Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah Interview are a Royal Act of Balance

The famous long interview, on television and streaming Sunday at 8.pm ET on CBS,

marks the end of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘s efforts to take control of the way life is represented in the media and reinforces what has, to date, been a rare example of British kingdoms successfully leaving what is known as “The Firm” to make big money.

But tensions with their previous employer are growing. On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace said it was investigating allegations made in the UK newspaper The Times of London that the Duchess of Sussex bullied supporters while they worked there. The Duchess of Sussex denies this.

Meanwhile, a teaser clip of Oprah’s interview shows the duchess accusing the palace of “lasting lies” about her and Prince Harry. “If that comes with the risk of losing things, I mean a lot is already lost,” she says.

An unusual public spat is in danger of polluting the monarchy and, subsequently, the nasal brand of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, said Rita Clifton, who chaired the brand consulting firm Interbrand. “Like any branded friendship you want to make sure both are valuable and you don’t want your society to kill the golden goose,” she says.

First, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tried to keep a foot in the royal family. They branded the “Sussex Royal” brand and hoped to report on other small royals that retain their military titles and perform some royal duties while keeping jobs down. But officials at Buckingham Palace said no. The Sussex Royal brand was abandoned and, last month, all formal ties were broken.

This total separation came as a blow to the Sussexes, according to officials. But it may be a commercial resource for the couple, who are now free to accelerate the royal backdrop without the intervention of Buckingham Palace, says David McLure, who has published several books on the finances of British monarchy.

After moving to Montecito in California last year, the Sussexes created Archewell Audio LLC and Archewell Productions LLC to create audio and video content. They also established the Archewell foundation to support their charitable work.

They have signed an agreement to create content for Netflix Inc.

and another to showcase podcasts for Spotify Technology SA

. The multiplayer deal with Netflix is ​​worth around $ 100 million, according to people familiar with the matter

They are signed by the Harry Walker Group to perform speaking duties. The terms of these contracts are not public. The couple no longer receive stipends from Prince Harry’s father, Prince Charles, or money from UK taxpayers.

The Sussexes could become a billion-dollar entity over the next decade if they choose to support products such as cosmetics or apparel, says David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance PLC, a British brand valuation firm .

But much depends on whether the content they make for Netflix or Spotify is hugely popular and whether they can stay on good deals with Queen Elizabeth, he says. “They would make more money if it was all done in a friendly way.”

So far, the couple is playing a careful hand. They appeared at a conference run by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Miami last year. The Duchess of Sussex recently reported on a Disney nature documentary about elephants, a project she started before she left the royal duties. In the Spotify podcast just after Christmas was the couple’s son, Archie. The Duchess has immediately invested in a coffee brand.

The closest thing they contested was Prince Harry’s video appeal before the US election for rejecting “hate speech, misinformation and negativity,” which some people called -reporting seen as half-heartedly then – President Donald Trump and breaking up the royal family long ago. political neutrality. Prince Harry’s advisers have denied any wrongdoing.

“The palace will be a nuisance,” said Mr McLure. If you quit the British royal family “your royal proclamation is still on your shoulders whether you like it or not. So you monetize ties with the monarchy and you may be ashamed of the monarchy. ”

Last month, the couple said they were “committed to their role and service to the UK and around the world” and councilors are playing down the idea of ​​doing anything. not in line with these values.

The British monarchy is full of examples of kingdoms trying to go private. Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, launched a re-closed TV production company. His wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, ran a public relations business but was caught on tape giving critical remarks about Prince Charles.

Even worse was the queen’s uncle, the Duke of Windsor, who retired as king in 1936 to marry a divorced American. To supplement his royal salary, the Duke of Windsor sold his memorabilia and appeared in several magazine interviews. He ended his days living as a refugee just south of Paris. Other extended members of the family have also joined. The queen’s eldest granddaughter opposed an advertising campaign to sell milk in China.

Royal interviews also go wrong in the stables. The queen’s second son, Prince Andrew, was forced to retire after a botched interview in 2019 in which he tried to explain his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Royal onlookers questioned the wisdom of interviews in which Prince Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana spoke about their failed marriage.

Prince Harry has said getting out of the media is a key motivator for leaving the UK. Princess Diana died in 1997 in a car crash while being pursued by paparazzi.

After Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, the couple struggled with the level of harassment into their private lives and how the palace ruled the British media, according to one official. In the US, they are hoping to find a more respectable medium, according to one person who knows their way of thinking.

Last week, the prince appeared on James Corden’s “The Late Late Show” where he was interviewed on a double-decker bus going around Los Angeles before going out through mud during an assault course. Prince Harry played his part in his decision to part with the monarch. “It was a step backwards rather than a retirement,” he said. The prince said the British media was ruining his mental health. Leaving the country, “I did nothing with each other [or] his father would, ”he said.

On the same day as the interview with Ms Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth will also be on the airwaves. The queen and her immediate family, including her two direct heirs, Prince Charles and Prince William, will celebrate “Commonwealth Day” – a celebration of a club of former nations. part of the British Empire – and honors the way in which these countries handled the pandemic. Buckingham Palace officials say the timing of the special program on the British Broadcasting Corps is a real event.

Write to Max Colchester at [email protected]