It’s quite something that People Magazine decided to put a huge Sussex exclusive on their cover this week. The cover story dropped on Wednesday, which was Prince William and Kate’s 15th wedding anniversary. The cover story also dropped in the middle of King Charles’ US state visit. That being said, I understand the immediacy of the exclusive, which is all about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent travels and how they’re effectively acting as “half-in royals.” This piece is well-sourced from Team Sussex, and it contains a lot of positive quotes about Harry and Meghan, while still including some criticism from royal commentators. Some highlights:
Service is universal. During an unannounced visit to Ukraine on April 24, Harry was asked whether he recognized the label “not a working royal.” “No,” he said. “I will always be part of the royal family. . . . I am here working, doing the things I was born to do.” In Australia, where Harry’s father, King Charles, is head of state, the Sussexes spent four days in April moving through engagements that echoed an official royal tour, from hospital visits to moments of remembrance, while also embracing the independent, income-generating model that now underpins their work.
Non-working royals doing work is deeply contentious. “They are pushing the envelope and making it much more difficult for reconciliation to happen,” says Sally Bedell Smith, author of the Royals Extra Substack.
Harry’s Ukraine speech: “The monarchy is meant to be above politics and commercial imperatives,” says Valentine Low, author of Courtiers. “This is exactly what the late Queen wanted to avoid.” Insists a source close to Harry: “This idea that he’s going against the wishes of the Queen by being half in, half out is nonsense. None of this is being done in the name of the institution.”
The Australian tour. “There were joyful, smiling people everywhere they went,” says Kylie Walters, royal correspondent for WHO magazine there. “People wanted to see them.” The visit began April 14 with a stop at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where patients and staff lined the halls to greet them—almost eight years after their last visit to the country, in 2018, when they were newly married and firmly within the royal fold. The impact of the latest trip was immediate. “I gave Harry flowers, and he said ‘Thank you’ and told me to ‘keep on being brave,’” says Novalie Morris, 12, a patient who met the couple. “It cheered me up a lot—I’ll keep thinking about that.”
The Australian Invictus events: “Harry was completely relaxed—Invictus is where he belongs,” Walters says of the international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans that Harry founded in 2014. “People gravitate toward him, and he knows how to make them feel special. The royal family misses out on that. It’s a sad reminder of the global platform he could have had. It’s the closest he’s going to get to continuing to serve on his own terms.”
But the commercialism!! Harry-delivered a ticketed keynote speech at the Melbourne InterEdge Summit, where seats initially ran into the thousands, while Meghan made a surprise appearance as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia and a paid appearance at a women’s retreat, where $3,199 VIP packages included a group photo with her. The outing came a year after the launch of her lifestyle brand As ever, with guests receiving products in swag bags. “They have a big security bill and a lifestyle to maintain, so it’s not surprising they’re taking on money-making ventures,” says Walters.
Meghan’s OneOff account: “The royals are influencers, but the mystique is that they are not promoting themselves as such,” says Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph. “Meghan is lifting the veil.” Adds Bedell Smith: “It was shocking to see her go to the hospital and then sell the clothing she was wearing. I’ve never seen anybody in the royal family do that. I can’t imagine it went down well with the palace.”
But they’re making their own money! “They’re not reliant on Harry’s father or taxpayer-funded money,” says an insider. “They pay their own bills and make their own money while continuing to support a lot of causes that might otherwise go unseen. It enables them to do what they love doing.” Adds another source: “They’re trying to live their life, raise their children [Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4], do meaningful work and earn a living.”
Palace insiders are furious! “It won’t help Harry’s case or promote good relations,” says Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson. For Prince William, the issue is especially firm: “What Harry and Meghan are doing is a nonnegotiable for William,” Anderson says of the future King’s view within the royal family. “He wouldn’t countenance any acceptance of it.”
William vs. Harry: “William is over all the drama,” says Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy. “He doesn’t need it, and he doesn’t want it. He’s too busy and focused on his own family.” For now, adds Bedell Smith, “they’re at a standoff.”
How Harry & Meghan feel about roiling royal tensions: “Meghan lets him lead on all royal matters and dictate what needs to happen,” a friend says. “But it would never put them at odds—they’re on the same team.” Says another source: “It remains very emotional. Harry and Meghan are both realistic. They’re not approaching it with the expectation of a quick resolution. It’s about taking small, manageable steps and seeing where things land. This remains very important to Harry, with Meghan supportive.”
The Sussexes’ Montecito life: At home in Montecito, Calif., work is scheduled around school hours; weekends are for family time. “Archie and Lilibet are their life,” says a staffer who has worked for the couple since their early days in California. “There’s a real warmth and a sense of normalcy.” Both have built tight-knit circles. Harry maintains a close group of friends, many of them fellow dads. “He really thrives on those friendships and values that sense of connection,” the close source says. Meanwhile, Meghan keeps a small, loyal group of longtime friends, often meeting for workouts or quiet nights out together. “They’re very careful about who they allow into their lives,” a friend says.
The Sussexes’ resilience: “They both try to focus on staying as positive as possible,” says a source. “But people forget they’re human beings, especially Meghan. There’s only so much a person can handle.” Still, that same source says their focus remains steady: “They wake up every day focused on being the best parents they can be. No matter what comes at them, they pick themselves up and keep moving forward.”
Harry and Meghan’s bond remains central. “They are the biggest champions of each other,” says the staffer. “The more adversity they face, the more they come together.”
Oh, these royalists are furious: That partnership propels their next chapter, even as scrutiny persists. “This is the shape of things to come,” says Anderson. “There is nothing to stop them from doing this.” Adds Low: “The palace might not like it, but they can do it. The question is whether it’s sustainable.”
LOL at all of the royalists quoted in this piece. Their complaints are so stupid at this point – but but but this won’t help royal relations, but William will never forgive them, but they promised not to do royal work, they prooooommmised!!! At what point can the royal establishment just admit that they lost? Not only that, admit that they f–ked up and completely misjudged the situation from the word go. “The palace might not like it, but they can do it. The question is whether it’s sustainable” – you never know, they might blow through a $150 million-plus fortune overnight and beg to come back, right? Anyway, this piece seems part of a larger PR strategy at play for the Sussexes in the past year or so to really push back on all of the nonsense. I like it.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, cover courtesy of People.
