Prince Harry on the set of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Photo / Supplied
Prince Harry on the set of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Photo / Supplied
There’s one glaring question at the end of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare: What’s next?
In the book, the Duke of Sussex makes some staggering revelations about his strained relationship with his father Charles and his brother William - and his real feelings about his stepmother Camilla, reports Page Six.
But after cashing in $20 million (NZ$31m) from Penguin Random House for a three-book deal - not to mention millions more from Netflix for the docuseries Harry & Meghan - where does that leave the Sussexes financially?
Isolated from the royal family, with no way forward for reconciliation, they now find themselves in a position where even the US isn’t sure what to make of them, writes Page Six’s Sara Nathan.
Global branding and PR expert Mark Borkowski told the outlet they have “lost the sympathy vote”, while the New York Times published a piece headlined “Has Prince Harry’s Spare changed public opinion of him?”
When the pair first left the UK in 2020, they quickly signed lucrative deals to tell their story and maintain financial independence, having begun talks with Netflix as far back as late 2018.
More recently, Harry has given four major interviews to promote Spare, including on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and 60 Minutes.
Prince Harry talks to CBS's Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes. Photo / via CBS
It’s also rumoured the memoir could have been published in two parts, but that idea was axed, Nathan writes.
She continues: “But one Hollywood industry source wondered, ‘How do Harry and Meghan make money now?’”
The Sussexes’ next book is reportedly focused on “leadership and philanthropy”, and according to Page Six, Meghan could be penning her own memoir.
As for their three-year deal with Spotify, it’s not yet known when - or if - Meghan’s podcast Archetypes will return for another season.
It’s also unclear whether Netflix will extend or renew their deal with the couple, and while they are reportedly in talks for several brand deals, nothing has been signed.
Nathan suggests that one way forward for Meghan might be to relaunch her lifestyle blog, The Tig, having revealed she was thinking of returning to Instagram.
It's not clear whether Meghan Markle's Archetypes podcast will be back for a second season. Photo / Spotify
As for Harry, he, like William received the bulk of his mother Diana’s fortune when she died in 1997, also inheriting millions from his great-grandmother the Queen Mother after her death in 2002. It’s unknown whether he inherited anything from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.
Until June 2020, the Sussexes were bankrolled by King Charles, but as Harry told Oprah Winfrey in their television interview, his inheritance funded the move to America: “I’ve got what my mum left me. Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
Sources reveal that Harry and Meghan have been spending up to $2.9 million (NZ$4.6m) a year on security, but that cost may skyrocket after Harry’s admission that he killed 25 Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan.
And since moving to the US and losing security provided by the palace, Harry has grown increasingly concerned for his family’s safety. He took legal action against British authorities last year after being blocked from having private bodyguards with him in the UK.
