Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to potentially make hundreds of thousands of dollars after signing with one of LA’s biggest public speaking agencies.Aides have confirmed that the couple are now on the books of Harry Walker, billed on its website as “the world’s leading speakers bureau.” The high-profile agency also represent Barack and Michelle Obama, who have made millions of dollars through lucrative public speaking engagements over the years.
Harry and Meghan are said to be looking at the Obamas’ business model as inspiration for their own, and public speaking is likely to be key to their future earnings. The Sussexes, who formally quit the royal family at the end of March, are now financially independent, and with lockdown restrictions easing in the US they are laying down the roots for their future.
Since arriving in Los Angeles they have not earned a penny, choosing instead to focus on their charities and Covid-19 response work. Signing up with the Harry Walker agency is their first major move, and a strong hint that we will soon see—and hear—more of the royal couple.
As well as having a monopoly on the profitable after-dinner speaking circuit, the Harry Walker agency prides itself on hosting live events and VIP meet and greets, something Meghan’s biographer Andrew Morton believes will be in the cards. Describing them as the “hottest ticket in Hollywood” right now, Morton says the couple could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars both through public speaking and meet and greets.
“Meghan and Harry can’t live on fresh air,” said Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess. “The glamour of royalty is worth a lot of money and the big hitters will pay big money for an appearance with Harry and Meghan. Members of royalty have charged to appear at public functions in the past. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor famously attended functions for a fee.”
Despite signing with the high-profile agency,. sources close to the couple have been keen to stress that Harry and Meghan have no intention of discussing the Royal Family or their decision to leave. Following the so called Sandringham Summit where their fate was mapped out, the couple agreed that their future work would be in keeping with the principles and tone of the royal family.
“Part of the discussions they had with the family is that they would make sure any future work opportunities that will earn them a living will be in keeping with what is expected of the family,” said a source close to the couple. “Other members of the family make a living, so Harry and Meghan shouldn’t be any different and they’ll be attuned to the same expectations.”
Aides say that the couple plan to speak about core issues that will form the building blocks of their new organization Archewell. Community, racial justice, gender equality and mental health are all on Harry and Meghan’s agenda.
“They have signed with the Harry Walker agency and they will be doing public talks but these will be about issues that are important to them,” said a source. “It’s not going to be them discussing life in the royal family.”
It is understood that one of the reasons the couple wanted to leave the royal family was to become financially independent, and they have already tested the public speaking circuit, appearing at a JP Morgan event in Miami in February. It was not confirmed whether or not the couple received a fee in return for the talk, in which Harry discussed mental health, his own issues and the death of his mother. He faced criticism for speaking about his late mother, but Harry believes being open about his own experiences is imperative to his authenticity as a public speaking and a campaigner for mental health awareness.
As Morton notes, the couple are now writing their own rules. “They’re no longer part of the House of Windsor, they are the House of Sussex, and free from the palace.”
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