I’m a Royal Expert – Harry and Meghan Have Changed Course and It’s Time to See Them Differently
EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: With their move back to the UK, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are playing by a new set of rules.
WHEN news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were returning to the UK, a number of royal commentators were confused. Security was always one of the main reasons the Duke of Sussex gave for not bringing his family back to the UK. Their bespoke security arrangement - one of the major sticking points - has not changed, yet sources close to the couple still announced their sensational return. Many – myself included – looked to Harry, citing reports from sources that said he was ‘energized’ by his meeting with the King and Queen at Highgrove.
We saw the delightful album Meghan uploaded to Instagram from Althorp, as sources told me directly that the Spencer side of the family was very much ‘part of the story.’ Meghan, meanwhile, was “just taking one for the team,” according to esteemed commentator Jennie Bond. Her initial analysis appeared to be correct, with Meghan herself suggesting in those infamous interviews that she was never truly happy in the UK. However, the final piece of the puzzle came with the news that Meghan would be returning to her acting roots and was in advanced talks to join the cast of Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix series, The Gentleman.
But then came the confusion. Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair, claimed on X/Twitter that the offer had been withdrawn and the advance talks were seemingly called off. However, I spoke to sources who told me that the Sussex team hasn't heard anything about that, and the discussion was still very much underway, and things look good to go. Brown, 72, claimed the reasoning behind the withdrawal of the role was due to ‘immense backlash’. Whilst the reception was always going to be mixed, I feel that the intense scrutiny behind their return in particular is somewhat unfair in places.
As a long-time royal commentator, I confess that I’ve previously been a critic of Harry and Meghan, even a stern one at times. The line that I've always taken, alongside many other royal commentators, has always been that one could never begrudge the pair for making money and making their own way in the world, as long as they don't slam or exploit the Monarchy and they follow the deal made at the Sandringham Summit before their departure in January of 2020. Unfortunately, their previous moves have fallen foul of that red line. The Oprah Winfrey interview was the first warning shot, as both Harry and Meghan created a whirlpool of speculation around the Royal Family with implied allegations of racism when they spoke about vague conversations of speculation relating to Archie’s skin colour before he was born. The fact that the family members involved went unnamed only increased speculation.
Of course, at the time, Prince Philip was seriously ill, which only seemed to exacerbate the ill-feeling. This was before their Netflix docuseries, where Meghan caused some hurt in the UK when she seemed to parody the tradition of curtsying in front of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. For many, regardless of any self-deprecating intent that might have been, it came across that she was mocking the pomp and circumstance of the country. That impression was unfortunately laid bare, and it was something many took personally. Despite increasing pleas for privacy, Harry went into detail by putting private information relating to his family into the public domain through his memoir, Spare. The amount of damage the duo has previously caused cannot be overstated, with their public comments giving many the impression that Britain is a toxic and perhaps even racist place. The fact that Prince William was filmed having to address questions of whether his family was racist on walkabouts was an absolutely appalling thing to see. Unfortunately, Harry and Meghan have somewhat backed themselves into a corner through their past actions. To many in the public, they became known for capitalizing on the institution whilst continuing to repeatedly criticise it. For much of the public, this was going to be difficult to forgive.
However, the criticism levelled at Meghan in recent days has been really unnerving to a certain extent, especially when we look forward at their future. Sources close to the couple affirmed that the duo was not going to become full-time working members of the Royal Family again, nor were they looking to do so. There was not going to be any half-in, half-out situation. Harry’s main sticking point has always been that bringing Meghan and the kids back to the UK was very much the security aspect, and that had not changed. So why now? The drama series gives us both the answer about Meghan's acting and the reasoning for the move. But not only was it the piece to the puzzle full of questions, but it simultaneously confirmed the narrative that the couple were looking to continue in the commercial endeavours and not rejoin the firm.
Whilst they may not have established the foothold in the US they might have otherwise wanted with recent projects, it cannot be denied that they had nothing to do with the Royal Family. When it came to her appearance on MasterChef Australia, commentators lambasted her for using the Duchess of Sussex title. While that was bestowed on her and Prince Harry by Her Late Majesty the Queen on the occasion of their wedding, it’s still just a hereditary title which forms part of the peerage system of the aristocracy and using it for commercial gain is not something where there is no precedent. A number of other dukes have had huge financial success in the commercial world outside of the royal establishment, such as the Duke of Devonshire, who runs a huge commercial operation that centres around Chatsworth House. Meanwhile, the Duke of Westminster oversees a multi-billion-pound international investment and property company. There are 24 non-royal individuals who hold 29 non-royal dukedoms in the UK peerage system.
When it comes to her lifestyle projects, her Daytime Emmy Award-nominated show With Love, Megan, did not contain a single mention of the Royal Family outside of Prince Harry. Many critics have pointed to the fact that she appears inauthentic in the programme, bringing on characters presented as ‘friends,’ who did not exactly share a long history. Then they point to the fact that she cooked and filmed in a house that isn't her own. From a showbiz perspective, we're in an age where audiences crave authenticity and programming with proper substance. But she was also following precedent. Many TV chefs, from Gordon Ramsay to Nigella Lawson, have made global programs that they have not cooked up in their own homes. Whilst there may have been a significant amount to analyse from a showbiz perspective – particularly when it came to the content itself - from a Royal lens, the programme was nothing but harmless, inoffensive, and aspirational fun. When it comes to her As Ever products, again, they are not connected to the Institution in any way, shape, or form. Meghan isn’t even the first senior royal to launch a food range, as Charles, the then-Prince of Wales, released his own charity label titled Duchy Originals in 1990. Meghan’s most recent release was a documentary called Cookie Queens, which focused on Girl Scouts. Whilst these have varied in success, the point stands that her most recent creative outings were a far cry from the anti-institution outbursts of their previous endeavours and did not contain any content of the sort.
Meghan may now want to emulate creatives like Gwyneth Paltrow to complete acting projects whilst specialising in lifestyle content. This will come as she supports her husband, who remains incredibly passionate about his worthwhile causes, while he takes steps to reconcile with his family in a personal and private manner. At the moment, Harry and Meghan are not slamming the institution; instead, they want to reconcile with members on a private level, whilst keeping their distance from the firm itself. Some have speculated that this is just a stepping stone to become working members of the Royal Family again. The geographical change may be a game-changer for personal relationships, but it doesn’t change anything when it comes to Mexit. Now, of course, we are bound to ask questions around Prince William and the fact that they're in closer geographical proximity to the royal family. Does that mean that we can see a reconciliation coming up in the future? Perhaps. Will there be added pressure for the Prince of Wales to reconcile with his brother on a personal level, similar in a way to their father? That's also possibly the case.
If Duchess Meghan is dropped from the Netflix drama, I also think that would be a real loss for Guy Ritchie and the streamer. Whatever people’s views are, Meghan is still very much a global name both in the UK and around the world. Featuring her in any project would give it free publicity worldwide. After this week, more people will know about The Gentleman than ever, just in time for the premiere of its second season. From a showbiz perspective, the resulting interest from just an attachment to the project alone was absolutely huge.
I've previously interviewed a number of commentators for The Royal Observer, including Sam McAllister, who spoke about the ‘risk’ when it came to press opportunities for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I said how I would love to see Meghan Markle sit in a junket setting – in this instance alongside Guy Ritchie. I would love to see her conduct interviews with more journalists. If they were fun television series-focused interviews, that could also help to tackle what people see as a problem with ‘authenticity’. If she is asked and then doesn't want to answer questions around the royal family, she doesn't have to. She could say, "I'd rather not answer that. Let's just focus on this TV series, which I'm here to promote, and I'm really excited about,” something celebrities have done time and time again and is not unusual on the promotional circuit.
Going forward here on The Royal Observer, I want to be fair to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Criticism just for the sake of criticism is something that you will not find on any of our platforms. What you will see is detailed and fair analysis, breakdowns, interviews with exclusive commentators, new insights, and well-sourced information. Undoubtedly, there are questions that lie ahead that we don’t have answers to – especially when it comes to the relationship between Harry and his estranged brother. These dynamics are ever fascinating, and there is little sign that they will be retreating any time soon. But going into this game-changing chapter in modern royal history, fair reporting is what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex deserve going forward.
