Mexit, or the break-off of Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan Markle, from the royal family is not as sure as it seemed a few days ago. The couple might want to hold off on mass production of the “royal logo” they copyrighted in order to profit from the Sussex brand. The crown may not be too pleased about it and is signaling that the royal titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may not come with the break-up agreement.
In a historic statement, Queen Elizabeth wrote, “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.” The queen’s use of their first names and not their royal titles has some people questioning if the titles might be stripped from them in the deal. The royal family met in a conference that is trending on Twitter under the #SandringhamSummit to discuss the break-up.
The Daily Mail reports that aides working closely with the family are expected to “clamp down on Harry and Meghan using their titles to line their pockets.” One source told the newspaper, “There will be strict instructions on branding, for example. No one wants to see the Sussexes’ name on a tub of margarine.”
These concerns boiled over when Meghan Markle posted a photo of their new logo on Instagram and news broke about the copyright claims and plans to market their brand on commercial items. While Harry and Meghan insist on being “financially independent,” one wonders why they have to negotiate any settlement at all. From the Daily Mail:
But the pair are already millionaires. Their joint wealth is estimated to be around £18million, according to writer David McClure, who has investigated royal finances.
Harry inherited nearly £7 million from his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, but this will have grown with investment, and he is also thought to have had an inheritance from the Queen Mother, so is believed to have around £10-15 million.
The duchess, said to be worth £2-3 million, pocketed a reported £333,000 per season for six runs of the legal drama Suits, as well as earning an income from feature films and fashion collections.
The privileged pair don’t seem to be a couple of newlyweds who will be struggling to make meals anytime soon. Markle was criticized for not showing up to the Sandringham summit and instead planned to call in via Skype. The palace shut that idea down.
“While the Queen has no objection in principle to Skype or conference calls, for clarity’s sake it is more likely that Harry will break off from the negotiations to call the Duchess,” an aide told the Daily Mail.
Public reactions to the dramatic goings-on are amusing.
We had to hold a similar family summit recently, to find out who’d been putting the Celebrations wrappers back in the tub. 🤨#SandringhamSummit
— Tony Shepherd (@tonysheps) January 13, 2020
Let them be independent. Stop the reimbursement of office costs, security, use of Frogmore and take away HRH from them. Let them be #HarryandMeghan with no Senior Royal Privilege/expectation that goes with it. You can't have your cake and eat it. #SandringhamSummit #royalcrisis
— Alan Surgeon (@AlanSurgeon) January 13, 2020
“New year, new us” 💞
Hazza and NutMeg’s first day at work.#SandringhamSummit #royalcrisis #ShowdownAtSandringham pic.twitter.com/90kMVHi8Bc— Lord Dixie Normous (@MassAppeal93) January 13, 2020
Megan Fox is the author of “Believe Evidence; The Death of Due Process from Salome to #MeToo.” Follow on Twitter @MeganFoxWriter
