Stepping down from their royal duties and settling in sunny California didn’t prevent the Sussexes from keeping up with their luxurious lifestyle.
Among the rest, Harry and Meghan secured a five-year $100 million production deal with Netflix, which released their documentary, and made deals with Spotify.
Harry published his much-anticipated all-tell memoir Spare which sold in a staggering 1.4 million copies on its first day in the UK, United States, and Canada. Spare has been released in 16 different languages worldwide and is expected to be the best-selling book in 2023.
“We always knew this book would fly, but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations,” Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld Penguin Random House, said.
As Harry was cut-off financially when he left his royal family behind, he and Meghan have been forced to worked their way of making money and supporting their lavish lifestyle. With the deals they made, Meghan’s net worth of around $60 million and the $14 million princess Diana left Harry, they seem to be doing just fine.
Later on, the media group run by Harry and Meghan, Archewell Audio, and streaming giant Spotify announced that they had mutually agreed to end their multi-million dollar contract. Allegedly, Spotify expected more content from Archewell Studios.
Harry and Meghan on the other hand issued a statement saying they didn’t like the idea of distributing exclusively to Spotify. In their description, Archewell Audio’s company says its mission is “producing programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world,” as well as “spotlights diverse perspectives and voices. What’s most, they want to build “community through shared experience, narratives, and values.”
Bill Simmons, who founded Spotify and later sold it for around $200 million but now serves as the company’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, called the Sussexes “grifters.”
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The Fucking Grifters, that’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” Simmons said on the Bill Simmons podcast.
“I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories … Fu*k them. The grifters.”
However, despite the failed deal, Harry and Meghan have found ways to finance their lifestyle.
“[Meghan] would not have been happy with the ultimately quiet or truly independent/non-royal lives that William and Harry’s cousins actually live,” royal commentator Jane Barr wrote in her From Berkshire to Buckingham newsletter, as reported by the NY Post.
“Meghan wanted to take her HRH and her title and be a superstar in her own sphere on the international stage,” adding that it would be “wholly separate from the control of the crown.”
Most recently, Meghan presented the world with a luxurious brand, American Riviera Orchard. In the promotional video, she was featured walking around the beautiful mansion and cooking.
The first product, a lemon-filled gift basket containing fresh fruit jam, was sent to the Duchess’ closest 50 friends, many of whom celebrities.
As per her PR expert Mayah Riaz, Meghan could make as much as seven figures within the first month of launching the brand.
“So far, the jams have been sent to only 50 people. This suggests that it will be an exclusive and limited edition item,” Riaz shared with the Mirror.
“It has already been reported a single jam jar could cost three figures. I believe that is entirely likely from what we have seen so far. This is not rare for a celebrity brand.”
The PR expert added, “Therefore, my estimation is that American Riveria Orchard in under a year could make Meghan seven figures. It is entirely possible for the brand to make multi-seven figures by the end of next year,” the PR guru added.
The products the consumers will be able to choose from include oils, home fragrances, kitchen utensils, and homeware. That Meghan’s popularity is huge speaks the fact that her brand’s Instagram page gained hundreds of thousands of followers in the first 24 hours.
What remains unknown is when Meghan’s brand will go live. As per royal expert Tom Quinn, Meghan wasn’t happy with the public’s reception of American Riviera Orchard.
“The one fly in the ointment is Meghan’s new internet brand, America Riviera Orchard. Meghan was in tears when the brand launched, and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special. She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized,” Quinn said.
Harry is also convinced that the “people are unfairly picking on [his wife]”.
“She is especially sensitive about any criticism of her luxurious lifestyle in the US – from her point of view, this is something to be admired, not criticized.”
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