Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Slammed For 'Piggybacking' Off the Royal Family: 'They've Got...'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren’t new to criticism, especially when it comes to their professional ventures. The couple has allegedly planned a nine-month 'professional divorce' so that Harry can ‘repair his image’. However, despite their best efforts to better their professional lives, insiders have accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of cashing in on their royal background.
Royal expert Charles Rae, while speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of using the royal family’s name to earn millions. He said, “I've got no objections to Meghan and Harry making money. None whatsoever... however they want to operate now is fine. It's their royal connections that really irritate me. And they're piggybacking off of that a great deal.” According to Rae, it is Markle who is ‘driving everything’. He explained, “And I think she will eventually come a cropper with all this. I mean, she says, 'I don't want to annoy the public.' Well, why not? She has annoyed everybody else. You know, I mean, you know, she's… she's a very annoying person in my view.”
However, Sarah Hewson, another royal expert, felt differently. “I think it is in everyone's interest if she is able to make a success of this and make money off the back of this, because we know they've got a very expensive lifestyle, not least the security costs.” Hewson further reflected on Harry losing his legal battle and the need for the Sussexes to focus on their business ventures. She opined, "Prince Harry, just having lost that court of appeal case, it is in everyone's interest, the Royal Family included, if they are able to be self-sufficient, if they're able to build a life, Prince Harry can do his philanthropy."
Previously, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were similarly accused of leveraging their royal titles to secure high-profile media deals. First, they appeared in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey to discuss their time in the U.K. Later, their Netflix docuseries from 2020 and the Prince’s best-selling tell-all memoir, Spare, also focused on their royal pasts. They reportedly made millions with the deal they bagged with the streaming service, as well as an unsuccessful contract with Spotify. Shortly after, Markle launched her podcast series, Archetypes, in 2022, which was cancelled after just 12 episodes.
The couple’s professional ventures, however, no longer align, as Markle moves forward with her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, and her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. Her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which witnessed a successful first launch, is also another source for the Duchess to bring home the bacon. Basking in the success of her business ventures, she is all set to reportedly re-launch a new season of her show, inviting her celebrity friends to cook together.