Prince Harry, the former Duke of Sussex, has traded in his royal credentials for the glitzy and glamorous life in sunny California.
However, even in Hollywood, life isn't always as idyllic as it seems. The latest royal scandal reveals that Prince Harry is reportedly seething over his placement in Harper's Bazaar's annual "Most Handsome Men" list. Surprisingly, this has become a significant concern for him—not due to pressing global issues or ongoing family feuds, but rather because of his standing in what amounts to a beauty contest.
Imagine the royal outrage when he discovered that he ranked a mere 25th on the list. What’s a former prince to do when he finds himself overshadowed by iconic figures like Cary Grant, Steve McQueen, and even James Dean, the quintessential rebel of Hollywood who passed away nearly seven decades ago? To make matters worse, Harry was even outranked by a stock photo of Dean, further adding insult to injury. According to royal expert Neil Sean, Harry had anticipated a more prestigious placement, perhaps a higher rank reflecting his own handsome attributes. After all, he and Meghan provided Harper's Bazaar with exclusive content, including glowing write-ups and allowed the magazine to accompany them on their faux royal tour of Colombia. One would think that such cooperation would earn him at least a top ten spot, yet he found himself embarrassingly far from that goal.
In this strange twist of fate, Harry was relegated to a position far below the legendary icons of old Hollywood—men who, let's not forget, no longer need to pose for photographs because they are no longer living. The logistics of this situation are rather simple: Harper's Bazaar can utilize free images of these classic stars, while Harry and contemporaries like Bradley Cooper are burdened with the need for more current and costly images. This discrepancy explains why Harry’s ranking fell so low; it seems that being alive and photogenic comes at a cost.
Naturally, Harry's discontent is palpable. Sources close to him indicate he expected a more favorable showing, especially considering Harper's Bazaar's previous eagerness to laud him and Meghan. Yet, when it comes to being ranked among the greatest, Harry was left in the dust by a simple stock image. The magazine seemingly took a standard photo of the Duke and called it a day—no special treatment, even for royalty.
If you think this entire handsome ranking fiasco is trivial, you'd be mistaken. This is the high-stakes world of celebrity image management, where landing at the top of such a list can catapult one’s status into the stratosphere of global fame or, at the very least, keep them in the tabloids for another week. For Harry, a paltry 25th place feels almost like a royal demotion. The idea that a former royal, now attempting to establish a career in activism and media, could be so concerned about his standing in a superficial beauty contest is both comical and sad.
Moreover, Harry's frustration extends beyond his individual ranking; he appears irked by the system that underpins these lists. Insiders reveal that the rankings are shockingly contrived. Much like everything else in the glittering sphere of awards and accolades, the "Most Handsome Men" list is not as organic as one might assume. The prince has discovered that, even in the superficial realm of Hollywood, it isn't always possible to buy your way to the top. Sometimes, one must reconcile themselves with the reality of sharing the spotlight with archival images of deceased legends.
In the end, Harry may have to console himself with the fact that he even made the list at all. Given that even traditional British staples, like pie and mash, are facing the threat of extinction, it’s a small miracle he remains a topic of discussion, handsome or not.
