Get #Megxit done? Yeah, Prince Harry’s finding out that might be a bit more complicated. Funny that
They may have left The Firm, but she’s ready to rule the A-list
‘Their friends are worried that they’re on different paths’
He gave his swan song as a frontline royal last week, poignantly stepping away from the only life he’s ever known and catching a one-way flight to Canada. But if Prince Harry thought he was leaving behind a world of high-profile events, VIP hobnobbing, and headline grabbing, he had another think coming. According to insiders, Meghan’s vision for “a more independent life” looks somewhat different: while he’s craving total peace and isolation, she’s got her sights set on Hollywood.
“Harry’s been wanting to get out of the royal bubble for years,” says an insider close to the Duke of Sussex, who last week told an audience at a charity do that he’d had “no other option”, but to resign from royal duty. “He’s never been comfortable in the spotlight – especially given the way his mother died. But it seems like Meghan’s only just getting started with her plans to build her own personal brand. Their friends are worried that they’re on completely different paths.”
The initial terms of #Megxit were revealed last week in a statement from Buckingham
Palace, which confirmed that Harry and Meghan were dropping their royal duties, including official military appointments, and would no longer be receiving public funding nor using their HRH titles. It added that they would be repaying the £2.4million in public money used to refurbish their official residence Frogmore Cottage. The Queen said she hoped the agreement would enable them to “start building a happy and peaceful new life”.
But in no time, their plans for
a supposedly low-key existence came into question – especially with the emergence of a video from last summer, in which Harry was filmed telling Disney CEO Bob Iger that Meghan was “really interested” in doing voiceover work (while Meghan schmoozed with Beyoncé nearby). Shortly afterwards, Netflix boss Ted Sarandos said he’d be keen to work with the renegade royals. Meanwhile, despite dropping their HRH titles, the couple’s glamorous website Sussexroyal.com was active (and branded with their emblem, a crown above an entwined H and M).
According to our insider, it’s actress Meghan who’s driving their transition from British to Hollywood royalty, and she’s calling in the big guns with their A-list connections . “Meghan isn’t bothered about losing the HRH title,” our source reveals. “She doesn’t see it as a setback, because her ultimate goal is to build her own brand. She has her sights on becoming American royalty, but it’s not exactly the kind of life that Harry signed up for. Despite Canada being their main residence, she sees LA as a massive part of their long-term future – they need to look the part on every level, and that means updating their style and getting in shape. Meghan wants him to get a whole new wardrobe of designer suits and casual outfits. She wants him to up his fitness, too. It not an option to look anything but A-list. It’s quite an adjustment for Harry.”
It’s no secret that the couple, who are parents to eight-month-old son Archie, take pride in their famous friendships. Their wedding in 2017 was a who’s who of celebrity, with Serena Williams, George and Amal Clooney, and Oprah Winfrey among the guests.
And, while Meghan railed against the public scrutiny that came with being a royal, she’s also made full use of its opportunities – including guest-editing Vogue and hanging out with the Obamas.
Now that they’re no longer officially representing the Queen, they’re free to embrace all the opportunities that Hollywood has to offer. ■