Prince Harry is at a significant crossroads in his life, but his next move could bring serious success if he plays it right, according to experts. While Meghan Markle is firmly focused on expanding her lifestyle brand As Ever after parting ways with Netflix, Harry remains dedicated to his philanthropy work. However, he has faced gruelling setbacks, most notably his heartbreaking departure from Sentebale, and now another blow has emerged.
Invictus Games Setbacks
Last week, it was revealed that Melloney Poole has stepped down as a trustee and vice chairman of the Invictus Games board for next year's event in Birmingham. Poole, described as instrumental for the Invictus team, became vice chairman in December 2024, which was considered a huge win for the charity. The resignation has been described as a second heartbreak for Harry, with the armed forces charity being his main focus after quitting Sentebale last year.
It has also emerged that shortly after the Sussexes returned from a quasi-royal tour to Australia last month, the Australian government decided to cut spending on Invictus Australia. The funding axe could mean that Australia may not even be able to send a team to the next Invictus Games in 2027 in Birmingham.
Calls for Harry to Step Down
Further adding to Harry's woes, there have been calls for him to step down as patron of the Games. He has become a divisive figure in the military community, partly due to his comments about his kill count during his second tour in Afghanistan in 2012, as detailed in his memoir Spare. Retired army veteran Colonel Tim Collins described the comments as crass, stating, 'Amongst his assertions is a claim that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan. That's not how you behave in the army; it's not how we think. He has badly let the side down. We don't do notches on the rifle butt. We never did.'
Other Afghanistan veterans also condemned his remarks, with a former paratrooper saying, 'I've never heard anyone talk about kill counts, it's crass and frankly cringeworthy. Taking a life is the most serious thing you can ever do on ops, serious people don't talk it up as a game to shift a few books.'
Financial Pressures
Money is reportedly tight for the Sussexes, with a source telling Page Six that they need at least $6 million a year to cover various bills. This includes a mortgage on their $15 million mansion and $3 million per year on private security. After quitting royal life in 2020, the couple cashed in on their royal connections through the Oprah interview, their Netflix series, and Harry's memoir, reportedly raking in over $100 million. However, that work has dried up.
Their multiyear production deal with Netflix, signed in September 2020, was downgraded last summer to a less lucrative first look deal. The partnership between Meghan's lifestyle brand and Netflix also ended, making As Ever fully independent. The couple still have some Netflix projects in the pipeline, including an adaptation of The Wedding Date and Meet Me At The Lake, a scripted polo TV series, and a film adaptation of No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege, a military memoir by Major Adam Jowsett.
Future Prospects
Olivia Bennett, senior PR director at Go Up, is optimistic about Harry's potential. 'By stepping into the scripted drama space with polo and an Afghan war movie, Harry is successfully steering Archewell's output toward his core strengths: sport, military camaraderie, and brotherhood. Crucially, he's doing it under the cover of fiction,' she told the Mirror. She believes that to get his spark back, Harry needs to stop trying to please his critics and lean into the fun and competition of these new projects.
However, according to Variety, A-list talent and directors are hesitant to work with the couple due to shifting perceptions in the industry, fueled by comments from Spotify's Bill Simmons, who called them grifters, and former UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, who said Meghan was not a great audio talent. Sources also indicated that Meghan tends to dominate conversations, sometimes talking over Harry in meetings.
Despite these challenges, Bennett believes the public's unyielding fascination with the couple ensures they will always have a seat at the table. 'Whether people love them or love to critique them, they click, they watch, and they buy. That level of global recognition is a permanent, self-monetising asset,' she said. 'They don't need a single £100 million contract when they have twenty different revenue streams spinning at once.'
