Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, once America’s most popular couple, are fast becoming personas non grata — at least as far as New York’s high society is concerned.
In the latest sign that Prince Harry and Meghan are losing their footing in the US, a scion of the Rockefeller dynasty – known as one of “America’s Royal Families” – has claimed that the Duchess of Sussex is now considered too “controversial” is considered by many Americans.
Kayla Rockefeller, 23, shared her insight into how the Sussexes are now viewed by the American public, while admitting she wouldn’t want Meghan, 41, to wear or model her new Kayla Jaclyne jewelery line because she ‘couldn’t handle it’ chance’ of such a controversial figure.
“That would be controversial,” she told DailyMail.com when asked if she would like Meghan to model her new designs. “As a new jeweler, I couldn’t take the risk. I mean, I could, but people are so 50/50 [about Meghan].’
Heiress Kayla Rockefeller claims Meghan Markle’s popularity in the US has seriously declined as she is considered too ‘controversial’ by many people
When launching her jewelery line, Kayla Jaclyne, the 23-year-old heiress, said she wouldn’t want Meghan, 41, as a model because she “couldn’t take that risk” on such a controversial figure
Kayla (pictured with her parents, Kimberly and Steven at her jewelry launch event) is a member of the Rockefeller family – America’s most prestigious and wealthiest families
Kayla’s comments come just six weeks after a shocking poll in February showed Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the US had fallen to an all-time low, making them less popular than the disgraced Prince Andrew.
Between December 2022 and February 19, when the research was conducted by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek, Harry’s rating dropped by 48 points, while Meghan’s dropped by 40, giving them an approval rating of -10 and -17 respectively.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s rating was -2 at the time.
The new ratings came after Harry completed a publicity tour to promote his telltale memoir, Spare, which was released less than a month after the Sussexes debuted their smash Netflix documentary series.
In the book and in the many TV interviews he did to promote it, Harry, 38, made several scathing accusations about his family – at one point accusing his brother William of grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the ground during an altercation at Nottingham Cottage.
The book’s publication sparked a slew of backlash from royal insiders and saw the Sussexes too under the bitter humiliation of being parodied in an episode of South Park titled The Worldwide Privacy Tour, which mocked the duo’s pleas for privacy.
Now it seems that another iconic American institution has turned its back on the Sussexes: the Rockefeller family.
Kayla is a scion of the ubiquitous dynasty, one of America’s most prestigious and wealthiest families – with a combined fortune of more than $360 billion.
“That would be controversial,” she told DailyMail.com when asked if she would like Meghan to model her new designs (pictured). ‘As a new jeweller, I couldn’t take the risk’
However, Kayla says she would love to enlist fashion superstar Karlie Kloss to model for her jewelry label
Through their philanthropic efforts, the Rockefeller family donates approximately $200 million annually to various charities.
Speaking at Kayla Jaclyne’s launch party at Manhattan’s White Olive Restaurant, Kayla told DailyMail.com that she’s interested in using her platform to sell jewelry and become a philanthropist.
Before her coming out debut at Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, Kayla suffered terrible disappointment as she struggled to find the perfect gems to match her debutante dress.
She realized there was a gap in the market for traditional jewelery designs with a modern twist and from there Kayla Jaclyne was born.
“I should have done a collaboration with someone else, but it sort of fell apart,” she said.
“My mom was like, ‘You can do it all by yourself, it’s creative and something you’re interested in.’ I owe a lot to my whole family, my mother’s side, my father’s side.’
Some may wonder why Kayla omitted the iconic Rockefeller name from her new jewelry brand — to which the budding designer replies that she wanted to make sure both sides of her family were represented, not just the all-star side — power.
“Even though Rockefeller gets all the star quality and all the attention, I’d say both sides of my family played such an important role in my life — not one played a more important role,” she said.
Kayla celebrated the launch of her jewelry business at a glittering event in Manhattan attended by several family members, including brothers Steven III and Christian Rockefeller
Kayla is very close to her dad (pictured together) who she describes as ‘really nice’
‘Jaclyne is my mother’s mother: my grandmother who passed away last year. As a young girl I found myself fascinated with my mom’s jewelry box…often rummaging through her things and trying on without permission.
My appreciation and admiration has only grown with time. Her jewelry box contained such a wide variety of pieces, the aesthetic found in its diversity; represents different styles, cultures and trends throughout her life and travels.
“I later discovered that many of the pieces I stumbled upon originally belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother.
My fascination with jewelry began my appreciation for strong and empowered women, emphasizing the importance of individualism through their own unique sense of style.
‘I started collecting jewelry at a young age. I found myself traveling and collecting special tokens to represent journeys and moments.
Not all of them were particularly valuable, but they marked monumental times in my life. I loved the idea of someone rummaging through my own jewelry box one day. Now I’ve designed Kayla Jaclyne as my ever-changing jewelry box for all of you.
“It was just a personal decision to go alone.”
While Kayla won’t be trying to enlist Meghan as a model anytime soon, she believes British actress and activist Emma Watson would be a perfect fit for her brand.
The budding jeweler (pictured with her mother Kimberly) named the brand in part after her maternal grandmother Jaclyne
Kayla partied with some of her closest friends at her jewelry launch at New York’s Olive White restaurant
“I’ve always loved Emma Watson, she’s so beautiful and so successful, but she’s so much more. She’s beautiful, she’s so much more than just a cover girl,” she said.
Another contender to model her wares is famed fashion star Karlie Kloss, who is married to billionaire businessman Joshua Kushner.
“Karlie Kloss is another person who has a lot more behind them than their focus on modeling or acting,” said Kayla.
Along with the family’s reputation for banking, Kayla’s family also boasts an impressive political pedigree – having served as Gerald Ford’s vice president between 1974 and 1977, with her great-grandfather, Nelson Rockefeller.
But unlike Prince Harry, Kayla says she has no intention of ever exposing her family’s rollercoaster history in the pages of a book.
“We are the last people to ever write a tell-all,” she shared. “I feel extremely blessed to come from my family, we are a close-knit family.
“I would say two things about that: the Rockefeller brand, it’s a family, but it’s also turned into a brand and I feel like it’s so ingrained and it’s amazing that the history is so deep. I’m so grateful to be even a small part of that.’