Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have managed to turn leaving the Royal Family into one of the most lucrative and relentlessly publicised family break-ups in modern celebrity history. They walked away from royal duties claiming they wanted privacy, independence and freedom from the British press. Then came the Oprah interview, the Netflix documentary, Harry’s memoir, commercial deals, podcasts and an endless stream of public complaints about the institution they left behind.
Individually, they have their own controversies. Together, they are an especially exhausting combination: two people who insist they hate the spotlight while seemingly unable to go five minutes without stepping into it. Their brand is built around escaping public attention, provided the public keeps paying attention.
Are pricks because…
- They turned their royal departure into a global grievance campaign: Their 2021 Oprah interview included claims of racism within the Royal Family, a lack of support when Meghan was struggling with her mental health, and concerns about their son’s skin colour. The allegations were explosive, but some details were disputed and the couple provided little evidence publicly. Rather than quietly building an independent life, they turned their departure into a worldwide family drama.
- They demand privacy while selling their private lives: Their Netflix documentary invited cameras into their home, relationship and family history. Harry’s memoir then exposed private conversations and arguments with relatives. They have every right to tell their own stories, but repeatedly monetising intimate family details while condemning media intrusion is a spectacular contradiction.
- Their multi-million-dollar media deals produced surprisingly little: Their reported $20 million Spotify deal ended after Meghan produced just one 12-episode podcast series. Spotify executive Bill Simmons famously called them “grifters”. Their Netflix output has included documentaries and lifestyle programmes, but the original all-encompassing deal was eventually reduced to a first-look arrangement. The entertainment industry was apparently expecting rather more than a royal family feud and a few episodes of celebrity chit-chat.
- Meghan’s lifestyle empire became a rather expensive-looking hobby: With Love, Meghan offered viewers cooking, hosting and lifestyle advice, while her As Ever brand sold products including jam, honey and wine. The show struggled to attract a substantial audience, and Netflix ended its partnership with As Ever in March 2026. Meghan said the brand was ready to operate independently. Nothing says escaping royal privilege quite like launching a luxury lifestyle brand selling jam to people who already have kitchens.
- The bullying allegations never went away: Palace staff accused Meghan of bullying and humiliating employees during her time as a working royal. She strongly denied the allegations. Buckingham Palace commissioned an independent review, but refused to publish its findings, saying confidentiality had to be protected. The palace said lessons had been learned and HR policies changed. There was no public finding that established the allegations, but the refusal to release the report left plenty of questions unanswered.
- They managed to turn a charity into another public feud: Harry co-founded Sentebale to support young people affected by HIV and AIDS in southern Africa. He and Meghan became embroiled in a public dispute with its chair, Sophie Chandauka, before Harry resigned. The Charity Commission found no evidence of bullying but criticised the charity’s governance and the way the dispute damaged its reputation. In 2026, Sentebale sued Harry and former trustee Mark Dyer, alleging a coordinated media campaign. Harry denies the allegations. Even a charity established in memory of Diana wasn’t spared the Sussex drama.
- They have made family estrangement a public spectacle: Harry has publicly attacked his father, brother and stepmother, while Meghan’s relationship with her own father has remained deeply fractured. Their decision to distance themselves from relatives is their own business, but repeatedly discussing those relationships in interviews and books ensures the family disputes never actually end. Their children have also become part of the public narrative, despite the couple’s complaints about media attention.
- They seem incapable of resisting a staged public moment: From the infamous hospital-room video of Meghan twerking while heavily pregnant, with Harry joining in, to their carefully choreographed appearances and lifestyle promotions, the couple have an uncanny ability to turn ordinary moments into publicity events. They wanted to escape the royal circus, yet seem determined to run their own version of it.
Are not pricks because…
- They have spoken openly about mental health: Harry and Meghan have discussed depression, suicidal thoughts and the pressure of public scrutiny. Their willingness to talk about these subjects may help others feel less isolated, regardless of what people think of their wider public careers.
- They have supported worthwhile causes: Harry’s Invictus Games has made a genuine difference to wounded and injured veterans. Both have also supported organisations working on issues including mental health, gender equality and humanitarian relief.
- They were entitled to leave the Royal Family: Neither Harry nor Meghan was obliged to spend their lives performing royal duties. They were entitled to seek independence, protect their children and build careers outside the monarchy. The criticism is not that they left, but the extraordinary amount of public drama and commercial publicity that followed.
Harry and Meghan wanted freedom from the Royal Family, the press and the relentless scrutiny of royal life. Instead, they built a business around telling everyone how awful it all was. He brings the grievances, she brings the lifestyle branding, and together they have turned victimhood into a commercial product. The Royal Family may have lost two working members, but the rest of us gained an endless supply of Sussex content nobody ordered.
