Several analysts feel the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gone too far in exploiting their royal titles, and there is “zero chance” of the couple regaining the king’s favor.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “capitalizing on the Sussex name,” it is reported that even if Harry asked forgiveness from his father, “the best he could hope for would be crumbs from the royal table.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been developing an empire since they were cut off from cash after leaving their royal duties.
The Sussexes, who raise their two children, Archie and Lilibet, in Santa Barbara, California, signed a multi-year contract with Netflix and an agreement with Spotify through Archewell Audio.
The Spotify arrangement with Archewell, which began as a non-profit but later became a for-profit media production company, expired in June 2024 but was taken up by Netflix.
People report “They are developing a movie and a scripted series.A film, a television series, plus a few unscripted shows.”
In addition to podcasts, book publishing, and other media endeavors, Meghan has established her latest venture, American Riviera Orchard, a lifestyle brand. She teased the brand on Instagram in the spring, and it soon expanded from selling fruit spreads and tableware to fragrances and body care, as well as gardening tools and sets.
Riding on the back of the royals
Doug Eldridge, celebrity branding specialist and head of Achilles Public Relations, tells Fox News Digital that Harry and Meghan’s independent success depends on enhancing their royal titles in business deals.
“If recent history is any indication, they’re not just likely to do so; their success is almost dependent on them doing so,” Eldridge says of the couple’s benefit from the royal brand. Prior to their separation from the royal family, Harry and Meghan had vastly different paths and levels of global renown.Everything they’ve done after [their royal exit] has been based on their royal connections.
According to Hilary Fordwich, a royal expert, 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 asks, “If it weren’t for his family, what would Harry’s unique selling point be? Furthermore, all affection, respect, notoriety, social acceptance, and demand bestowed upon any member of the royal family is predicated on their hereditary dignity and position. “He wanted neither but all of the former?”
Exploiting their titles
Experts who have commented on the Sussexes and their empire say the pair must be cautious about how they monetize their titles if they wish to reconcile with the royal family.
According to royal writer Russell Myers, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not be accepted back into the royal family if they continue to profit from their titles.
“They can’t make money from their associations with the royal family,” Myers says 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 continues: “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 royal reunion is too late.
“There is really no foreseeable way in which they’ll ever be welcomed back,” Andersen elaborates. “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 suggests that Harry and Meghan leverage their “California-centric celebrity” for business rather than “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 does not have the shine’
Meanwhile, Eldridge believes the couple’s financial push under the family name will continue indefinitely. “Can they be prevented from exploiting their former/current royal status? “Probably not,” he replies.
He says, “Harry was beloved all around the world. Meghan was popular among a small segment of the American television population. She rose to prominence during the 2018 wedding and there after faced public relations challenges. Taylor Swift is the only person on the earth who can make billions of dollars presenting the same story about a ‘girl done wrong’ to new audiences with open wallets. Meghan lacks the shine.
