Kim Kardashian Once Got Backlash Over Prince Harry And Meghan Markle
Kim Kardashian has truly made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. When she and her family landed their reality show "Keeping Up with The Kardashians" in 2007, it catapulted the family into a world of fame and success. Kardashian used the fame from the reality show to build an entire empire. From creating multiple businesses to delving into politics, Kardashian has ventured into things she is passionate about.
Now, her success did not come without controversy. In fact, her entire family has been the subject of criticism for years. Many believe the Kardashians are famous for no reason at all and do not deserve the fame they have gotten. The SKIMS creator has had a long history of receiving backlash from the general public. In 2017, she was accused of darkening her skin in a promotional ad for her brand KKW Beauty. Although she denied that she darkened her skin, fans were not happy as it was a noticeable contrast from how she looked in real life. In 2022, Kardashian faced another round of criticism after her interview with Variety magazine was released where she had given harsh advice to working women. Many felt it wasn't her place to criticize other working women because she has privilege in a way that many people do not.
It's clear that Kardashian has not been everyone's favorite, as she has a long list of controversial moments. One of which involved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Kim Kardashian's app caused royal uproar
Fans of the royal family said it was game over when it came to Kim Kardashian's app "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood." The virtual app allows users to experience the Hollywood scene as they face different scenarios to increase their fame to A–list status. However, one situation in the game didn't sit well with players as they felt it was a dig toward former royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In 2021, the app released a "Royal Runaways" portion of the game. The two characters named Prince Ashton and Princess Bianca looked eerily similar to Prince Harry and Meghan. Besides looks, the characters were also dealing with identical situations the royals were facing in real life. For example, the game characters did a sit-down interview like the one Prince Harry and Meghan did with Oprah. In the game, Princess Bianca shared, "Prince Aston has done everything in his power to welcome me into the Royal Family. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about everyone in his family." The characters also criticized the queen in the game before they announced their departure from the virtual royal family. According to The Sun, many users felt the "Royal Runaways" was distasteful toward Prince Harry, Meghan, and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Much of the criticism was directed toward Kardashian as she was the game's creator. It got so bad that the reality star scraped the "Royal Runaways" portion of the game altogether.
Kim Kardashian quickly reacted to Royal Runaways
Kim Kardashian's "Royal Runaways" game in her app "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" quickly got deleted after backlash arose from the app's users. The game which seemed to reflect Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's difficult royal journey did not sit well with those who avidly played the game. According to Page Six, a source revealed that Kardashian was unaware of the controversy but when she discovered why people were upset she "immediately took steps to ensure it was taken down." The SKIMS creator went even further to conduct an "internal investigation" so a similar situation would not happen again.
After receiving "valuable feedback" from consumers, Glu Mobile, who works with "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," ensured that the "Royal Runaways" portion of the game was removed from the game. The company also issued an apology to those who were offended by the situation. They said, "It's clear we missed the mark with this, and we sincerely apologize." Glu Mobile also vaguely responded to the similarities between the game characters and Prince Harry and Meghan, although they never directly mentioned them by name. They said, "We did not intend to direct any negativity towards any particular person or groups of people."
Prince Harry and Meghan never responded to the controversy (probably because they had much bigger things to deal with). However, fans of Kardashian can still download and play "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," but will not see any royal-related content.