Prince Harry and Meghan documentary on ZDF: They are threatened with a financial crisis

They wanted to be financially independent and play by their own rules and therefore left the crown behind. But what happens when the millions run out? Almost five years after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan moved to California, a new ZDF documentary sheds light on the financial situation of the two. “Harry – the Lost Prince” shows why the couple’s business model is in danger of failing.

Because at the beginning of their restart, around 120 million pounds flowed into their coffers, mainly through scandal interviews, Harry’s book “Reserve” and an extremely successful Netflix documentary, things are now getting tight for the couple. The main problem: Firstly, the major internal affairs of the British royal family have already been told. And secondly, another round of backbiting could cost her even more sympathy. People have already turned away from the Duke and Duke of Sussex, especially in Great Britain. According to surveys, Harry, once the most popular member of the Royal Family, is the bottom of 70 percent of young people.

But without royal content, Harry and Meghan apparently lack a brilliant idea. The film states that Netflix is ​​rumored to be dissatisfied with the current developments. A lucrative deal with Spotify also fell through after just one podcast season. All of this is reflected in the numbers: The annual report from your “Archewell” foundation shows that in 2021, 13 million dollars in donations came in, but in 2022 only two million. This is an expression of a loss of trust, according to a royal expert in the documentary. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have apparently bet that their names alone will continue to attract money – and thus perhaps gambled too high.

A new business idea was needed and at the beginning of the year it was called “American Riviera Orchard”. With an elaborate video, Meghan advertised a kind of virtual farm shop in which she wanted to sell everything from jam to tableware sets that embodied the idea of ​​a romantic, luxury life in the country. However, nothing followed after that. The US Patent Office rejected their application because the name was misleading. Americans understand the “American Riviera” as the coastal strip around Santa Barbara, where Harry and Meghan also live. According to the office, the products sold would therefore have to come from there. A royal expert in the ZDF documentary calls this botched start “poorly prepared,” and the Duke couple was ill-advised.

In addition, Harry and Meghan work less well as a glamor couple than expected. “If Meghan is there, Harry seems like an appendage. If he is alone, he can show off his charm as the likeable prince next door. That explains why they have been appearing separately for some time,” said the director of the documentary, Ulrike Grunewald While the former actress Meghan appears on the red carpet with Hollywood stars in the USA, Harry particularly scores points with his Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded soldiers that has brought him enormous international popularity.

But here too the prince is dependent on money: the German state provided an impressive 40 million euros from the defense budget for the Invictus Games 2023 in Düsseldorf. A prestigious project for the Bundeswehr from which Harry also benefits. But for how much longer? A royal expert in the film sums it up like this: The crown and commerce don’t mix, and the Queen has always known that.