Markle in the process? Meghan remains a controversial figure in the ongoing royal saga, while Harry increasingly appears lost, stumbling from one poorly advised public appearance to the next. His attempts at staying relevant seem clumsy, especially when compared to his brother, Prince William, who is currently leading global initiatives to combat climate change—a stark contrast in both image and impact.
The more Harry is thrown into these absurd situations, the more it becomes clear that he’s being advised by a PR team that seems woefully disconnected from the royal playbook, or even from Meghan’s polished public image. While Meghan pursues her own endeavors, Harry appears adrift, struggling to find his footing in the entertainment world. Meanwhile, his brother is positioning himself as a future leader, a global figure with serious influence. Harry, on the other hand, is clinging to a form of relevance that seems fleeting, with one ill-conceived late-night appearance after another.
Let’s not forget the irony in Harry’s participation in these shows. Fallon famously roasted Harry’s memoir, Spare, and now, with this haunted maze stunt, it seems unlikely that any future mention of the episode will do Harry any favors in terms of his public image. The prince, once a symbol of tradition and duty, now finds himself playing with SEO tricks, attempting to remain in the public conversation by any means necessary. His reputation as a self-proclaimed drug user and a man who aired his family’s private matters for profit has already sullied his royal image. Now, he’s using late-night comedy to interject himself into discussions on freedom of speech and relevance in modern media.
So, what exactly is Prince Harry promoting with this latest foray into the entertainment world? A jar of jam? A cringeworthy ghost story? It’s hard to say for sure. What’s clear is that Harry, once a figure of regal stature, now seems to be living the life of a third-rate celebrity, grasping for attention in a Hollywood landscape that may not offer him the prestige or purpose he once knew.
