Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced in January that they had decided to step back from public life, and agreed with the Queen that they will take a year off before deciding whether to end their royal careers entirely. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to Los Angeles with their one-year-old son Archie, but were forced to postpone plans for the launch of their private charity, Archwell, due to the pandemic. Prince Harry has been warned that the Queen will continue to “watch closely” to see how the couple settles down from real life.
Speaking to ET, real expert Katie Nicholl said: “We are seeing Harry and Meghan do something that has not actually been done.”
“I think it is the case of the Palace observing and waiting to see what they will do. And they will be observing, and they will be observing very closely.”
Ms Nicholl suggested that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attempts to use their royal connections in the future could elicit a “thorny” response from the royal family.
Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan had requested permission to continue using their Sussex Royal brand once their royal careers were on hold, but the Queen rejected the suggestion.
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The royal commentator continued, “There is a feeling of dread about the couple going into business alone.
“They are testing the water and anything that smacks of charging their actual connections or over-commercialization is going to find a very thorny response from the Palace.”
“Meghan and Harry are thinking a lot about what they want to do, how they are going to make money.”
“Public speaking will be one of the key ways for them to earn money, but I think they will be very careful what they speak publicly.”
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The queen also agreed to keep her grandson and wife in their RHS style, but ordered them not to use their titles for commercial purposes.
Meghan and Harry have kept a low profile since their departure, but have made a few virtual appearances during the shutdown to express their support for charities.
Prince Harry last week participated in a message to England Rugby thanking supporters for their work during the pandemic, and earlier this month he broadcast a heartfelt video to Invictus Games participants after the event had to be postponed.
And Meghan Markle made a graduation speech in May at her former school’s Immaculate Heart High School graduate class, during which she spoke about her personal experience with racism.
