Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘tied to Netflix and book deals’, says royal expert Tom Bower

By William On Oct 12, 2022

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘stuck with the devil’ over their multimillion-dollar Netflix and book deals because they need the money, a royal expert has said.

Royal biographer Tom Bower claimed the couple’s deals with streaming service and publisher Penguin Random House are “the only way they can make their money.”

Bower added that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who also have a Spotify deal and live in a £13 million house in California – have “no other source of income”.

He said: ‘They need the money and they need it now more than ever because they have no other source of income. So I guess they’re stuck with the devil now.

“They’re tied to Netflix, they’re tied to their book. And all the criticism they’re going to receive makes no sense, because that’s the only way they can earn their money.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will head out on September 10 to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II two days earlier.

Speak with NL News on Monday, Mr Bower added: ‘I don’t see how the Sussexes can give up both the Netflix and the book deal.

“They wouldn’t live in a cottage in Montecito. Rather, they live in a small shack somewhere downtown LA, that’s their problem—they’re stuck now.”

Meghan needs her own brand that isn’t just a ‘grievance brand’, says royal expert Tina Brown

Meghan Markle must develop her own brand that is not just a ‘grievance brand’ if the Sussexes are to be successful worldwide, a royal expert said.

When asked how sustainable the Sussex brand could be around the world now that the couple is half way outside the royal family, ex-Vanity stock editor Tina Brown said Prince Harry, 38, would “always be royal” as King’s son. Charles and Princess Diana.

She told the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday: “He will always have the iconic status that it has. He does have an identity, his Invictus [Games] has authenticity and that helps people.’

But she insisted that Harry’s wife, Meghan, 41, should find her own business and focus on that.

She said: “I think Meghan really needs to find what she cares about most and develop her own kind of brand that isn’t just a complaint brand, that’s actually something that we recognize as hers.

“It’s hard to find that and I don’t think she has found it yet, but I think she could if she rows back from always focusing on what didn’t work.”

Miss Brown, speaking to promote her latest book, The Palace Papers, said that when the Sussexes stepped back as senior royals, they had not anticipated the challenges of life outside the palace operation.

The Sussexes didn’t realize how difficult it was to create a rival platform. You are essentially at the mercy of PRs who [specialise in making people look good].’

“The people who have achieved it, the George Clooneys and the Oprahs, they are very good at it.

“It’s very difficult if you want to be above it. It’s much harder than it looks.’

Bower – whose new book “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors” came out in July – also said that “the only way I can imagine Harry coming out now” is if his father, King Charles III, that could be. ‘help him out’.

The author said the king would have to pay off Netflix and Random House, but this could be done in exchange for a signed deal that would prevent Harry from criticizing the royal family again.

Bower, however, said he wouldn’t expect Meghan to ever sign such a deal, as she “has no interest whatsoever in giving away from silence.”

The author continued: ‘She wants the fight. She wants to screw up the royal family and do bigger things. Hostilities have resumed, I think.’

Speaking to GB News presenter Dan Wootton – also a MailOnline columnist – they also referred to a comment by leading royal biographer Tina Brown who said the Sussexes are poor by Hollywood standards.

Speaking at the Henley Literary Festival this week, Miss Brown said: ‘It’s not very pleasant to be a D-list celebrity who doesn’t have enough money for them. It’s a whole different game to be with those super rich people.

“In Montecito, where they live, their $14 million mansion is a modest house compared to what these other people have.”

Miss Brown, the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, also claimed that Harry’s all-encompassing biography may never be published.

“They’re in a bind now where they took all this money and Harry has a book deal where he’s supposed to tell all about his horrible life as a monarch, but now he’s actually being tortured about it because he understands that there’s no way out.” back when he does,” she said.

“If the book goes through, I don’t think Harry can somehow return. So I’ve always believed that the book will never see the light of day.’

Yesterday, in her latest Spotify podcast, Meghan claimed she had been labeled “crazy” and “hysterical” and said such labels were used to silence women.

The Duchess, 41, said the insults could lead people to be ‘gassed’ into thinking they are sick.

Swiping to movies and TV, she attacked the way the words “casually” were thrown around, “reputations destroyed and careers destroyed.”

Meghan didn’t say who questioned her sanity, but revealed that her ‘worst point’ came after she started dating Harry and he arranged a referral for her.

The cover photo for Archetypes, the Duchess of Sussex podcast available on Spotify

Also yesterday, speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Miss Brown said Meghan had to avoid being a ‘grievance brand’ if the Sussexes were to be a global success.

When asked how prominent the couple could be around the world now that they are semi-outside the royal fold, Miss Brown said Harry “would always be royal” as Charles and Diana’s son.

She said: “He will always have the iconic status that that has. He does have an identity, his Invictus Games has an authenticity and that helps people.’

But she insisted that Meghan should find her own case and focus on that.