In recent years, whenever the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make a big move or do something major, there’s an entirely predictable rage-cycle of “how could they” and “this is the biggest thing to ever happen in royal history.” But often, I’ve felt like the Sussexes should have been doing those things a lot earlier than they did. I remember watching their Netflix docuseries and feeling like… why didn’t this come out a year beforehand? With Love, Meghan was something she should have started years ago! I felt similarly about Meghan’s amazing appearance at Paris Fashion Week – she should have been making PFW and NYFW appearances this whole time! Well, instead of just allowing Harry and Meghan to work out their career paths organically and in their own time, the media is always eager to label everything a “reinvention” or some huge change of course. That’s what this Us Weekly cover story is about – Meghan’s reinvention (?) and how she’s on a much more commercial path than Harry and he’s totally fine with that.
Meghan in Paris: “Meghan was excited [for her] Paris Fashion Week debut,” an insider tells Us Weekly. “She was looking forward to the moment. It’s a big statement about where she’s headed.”
Meghan’s more visible era: “Meghan didn’t want to just stay [put] in Montecito, and now has more time to do other things,” says a second insider. “She wants to get out there, reach out to people and work on her relationships.”
A professional separation: According to insiders and industry experts, Meghan, 44, is now deliberately repositioning herself as a power player separate from her husband, Prince Harry, 41. “This is the first time we’re seeing Meghan as an individual brand again,” says public relations expert Jane Owen. “It’s a shift toward individuality.” Adds PR expert Mark Borkowski: “Meghan is no longer half of a royal duo. She’s re-emerging as a solo brand: global, aspirational and strategically aloof. The royal chapter was about proximity to power. This one’s about reclaiming it.”
Married couples often have separate careers: “It’s healthy for them as a couple to have separate spheres, identities and passion projects,” says the first insider, noting that the “negative attention” Meghan receives in the press “hasn’t been helpful for Harry’s work.” Aside from a few joint projects, “they will be very [professionally] divided now,” adds the insider. “It’s what they have been doing all year.”
Harry’s totally fine with all of this. “He seems happier doing the quieter, cause-driven work,” says Owen. “They’re still a team, but they’re playing to their own strengths now.” Adds royal commentator Amanda Matta: “It’s clear that [Meghan’s career] is moving forward with a sharper public profile [but] they both know how to share the spotlight when it serves their shared goals.” The second insider says Meghan has Harry’s full support: “He always thinks she’s making the right moves.” The first insider agrees that Harry is thrilled his wife has found “something she can sink her teeth into. It’s what she successfully did before him, and he believes in the saying, ‘Happy wife, happy life.’ He’s happy not to be involved in that world.”
No more ‘With Love, Meghan’: The duchess also remained vague about the future of With Love, Meghan, which scored low ratings in its second season. A source tells Us that there have been “no talks of a season 3” on Netflix and that the show is done. (Meghan, however, did reveal at the Fortune summit that the show’s holiday special is coming out in November. “It’s a really good one,” she teased.) The source also notes that while the Sussexes do have the first-look deal, “right now, there are no plans in place for anything creative upcoming but the conversations are ongoing and fluid.”
I don’t even believe that Harry wants to be completely disassociated from Meghan’s business interests. What I do believe is that he’s more than happy for Meghan to do her thing and make money and work on whatever she wants. But they always try to make it sound like Harry is deeply uncomfortable with commercial ventures or being part of Meghan’s “celebrity world,” when everything we’ve seen from Harry shows that he’s quite comfortable there too. Anyway, Meghan hasn’t reinvented, she’s just enjoying more freedom because both of her kids are now in school and she had more time to devote to commercial interests.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red. Cover courtesy of Us Weekly.
