Several experts say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gone too far by exploiting their royal titles, and that there is “zero chance” of the couple getting back into the king’s good graces.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “capitalizing on the Sussex name,” it’s said that even if Harry begged for his father’s forgiveness, “the best he could hope for would be crumbs from the royal table.”
Keep reading to learn about the growing divide between the royal renegades and the family!
Since they were cut off from finances when they stepped away from their royal roles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been building an empire.
The Sussexes, who are raising their two children Archie and Lilibet in their Santa Barbara, California home, signed a multi-year deal with Netflix and through Archewell Audio, they snagged a deal with Spotify.
The Spotify deal with Archewell, which started as a non-profit but expanded into a for profit media production company, came to an end in June 2024 but was picked up by Netflix.
People reports “They have a movie in development, a [scripted] series that they’re working on…a movie, a TV show and a couple of unscripted shows.”
In addition to podcasts, book publishing and other media projects, Meghan launched her newest venture, a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard. The company, which she teased on Instagram in the spring, quickly grew from selling fruit spreads and tableware, to fragrances and body care, to gardening tools and sets.
Riding the backs of the royals
Doug Eldridge, celebrity branding expert and founder of Achilles PR, tells Fox News Digital that Harry and Meghan’s independent success is dependent on boosting their royal titles in business dealings.
“If recent history is any indicator, they’re not just likely to do so, their success is almost dependent upon them doing so,” Eldridge explains of the couple gaining from the royal brand. “Harry and Meghan had very different paths – and levels of global popularity – prior to their… split from the royal family…Everything they’ve done since [their royal exit] has been off the backs of their royal connection.”
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich agrees with Eldridge, saying that when the couple left the family, “they obviously didn’t realize that the success of any service or product was determined by the power of its unique selling point (USP).”
Fordwich remarks, “If it weren’t for his family, what would be Harry’s USP? In addition, all the adoration, respect, notoriety, social acceptance and demand accorded to any member of the royal family is based on their inherited dignity and role. He wanted neither but wanted all the former?”
Exploiting their titles
Offering their thoughts on the Sussexes and their empire, experts say the couple needs to be careful with how they monetize their titles if they want to make peace with the royal family.
Royal correspondent Russell Myers claims the Duke and Duchess of Sussex won’t be welcomed back into the royal’s good graces if they continue to exploit their titles for a profit.
“They can’t go about making money off their associations with the royal family,” Myers tells Sky News Australia. “They’re going to [have to] sort of realize, if they’re going to have a relationship with the rest of the royal family, they can’t go about trashing them.”
He adds, “Hopefully, they’ll see that the royal family are very united without them, and if they do want a relationship, going forward, they need to take the steam out of their relationship and out of the things they say sometimes.”
Christopher Andersen, author of “The King” tells Fox News Digital that’s it’s too late for a royal reconciliation.
“There is really no foreseeable way in which they’ll ever be welcomed back,” Andersen says. “Even if Harry was to throw himself at the king’s feet and beg for forgiveness – which Harry is not about to do – the best he could hope for would be crumbs from the royal table, and the sort of grudging acceptance that is currently being afforded to Harry’s disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew.”
Andersen recommends Harry and Meghan use their “California-centric celebrity” for business instead of “overtly capitalizing on the Sussex name and Windsor connection.”
“Even then, there would still be acrimony, and zero chance of Harry getting back into the king’s and William’s good graces,” he says. “If Harry and Meghan are determined to monetize their titles, then they’ll just be digging that hole deeper and deeper…”
‘Meghan doesn’t have the sparkle’
Meanwhile, Eldridge says there’s likely no ending the couple’s financial drive under the family’s name. “Can they be prohibited from monetizing their former/current royal status? Probably not,” he says.
He adds, “Harry was beloved around the world. Meghan enjoyed small-scale popularity with a niche American TV-viewing audience. She burst onto the global scene during the 2018 wedding, then burst into PR flames…Taylor Swift is the only person on the planet who can make billions of dollars telling the same story about a ‘girl done wrong’ to fresh ears and open wallets. Meghan doesn’t have the sparkle.”
