As we discussed earlier this week, one of the most effective ways for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to silence the haters (including the ones within Harry’s family) is to assert their financial independence.
And whether you’re a fan of the Sussexes or a member of their bafflingly large army of haters, there’s no denying that they’ve managed to rake in massive bank during their short time in America.
First, Meghan and Harry signed a $100 million deal with Netflix.
Details of the arrangement are hard to come by, but there are two important certainties:
1. The couple will play a role in creating content for the streaming giant.
2. The Royals are deeply upset about the deal, as the Netflix is home to The Crown, the acclaimed scripted series that often portrays the Windsors in a … well, let’s say a less than flattering light.
So we guess the Sussexes killed two birds with one stone, managing to pull in nine figures and piss off the Queen at the same time!
After that, Meghan and Harry signed a deal with Spotify.
Again, they’ll be producing "uplifting" content (presumably of the podcast variety) for an insane amount of cash.
Details are being kept under wraps, but industry experts predict that Harry and Meghan will rake in between $35 million and $75 million from the deal.
But interestingly, it’s an investment Meghan made in an oat milk brand that could elevate the Sussexes to billionaire status.
Yes, it was announced this week that Meghan has purchased a stake in Clevr Blends, a company that specializes in selling instant oat-milk lattes at $28 for a bag containing 14 servings.
It sounds like a minor business venture for someone of Meghan’s stature, but experts say it’s an investment that could yield massive returns.
"My guess is they’ll be the $10 billion royal couple. I’ll tell you why, the way you become multi-billionaires is you get involved before the shares explode," Professor Johnathan Shalit, founder of U.K.-based InterTalent Rights Group said in a recent interview with Netflix.
"Lots of startups and companies are going to want Meghan and Harry attached to their product so that in turn will create other investors and other shareholders."
Yes, when us peasants invest in a company, the company gets our cash, we take on a risk, and that’s pretty much it.
But when the Sussexes buy a stake in a startup, both parties advertise from a wealth of free advertising.
Overnight, the little startup becomes "the startup that caught Meghan’s eye!"
"So they’re like a shop window for investors. Meghan’s going to be a door opener creating opportunities for her partners to get more money," Shalit continued.
"Once you get shares and equity and startup companies explode, you can end up being worth billions if you get in at the right time," he added.
"When I say $10 billion dollars I mean that as a trajectory. It could be ten years."
"If you consider all the deals they could still make, their total potential net worth could come close to half a billion," added Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants.
"If you are talking about deals they clocked to date it’ll be north of $100 million," he continued.
"They’ve got Netflix, they’ve done Spotify and there’s the books, there’s the speaking opportunities once COVID is gone. There are opportunities to participate on the boards of companies and have equity positions," Schiffer continued.
"Those could be the largest of all. If you’re on the board of an Airbnb at an early stage because you have this royal glow then, yeah, it could be."
Schiffer went on to try and explain why Harry and Meghan are so popular in America and so unpopular in the UK:
"Because everything about them, for the American market, is brilliant. All the reasons why U.K. haters are laughing at them is what makes them popular in America," he said.
"America is about celebrity, America is about the Kardashians, America is about the Osbournes, America is about Kanye West," Schiffer added.
"That’s America. Billionaires, as Prince Andrew found out to his detriment, will always pay people to come and associate with them."
Bit of a backhanded compliment toward Americans, but still — praising Meghan and Harry while simultaneously throwing shade at the Royals?
You’re our kind of guy, Eric!