Prince Harry, Meghan Markle are harming Queen Elizabeth II with Time 100 cover

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have allegedly disrespected Queen Elizabeth II by agreeing to do a cover shoot for Time magazine.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were named by the publication as part of this year's 100 most influential people in the world. They graced the cover in what many thought to be a very edited photo and were also featured in a couple more pictures inside.

The reactions to their title were varied: there were those who congratulated them while others were sceptical. But according to Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, their cover photo can negatively affect the reputation of the British monarchy.

"Meghan and Harry landing a cover spot of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People will be seen as a stab in the heart of the Monarchy's reputation because of the greater implicit credibility it affords them and their previous claims against the crown," he told Newsweek.

"The strategy Harry's built is to out gun William and to be seen as the authentic prince on a global stage and it's been beautifully executed. They're very disciplined at it," Schiffer continued adding, "The combination of the leaks and the framing of themselves in part as victims of certain behaviour and on top of that connecting in such authentic ways with global Gen Z and Millennial audiences and allowing them to actually feel what it's like to interact with a member of the royal family, that on a human level has been powerful."

It was only in March that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the public with their claims against the crown in their interview with Oprah Winfrey. They had talked about racism happening in the palace when a senior royal allegedly raised concerns about how dark their son Archie's skin colour would be before he was born.

The former "Suits" star also shared that she had suicidal thoughts and asked the institution for help for her mental health. But they refused her as it would reportedly not look good on the institution.

Suffice to say, their Time 100 cover came just six months since their explosive interview. As such, it was a surprise for some to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named as influential given their rift with the British royals. Royal biographer Angela Levin called it a great misjudgement of character on the part of the magazine because she thinks the couple does not make good examples of family values.