Meghan Markle’s Recent Money Move Could Harm Prince Harry's Security Battle, Claims Expert
Prince Harry request for state-funded automatic security in the UK is currently under review.
When Meghan Markle’s partnership with OneOff, an AI-driven shopping platform, was announced, she was touring Australia with Prince Harry in April this year. The collaboration gave her an opportunity to advertise all her outfits from the visit on the platform and earn a portion of the profits. At the time, the monetisation move may have either seemed like a business masterstroke or a desperate side hustle, depending on which side of the balance one stood on. But what no one could have predicted was the can of worms that the association could potentially open for the Sussexes.
The first brick-bat had come Markle’s way when she put up the outfit she had worn while meeting survivors of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. The criticism was so intense that it had to be quietly taken off the platform. However, as per royal expert Stacy Schaverien, there is a much bigger problem that the partnership could cause the Sussexes - their fight for automatic police protection in the UK.
It is no secret that Harry is currently locked in a battle to reinstate his and his family’s automatic security in the UK, which is normally granted to the working members of the royal family. He had challenged the High Court ruling, which had not been in his favor, and the matter is currently under review. The primary bone of contention in the case is the fact that automatic security is paid for by taxpayers, and they were stripped of that privilege when they stepped away from the monarchy in 2020.
Markle and Harry had undertaken charity events and engagements, much akin to a royal tour, during their visit to Australia. The Duchess combined the trip with a move that earned her monetary benefits through her partnership with OneOff. In an article for Hello!, Schaverien wondered how that would play out if the Sussexes were to get automatic security in the UK. “If Harry wins back the right to taxpayer-funded security for him and his family, how will that play out when he and Meghan visit the UK? Will Meghan use those visits – which might be filled with charity engagements - as an opportunity to generate income too, as she did with the couple’s Australian tour? If she does, critics would rightly question whether taxpayers should be footing the bill for security,” she wrote.
The situation could be a lot similar to the ‘half-in, half-out’ approach that the late Queen Elizabeth had reportedly rejected, before Harry and Markle left the UK. As per Schaverien, the late monarch recognized that their plan to stay within the institution, have financial independence, and still continue to do charity work was “fraught with complications”. Harry and Markle have endeavoured into various income sources after leaving the royal family through their deals with Netflix and Spotify, both of which came to an abrupt end. The Duchess is also currently growing her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
Markle's OneOff partnership is certainly a lucrative source of income. But it could prove to be an expensive one, if it costs them their automatic police protection in the UK, especially as the Invictus Games return to Harry’s home country next year.
