Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hope for ‘year of redemption’ after challenging 2023

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 at Merkur Spiel-Arena in September in Duesseldorf, Germany. Photo / Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are hoping for a “year of redemption” after a challenging 2023, sources close to the couple have told a US magazine.

It comes after they suffered a number of setbacks this year, including the premature cancellation of their Spotify contract, a “near-catastrophic car chase” in New York and an £8.7 million ($17.5 million) drop in donations to their Archewell Foundation.

A source close to the couple told US Weekly that “Harry and Meghan think 2024 will be the year of redemption”.

Another source added that the pair were “in extremely high demand” and that they were being courted for various speaking engagements, as well as business and entertainment collaborations.

The Duke and Duchess are also reportedly thinking of moving their family, including children Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, out of Montecito to nearby Los Angeles, in closer proximity to Hollywood.

It comes as Meghan, 42, is preparing to announce a new commercial venture in 2024, after it was pushed back from this year.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, left, and Britain's Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, participate in The Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit "Mental Wellness in the Digital Age" as part of Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day Festival in October in New York. Photo / AP

She also recently teased new film and television projects as she joined Hollywood stars at a “Power of Women” gala in Los Angeles last month.

As she walked the red carpet, the Duchess said she and Prince Harry, 39, “have so many exciting things on the slate”.

“I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating. My husband is loving it too, which is really fun,” she added.

The mother-of-two also said she was “thrilled” to have returned to the entertainment industry.

Before marrying the Duke of Sussex, she starred in the popular US legal drama Suits. The show, which aired its last episodes in 2019, has recently enjoyed a resurgence after being added to Netflix in the US in July.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023. Photo / Getty Images

‘Laser-focused’ on charity work

One of the sources suggested to the American magazine that the Suits team might be “working on a big deal,” and said Meghan had a few projects pending for the new year.

However, in 2023 the couple faced very public satirical swipes aimed at them, as well as at their commercial ventures, since “stepping back” from the Royal family in 2020.

Animated television programmes South Park and Family Guy both mocked the couple, ridiculing their aim for privacy and for receiving millions of dollars from Netflix.

The Sussexes’ Netflix offerings to date include a six-part docuseries, Harry and Meghan, which was released in December 2022. It included extensive interviews with the couple and featured reams of family video footage.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Family Guy. Photo / Fox

Shortly after the series was broadcast, The Telegraph revealed that the couple did not plan to star in any more of their own programmes, but would instead focus on their work behind the camera as executive producers, creating “fictional, scripted content” such as romantic comedies.

It was revealed this week that the Duchess of Sussex returned to her acting roots with a role in a new advert for her powdered “wellness” latte brand.

One of the sources said the Duchess remained “laser-focused” on the couple’s charitable Archewell Foundation, which recently recorded a loss of US$674,485 ($1,071,655) last year after bringing in revenue of US$2 million ($3.18 million) but with costs of US$2.67 million ($4.24 million).

“Everything she considers must fall in line with an Archewell initiative,” they said.

This year, Archewell has given out US$1,252,895 ($1,990,662) in donations and highlighted 38 causes, 19 of which have received financial support. They range in topic from racial bias in the American legal system to online misinformation.

Representatives for the Sussexes have been contacted for comment.