MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry’s Megxit deal was a ‘misjudged gamble’ that backfired massively, a royal expert has claimed.
Having lost his beloved military titles, Harry is now telling friends “I just can’t believe it”, according to royal biographer Hugo Vickers.
It has been widely reported that when Harry and Meghan first dreamed up their Megxit plan, they had hoped they could be part-time royals – enjoying the pageantry and privileges of royal life while raking in a private fortune.
But the Queen is said to have put her foot down on that front, telling the pair a “one foot in, one foot out” scenario wasn’t an option.
As a result the couple severed their ties to the Royal Family altogether and set about building a multi-million media pound empire in California, signing content deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify.
Follow our Meghan and Harry live blog below for the very latest news on the couple and the Royal Family
KAMALA COULD APPEAR ON MEG & HARRY’S PODCAST, SAYS EXPERT
Royal fans could expect to see Vice-President Kamala Harris appear on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell podcast, a royal commentator has claimed.
Writing for The Telegraph, Rosa Silverman predicted Meghan and Kamala will collaborate on future projects – after the Vice-President supported the Duchess on Twitter last year.
A source said: “I think there’s a real feeling of solidarity between the two women.”
Commenting on the prospect of Kamala making an appearance on the podcast, Rosa wrote: “It would serve as a one-off collaboration to discuss and promote some shared aims and interests before Harris becomes too busy to enter into such enterprises with figures like Meghan.”
MEGHAN AND HARRY ‘KEPT BUSY’ BY ARCHIE
Meghan and Prince Harry have revealed how “busy” Archie has been keeping them on their toes, in a Zoom chat.
Speaking from the living room of their mansion before Christmas, Meghan said she was enjoying motherhood in America.
She said: “We are doing well. [Archie] is so good.
“We are very lucky with our little one. He is just so busy, he is all over the place. He keeps us on our toes. We are just so lucky.”
A ROYAL APPOINTMENT
The Queen is hiring someone to run her Instagram account – and the best part is, you’ll get paid £27,000 to post her pictures.
The advert for the Senior Employee Communications Assistant has been shared on the Royal Household’s website.
The lucky candidate will run Buckingham Palace’s social media channels and have a “creative flair” and “eye for design”.
On top of this, they will also be in charge of the royal staff’s intranet and keeping their 1,200 employees up to date on what’s going on at Buckingham Palace.
QUEEN POISED TO HOST JOE BIDEN IN SUMMER
The Queen is poised to host Joe Biden and other world leaders at Buckingham Palace before the G7 summit in Cornwall in June 2021.
She is set to unite the leaders in the wake of Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic.
She will be joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge under plans being drawn up by royal and government officials.
This will be done to ensure the “special relationship” between the UK and America stays intact.
QUEEN IS TOP OF THE POPS
The Queen’s popularity has soared during the coronavirus lockdown, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s public opinion has plummeted, a new poll revealed.
Brits were polled across January, March and October in 2020 by YouGov which found the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are falling out of favour.
When asked if they had a positive opinion of the Queen, 83 per cent of people said they did, which has increased from 79 per cent in March.
Prince William was the second favourite royal, with a 80 per cent positive review, and 76 per cent voted favourably of Kate Middleton – both increased since last March.
ROYAL RANKINGS
INSIDE ARCHIE’S NURSERY IN CALIFORNIA
Speaking to Closer magazine, an insider claimed Archie’s nursery in Harry and Meghan’s £14m Montecito mansion has “big windows” and a reading corner.
The source said: “There’s a pile of story and soft activity books, and a storage area for all of Archie’s toys and puzzles.
“Harry and Meghan spend hours reading to him, especially before going to bed.
“He’s an incredibly engaged child and eager to learn.”
PRINCE OF WALES: SAVE THE WORLD FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN
Prince Charles issued an urgent plea to the Government and people across the world to do more to fight climate change – before his grandchildren’s futures are change irreversibly.
He called on people across the world to collectively make changes in order to save the planet for George, Charlotte, Louis and Archie.
He warned of the disastrous consequences of inaction when speaking ahead of an online discussion via the Royal Society Scientific Academy.
The Prince of Wales spoke about the importance of the Economics of Biodiversity: Dasgupta Review and the need for international collaboration to combat climate change.
JOHNNY’S SPITTING MAD ABOUT HARRY CASH
God Save the Queen punk Johnny Rotten is spitting mad about Prince Harry — and says he should return the money he has cost the taxpayer.
The Sex Pistols icon insists Harry, 36, was selfish to ditch the Royal Family and move to LA with wife Meghan, 39.
Rotten, 65, real name John Lydon, said: “That Prince Harry, he’s making no effort to try and improve the situation — he’s just thinking of himself here.
“Well, hello. Give the money back.
“It’s a terrible thing to say because of course he can’t, he never asked for it in the first place but he’s making people resent him when he should have chosen a better route.”
QUEEN AND CHARLES ‘DISAGREED’ OVER MEGXIT
The Queen and Prince Charles had opposite opinions of what positions Prince Harry and Meghan could fulfil after they announced their plans to step back as senior royals.
The Prince of Wales originally supported the half in, half out plan to pursue commercial ventures and become independent from the Sovereign Grant – while keeping their titles and the rights to represent the Crown.
However, the Queen did not agree with her son.
Royal correspondent Richard Palmer said: “When the Sussexes first announced their intention to quit and seek to make their own money, Prince Charles thought it possible for them to continue half in and half out of the Firm.
“But in the end the Queen decided it was impossible for the Sussexes to earn money commercially and represent the monarchy officially.”
PRINCE HARRY’S ‘AMERICAN ACCENT’
Prince Harry is developing an American accent and mimicking Meghan’s way of speaking, a language expert has claimed.
The claim comes after Harry and Meghan released a new podcast called Archewell Audio.
Jennifer Dorman, a sociolinguist at language learning app Babbel, told Cosmopolitan: “The expression ‘You guys’ comes up, an American phrase that Harry used to address listeners in both the podcast teaser and during the podcast.
“In the premiere episode, he even uses the typically American term ‘awesome’ – something which elicits a giggle from his American wife when used.”
‘ROLLERCOASTER’ YEAR FOR MEG & HARRY
Speaking to Vanity Fair, sources close to the couple said Meghan and Harry are “optimistic and excited” for the future after a “rollercoaster” year.
Discussing what 2021 has in store for the couple, the insider claimed: “We will see more of them and in a different way to how we saw them as working royals.
“It will be more in line with who they are and the way they want to operate from now on.”
HARRY: YOU’RE EITHER IN OR OUT
Prince Harry “can’t be half in, half out” of the Royal fold if he wants to retains his military titles, insiders have said.
The comments come amid reports the Duke of Sussex will fight to retain the military roles he gave up as part of the Megxit deal pending a one-year review in March.
The Duke of Sussex, who was an officer for ten years in the Army, had his honorary military titles stripped when he quit the royal family with Meghan last January.
But senior royal aides told the Daily Mail that it would be impossible for the Royal to have a “half in, half out” role.
An insider said: “The view is very clear – either you are in or you are out, and any form of ‘hybrid’ role is incompatible with representing the head of state.”
WHEN DID HARRY STEP DOWN FROM SENIOR ROYAL DUTIES?
On January 8, 2020, the couple issued a bombshell announcement they would quit as senior members of the royal family.
They took to Instagram to reveal their plan to “step back” from duties and relocate to California to become “financially independent”.
The couple were ordered to close their office at Buckingham Palace from April 1.
MEGHAN COULD HAVE EARNED £500K FROM ZOOM CHAT
Meghan could have earned as much as half a million for her Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Zoom chat last year, an expert has claimed.
PR expert Mark Borkowski says that the Duchess of Sussex could have raked in £33,000 a minute at the 15-minute at the £10k-a-head event.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital he said: “There is curiosity in anything she does and has to say, her earning potential is very high.
“I would say she would get anywhere in the region of £250,000 to £500,000 for doing something like that.”
MEGHAN WAS ‘ALWAYS A LEADER’, FORMER TEACHER SAYS
Meghan Markle’s teacher has revealed how she was a “leader among school friends” and always “stood up for the underdog”.
Ilise Faye – who taught the Duchess of Sussex until she was 13 years old – opened up about her classroom memories of the young royal in a documentary which aired last year.
She said: “Meghan was one of those children that would stand up for underdog.
“She would stand up for what she believed in, and she was a leader among her friends, her peer group.”
The teacher added: “School was important to her, learning was important and she had a voice.”
MEGHAN PRAISES HARRY AS A ‘FEMINIST’
The 39-year-old gushed over her husband in a candid chat with Gloria Steinem, as the pair chatted in what appears to be Meghan’s back garden.
Gloria pointed out you can be “feminist and be masculine and a guy”, prompting Meghan to use Prince Harry as an example.
She gushed: “Like my husband! I love that when he just came in he said, ‘You know that I’m a feminist too, right Gloria?! It’s really important to me that you know that.’”
MEGHAN’S HALF-SISTER RELEASES ‘TELL-ALL’ BOOK BLAMING ‘CONTROLLING’ DUCHESS
Samantha Markle’s autobiography has sensationally claimed how Meghan and the Royal Family should have postponed the wedding so Thomas Markle could attend.
Mr Markle, 76, did not attend the wedding after he had suffered a heart attack. Prince Charles instead walked Meghan down the aisle at St George’s Chapel instead.
In the autobiography, titled “The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister: A Memoir, Part One”, claims Meghan was “controlling” towards their father.
In one passage, Samantha writes that her dad sounded upset when she had called to check in with him in the lead up to the wedding.
MEGHAN COULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT, CELEBRITY AGENT PAL CLAIMS
Jonathan Shalit says it isn’t “beyond the realm of possibility” for Meghan to enter politics – but admitted he had “never heard” her discuss the subject.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Shalit said: “She’s American-born, she has every right to run for president.
“Ronald Reagan was a B-list actor who ended up in the White House. Never say never.”
He added that the perception of the couple in the States was “different to the UK”.
MEGHAN IS A FAN OF EROTIC FICTION WRITER’S ‘EXPLICIT’ NOVELS
Meghan is said to be am avid reader of erotic fiction writer Anais Nin.
She even referenced one of the author’s saucy characters in an email address.
When she started dating the royal in 2016, she used an email which featured a term which was a nod to the French author’s autobiographical novel The Four-Chambered Heart.
The book includes a threesome which is described as an “explosive amorous rendezvous”.
Meghan’s address included a reference to a quote from the female lead Djuna, who says to her married male lover, Rango: “I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”
MEGHAN AND HARRY’S LIST OF STRICT DEMANDS FOR THEIR SPEAKING EVENTS HAS BEEN LEAKED
In an exhaustive four-page document, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex outline their stringent rules for any speaking engagement – including that they have the final say in who introduces them.
The couple reportedly signed with The Harry Walker Agency – an exclusive agency that boasts it represents the best in motivational speakers – last year with it thought the couple could charge $1million per speech.
The Telegraph revealed the stipulations issued by Harry and Meghan including that the fee must be paid in advance.
The couple are following in the footsteps of other big names to sign up with the agency, which also represents Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.
JESSICA MULRONEY INSISTS HER AND MEGHAN ARE ‘FAMILY’
Stylist Jessica has insisted her and Meghan Markle “are family” and claimed the Duchess of Sussex “checks up on her daily” after she was embroiled in a race row.
Last year, mum-of-three Jessica was accused of abusing her “wealth and privilege” by influencer Sasha Exeter to attempt to shut her up in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement.
However, the Canadian stylist – who lost her job on ABC’s Good Morning America along with a number of fashion deals as a result of the scandal – says Meghan is in touch with her everyday.
Posting a statement on her Instagram stories, she wrote: “I’m going to tell this once and for all. Meghan and I are family.
“She is the kindest friend and has checked up on me every day.”
MEGHAN AND HARRY ‘KEPT BUSY’ WITH LITTLE ARCHIE
Meghan and Prince Harry have told how “busy” Archie has been keeping them on their toes, in a Zoom chat.
Speaking from the living room of their mansion before Christmas, Meghan said she was enjoying motherhood in America.
She said: “We are doing well. [Archie] is so good.
“We are very lucky with our little one. He is just so busy, he is all over the place. He keeps us on our toes. We are just so lucky.”
QUEEN THE MOST POPULAR ROYAL, AS MEGHAN AND HARRY’S POPULARITY PLUMMETS
The Queen’s popularity has soared during the coronavirus lockdown, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s public opinion has plummeted, a new poll revealed.
Brits were polled across January, March and October in 2020 by the YouGov Royal favourability tracker, and found the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are falling out of favour.
When asked if they had a positive opinion of the Queen, 83 per cent of people said they did, which has increased from 79 per cent in March.
Prince William was the second favourite royal, with a 80 per cent positive review, and 76 per cent voted favourably of Kate Middleton – both increased since last March.
Meanwhile, public opinion on Meghan and Harry has slipped since they announced they were stepping back as senior royals last year and moving across the pond.
MEGHAN WILL REPORTEDLY STAY AT HOME IN US WHEN HARRY VISITS
Meghan is likely to stay at home in the US while Prince Harry visits his family in the UK this summer, it has been reported.
Insiders say the Duke of Sussex is almost certain to visit his family in London for the first time since Megxit this June – but his wife is unlikely to join.
Insiders stress the couple have not yet finalised their summer plans and much will depend on whether coronavirus restrictions allow them to travel.
But they understand Harry, 36, will likely fly to the UK to see the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William along with his niece and nephews.
The Daily Mail reports, however, that Meghan and probably their son Archie, will stay at home.
— to www.thesun.ie
