Prince Harry told the world the royal family destroyed his life and he wanted nothing to do with it.
Now he just wrapped a four-day tour of Australia – and a British insider is asking why.
What she found out about why Harry really made the trip is something his publicists do not want you reading.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix Deal Collapse Exposed the Real Sussex Brand
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family in 2020 with a plan that looked bulletproof on paper.
Netflix handed them a deal reportedly worth $100 million.
Spotify signed them for a reported $25 million.
Harry's memoir Spare moved 1.4 million copies on its first day of sale — a record for nonfiction.
For a moment, the billion-dollar media empire everyone predicted looked real.
Then the wheels came off.
Spotify executive Bill Simmons publicly called the couple "grifters" when the podcasting partnership collapsed in 2023 after producing exactly one season of content.
Netflix downgraded their $100 million deal to a "first-look arrangement" and in early 2026 cut ties with Meghan's As Ever lifestyle brand entirely.
With Love, Meghan, her cooking series, drew 500,000 fewer viewers in its second season than its first and will not return.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich delivered the verdict: "Given their track record of failure, future deals are way less likely. There is now more market fatigue than fascination."
Duke of Sussex Uses Royal Title as Cash Machine During Australia Tour
Harry is not a working royal and his Australia trip carried no official sanction from Buckingham Palace — Fox News Digital reached out to the palace and received no response.
The couple's agenda, per their own statement, included "a small number of private engagements" to "support broader charitable and commercial objectives."
The InterEdge Summit where Harry delivered a keynote address Thursday sold tickets ranging from nearly $720 to over $1,400.
A separate private luxury retreat featuring Meghan – billed as an "intimate" weekend – charged attendees up to $2,283 for two nights, including a gala dinner, a group photo with the Duchess, and sessions on meditation and manifestation.
Meghan also filmed a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia, where she was introduced on camera as "royalty" and "the Duchess of Sussex."
Australian police provided security for the couple's public appearances at taxpayer expense.
Royal writer Nigel Schofield told Fox News Digital exactly what the tour was for: Harry and Meghan are "monetizing their titles and clinging to royal relevance, even though most of Prince Harry's family refuse to take his phone calls."
"The purpose of the Australian tour is monetary," Schofield said. "Their relevance remains through their proximity to the British royal family."
British royal expert Helena Chard put it plainly: "He rejected the crown to heal, then reembraced it to be heard."
"In Hollywood, his currency was his royal title," Chard said. "The deals hinged on the British royal family and his Prince Harry title. As Harry alone, he can't clinch the deals."
King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of every royal title in November 2025 after Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein made him a liability the palace couldn't carry.
Harry still holds his Duke of Sussex title.
He agreed not to use the His Royal Highness style when he stepped back in 2020 – but the dukedom itself remains intact, and so does every dollar it generates.
Charles decided Andrew's conduct was disqualifying. Harry's five years of publicly torching the royal family from a Montecito mansion apparently is not.
Harry stood in front of an Australian audience and said the royal role "killed my mum" and that he "stuck his head in the sand for years" to avoid confronting it.
Then he walked offstage and back into a business model that only works because he is Prince Harry.
Which means he gets to keep doing exactly what Chard described – billing himself as a prince to rooms full of paying Australians while telling interviewers the whole thing nearly killed him.
Sources:
- Janelle Ash and Ashley Papa, "Prince Harry 'Reembraced' Royal Identity to Land Hollywood Deals, Expert Claims After Australia Trip," Fox News, April 17, 2026.
- "Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Blasted for 'Faux Royal Tour' as Experts Accuse Couple of Exploiting Titles," Fox News, April 16, 2026.
- "Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Hollywood Dreams Hit Wall as Expert Warns of 'Toxic Brand' Stigma," Fox News, April 14, 2026.
- "Royal Royalties: How Much Did Harry and Meghan Actually Make From Netflix, Spotify and Their Book Deal?" Celebrity Net Worth, March 17, 2026.
- "The Removal of Titles and Honours," House of Commons Library, April 17, 2026.
- "Meghan Markle Secretly Films Huge TV Show in Australia," Hello!, April 16, 2026.