45 minutes

[portocristo]

So Harry flew for 11 hours and then spoke to his father for 45 minutes ? Charles then bobbed to Sandringham by helicopter and Harry checked into a hotel. I mean wouldn't you think Harry would have gone to Sandringham with Charles maybe ?

Imagine the life she could have had. Granted, she would have been second tier royalty, but she AND HER CHILDREN could have had a very grand life. Instead she is the subject of continual ridicule (for good reason), money is not going to last forever, people have already tired of her story, her husband is a laughing stock. It just could have been so, so different. I wonder if she admits even to herself that she F-d up totally.

I actually think the LA celeb money and lifestyle could've been next level and lavish compared to what she got from state coffers, plus only in return for public service (a lot of it unglamorous, smiling through gritted teeth in primary schools etc).

I would say a majority of American celebrities live more glamorously on a day to day basis than the royals.

She should've just played the victim once of twice and then shifted the focus to her foundation/podcast/other endeavours... Most of America believed her I'm-Diana-reincarnated story when she first left the UK.

In fact, many if not most Americans now still believe she was abused in the UK – but they're just tired of her whining given how she could just take her money and make a better life now.

Actually, apparently all the whinging tone-deaf details in Spare (eg palace bedroom not big enough), and to a lesser extent Harry's backtracking on her behalf (that no racism occurred), was the couple's undoing in America. Maybe Meghan would've played it right if not for Harry.

I think bottom line, whatever domestic problems are in the Royal Family ( like all families), you don't air your dirty washing in public. There is no coming back for Harry/ Meghan in William's eyes. You can't unring a bell!

Yes, initially all their claims fitted perfectly with the American national myths about tyrannical Kings, the US being the home of the free, the ultimate democracy etc

@chrisfromcardiff similar

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1389462515/willy-broke-my-necklace-t-shirt-funny?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=prince+harry&ref=sr_gallery-1-25&pro=1&frs=1&sts=1&organic_search_click=1

Actually, as someone who's hired through public speaking agencies for 'elite' speakers, prominent people are paid a lot to make the same old speeches saying nothing much. Mostly it's for the wealthy audience to feel good they've seen/heard them in the flesh. @ArcaneWireless

"Even failed presidential candidates such as Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Ben Carson get paid tens of thousands of dollars—and in Clinton's case a couple hundred thousand dollars—per speech, according to published reports.

Former President Bill Clinton has made the most of any modern president on the speaking circuit. He gives dozens of speeches a year and each brings in between $250,000 and $500,000 per engagement, according to published reports. He also earned $750,000 for a single speech in Hong Kong in 2011.

In the decade or so after Clinton left office, from 2001 through 2012, he made at least $104 million. “I gotta pay our bills,” he told NBC News.

Former President George W. Bush earns between $100,000 and $175,000 per speech and is considered one of the most prolific speech-makers in modern politics.

Politico reported in 2015 that Bush does his speaking, "in private, in convention centers and hotel ballrooms, resorts and casinos, from Canada to Asia, from New York to Miami, from all over Texas to Las Vegas a bunch, playing his part in what has become a lucrative staple of the modern post-presidency."”

Yes Harry's no president, but public speakers you've never heard of work the circuit for 5-6 figures per engagement. Disgraced politicians and former royalty (if only he hadn't publicly cut himself off from the Establishment like that) have an even easier time of it.

Harry received £5m annually before he left. So if he wanted to quietly work the circuit, say 1 speech a month, that would have been an easy, low-profile income source for him that matched his former income.

Even Obama does it - 3 speeches in a row, 400k each, to dubious groups, barely months after leaving office, and who knows how many regularly now. Again too bad Harry's name has no royal brand attachment/value now though.

I actually think the LA celeb money and lifestyle could've been next level and lavish compared to what she got from state coffers, plus only in return for public service (a lot of it unglamorous, smiling through gritted teeth in primary schools etc).

I would say a majority of American celebrities live more glamorously on a day to day basis than the royals.

That's probably true, but there's no guarantee they will be earning money next year. Show biz is fickle. Whereas as a senior royal, bar some major event, they'll have a secure and comfortable existence pretty much guaranteed. And it's not like Meghan and Harry have marketable talents that will keep them in demand. Take away the royal connections, and there's not much there.

I still think the best thing for them would have been to go down the Tindall route, unconstrained by protocol. But that would require them staying on good terms with the family. I think it's safe to say they've well and truly scuppered that.

Harry received £5m annually before he left. So if he wanted to quietly work the circuit, say 1 speech a month, that would have been an easy, low-profile income source for him that matched his former income.

But if it's so easy, why didn't he do it? If people were genuinely willing to pay big money to hear him speak, why didn't he take it?

I can see there's a lot of prestige attached to having a former president speak at your event, and have that framed picture of yourself shaking Bill's hand on the mantelpiece. But the 5th in line to the British throne? Who works as a CHIMPO for a corporate coaching app, in between slagging off his family for a living?

COVID didn't help.

But he's made a start now, with the NFL Awards, and presumably will be looking to do more.

Although I think the £5million might not include costs that are covered but allocated elsewhere? e.g. security

It makes a lot more sense than trying to position himself as a philanthropist!

I'm not surprised at all that Meghan isn't in the Suits reboot. She wasn't the star of Suits! She was no. 6 on the call list, apparently, and I can't see Meghan doing anything ever again where she isn't the star! Plus, she's said all along that she's not going back to acting. The Queen told her she was welcome to continue acting after she joined the RF and Meghan said No, even back then. A cable TV legal drama was what she did before she met Prince Harry - now she has FAR bigger ambitions, although the pair of them have massively ballsed up the execution on those ...

@IcedPurple Yeah, showbiz is unpredictable, but Hollywood A-listers or even huge reality TV stars don't starve in between jobs. Suits wasn't big in the UK, but it was massive in the US and globally. I didn't grow up in the UK and everyone around me knew Suits. I think as an actress riding the royal connection, her life would've been way more glamorous and actually wealthy than as a second-rate (spare's wife) 'princess'. Too bad those idiots burned their bridges

That list is politician focused because I view Harry as akin to a politician... Eg George Bush is mostly regarded as a bit of a clown, so former president or prince or philantrophist it doesn't really matter.

Public speakers run the gamut. Google famous motivational speakers who sell a load of shtick which Harry could easily do (talking about Invictus, etc etc) and see how much they're paid per engagement. There are also many other speakers from various industries, even children or grandchildren of famous accomplished people. All of them get at least 5 digits for less than 10 minutes of blathering.

Based on my experience with agencies for such events, Harry's route of burning bridges with the Establishment (and betting on Netflix) wouldn't have worked for public speaking. Either rich people in the audience want to feel connected to prominence and untouchable parts of the establishment, or a lot of it is positivity motivation, dignity, 'giving back' shtick.

Doesn't really go with their Netflix message – and Netflix was $100m at a swoop anyway. My main point was they had so many options, whether public speaking in wealthy obscurity, or riding Netflix to launch their new global celeb fame (the deal was the show could've been about anything at all, cooking show, lifestyle show, whatever). Instead they burned the bridges but wanted to keep the titles.

Imo even the Oprah victim interview would've been fine and made Meghan secondhand American royalty (Oprah is basically American royalty) but they just went on whinging for too long after that. So stupid

Oh quit with the “we don’t know” it’s used by supporters on here all the time to shut down conversations about their heroes that they don’t like, and it’s not true at all that “we know absolutely nothing about them” , in fact I know far too much about Harry thank you very much, all from his own mouth, frozen todger anyone?

I'm not sure that 'Suits' was 'massive globally'. I remember reading some American gossip sites when Meghan started dating Harry, and most people didn't know who she was.

I agree with you that they should have tried to combine 'show biz' with royal adjacency, but I don't think they'd have been anywhere near A list. They just don't have marketable talents at that level.

'But he's made a start now, with the NFL Awards, and presumably will be looking to do more.'

What are these nfl awards, are they a big deal in the US? I'm guessing it's a sport thing?

@Janiie American Football. I don't know how 'big' these particular awards are

Public speakers run the gamut. Google famous motivational speakers who sell a load of shtick which Harry could easily do (talking about Invictus, etc etc) and see how much they're paid per engagement.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just asking why Harry hasn't done this if it's such easy money. 4 years is a long time in the celebrity world and I think it's fair to say the sheen has worn off him by now.

Doesn't really go with their Netflix message – and Netflix was $100m at a swoop anyway.

As I said above, I can't see Netflix paying out a 9 figure sum to two entirely unproven people. That's not how they work. Even if the headline sum was that high, there will have been a lot of conditions attached to it. It won't have been a hundred million just deposited in their bank account.

I do agree with you that they had options if they'd played it right. But they didn't.

I suspect Harry hasn't done it before because being a 'hired' speaker is a bit like working for a living! Not in terms of the time or effort, but because it requires delivering a product, on time, whether you like it or not, and without being the one to select the cause/occasion.

Wasn’t Meghan supposed to be relaunching the Tig and would supposedly be getting a million dollars per post? If Harry can make half a million per speech and Meghan a million per post they would be absolutely rolling in it, so if it’s so incredibly lucrative why are they not doing it?

It's much the same motivation for wanting guaranteed Met police protection when he comes to the UK, instead of on a case by case basis as needed.

Status.

I'm not sure that 'Suits' was 'massive globally'. I remember reading some American gossip sites when Meghan started dating Harry, and most people didn't know who she was.

(In the UK) I was aware of Suits when it was running. I'd seen some online chat about it and I watched an episode or two because Gina Torres was in it (Zoe from Firefly). But the show didn't grab me sufficiently that I wanted to watch any more, and I didn't even notice MM's character - couldn't tell you if she was in the episode(s) I watched. So when she began to be talked about as H's new girlfriend, I remembered the show but didn't know her at all. Couldn't have picked her out in a lineup.

Had to smile about the Premier Inn, IcedPurple, but wouldn't have thought an American security grunt would be so difficult to host ... after all they've coped with the likes of Ceaucescu's entourage

Agree with you about the Netflix "deal" being subject to production costs though, but let's not forget the talk about H&M going in for production themselves

I'm just wondering if the real purpose behind that was to hang on to more of the money, as in "No need to pay anyone else - we'll do it"

Suits was something of a cable (ie not primetime) phenomenon, went on for 9 seasons, won numerous People's Choice Awards (famous awards based on voting across America), both aired and remade in multiple countries, was a bit of a Tumblr (before Tiktok lol) darling too.

I think the thing is that, given relative size, even American B listers have more global prominence than British A listers who haven't made it into Hollywood.

Anyway, Suits was just put on Netflix presumably due to the royal thing, and has broken some Netflix records in America. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/aug/17/suits-netflix-america-most-watched-summer-show

So again, yes, I think she could absolutely have ridden that royal wave to outstrip whatever perks being B-list royalty offers, eg breaking into A-list Hollywood (just think of former new entry darlings like Jennifer Lawrence; a lot is to do with well-timed fame and public saturation rather than mindblowing acting chops). Too bad.

The Queen did suggest she kept her career

I had heard of suits but never watched it I had no idea who she was I just thought she was a nice change from his usual blond girls (thinking about it there might have been just one blond lady 🤔) anyway no clue who she was she looked like a fish out of water I felt sorry for her