Well, it doesn’t work like that, does it, having your cake and eat it too. It doesn‘t work for us mere mortals, and the proverb applies just as much to royalty, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have found out.
In a statement released on the evening of 18 January, her Majesty the Queen informed that from spring Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will relinquish the use of their royal titles (they are allowed to keep their HRH status though), that they will be required to step back from royal duties and will no longer be entitled to public funds. The young family will continue to use Frogmore cottage in the grounds of Windsor castle as their base when they are in the U.K., but they will repay the £2.4 million cost of the refurbishment of the property. More difficult maybe for Prince Harry who has spent 10 years in the Forces, including tours in Afghanistan, he will have to give up his military titles.
Yet to clarify is the cost of protection. While being senior royals, the couple are guarded by the royal protection squad, even when travelling abroad. But being no longer working royals and planning to spend a fair amount of time in Canada could pose a problem: should the British taxpayer foot their protection bill? Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already that the protection arrangements and their cost would need to be discussed.
Also not clear is what is going to happen with the Sussex Royal brand, which, according to brand experts could earn them up to £500 million just in the first year and make the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bigger names than the Beckhams and the Obamas. Will or should they be allowed to monetise their royal link while no longer being working royals ?
So it looks like the Sussexes are heading for a hard(ish) Meghxit, with on the one hand an opportunity to earn a fortune but on the other hand no longer representing the British royal family. It will be interesting to see, whether and if so to what extent this latter point reduces their appeal to the wider public and the media. And will the fact that they are no longer working royals diminish their brand value and hence their earnings potential?
At the end of the day this is in principle just an ordinary family tale – although involving a not ordinary at all family: The children wanting to forge their own paths rather than follow in the steps of their forefathers. The British monarchy is steeped in traditions, which take a long time to change – but evolve they will.
The grumpy older man 