(NewsNation) — Where did all the Sussexes’ famous friends go?
That’s one of the questions hanging over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle right now senior royal correspondent for news.com.au — along with a much bigger one: how they’ll absorb the fallout from Harry’s bruising court loss to the Daily Mail’s publisher, ANL
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Remember when Beyoncé was texting Meghan, a moment the Sussexes themselves showcased in their Netflix series? Coy notes how public that early support was: “She featured in the Netflix series, texting Meghan, and they spoke about that.”
Now, after a birthday that came and went without the star-studded tributes of years past, Coy said: “Either they’re not publicizing it anymore — possible — or people aren’t sending those messages anymore. One of those two things is true.”
“When they left, it was with such fanfare,” she said. “But now, over the years, it has been hard because, obviously, the shine has come off the brand.”
‘ANL Is Going for the Jugular‘
Then there’s the money. Harry’s privacy case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, ended in a “very crushing court defeat,” with the claimants’ potential exposure ballooning into eye-watering territory
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“They’re very big numbers we’re talking about now,” Coy said. And the other side isn’t feeling merciful: “ANL is going for the jugular.”
There’s even doubt about whether insurance will soften the blow after private investigator Gavin Burrows recanted on the stand, with a shortfall in the tens of millions potentially in play
“I believe we’re going to have an answer on this next week,” Coy said
So can they actually afford it? Coy points out that the Sussexes’ finances are a black box
“It’s similar to the royal family. We don’t really know what income they have,” she said. Even the famous megadeals were guesswork: “The Netflix one they used to have, and the Spotify deal — all of that was estimations. … We don’t actually know exactly how much they’ve made over the years.”
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Her sources insist there’s no panic in Montecito.
“I am constantly told that they’re fine, that they’ve got money in the coffers,” Coy said. And she sees one telling clue: “The biggest indication of that is the fact that Harry has taken on all these legal cases time and time again. That doesn’t really indicate that he has any huge concerns over his finances.”
Still: “Of course, it’s a massive hit.”
The Problem With Everything After ‘Harry & Meghan‘
The Sussexes’ biggest commercial wins — the explosive Netflix docuseries, Harry’s memoir “Spare” — had one thing in common: the royal family as subject matter. And Coy doesn’t dance around what’s happened since
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“Things are not landing,” she said. “After ‘Harry & Meghan,’ things aren’t landing. And I’ve seen some of these productions. Some are okay. Often they’re very worthy causes. … But where’s the audience for this? Unfortunately, for a lot of people, these things are not mass-selling or mass-watching topics or products.”
As for the blockbusters that did work: “Obviously, these were the huge successes, were the ones where everyone tuned in. Of course we did. It was very, very juicy — extremely damaging to some people, and very juicy.”
So what now? According to Coy, a full-blown strategy shift is underway inside their production slate
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“They actually have quite a few shows still in the works, but I think all of them bar one are scripted series,” she revealed. “This is a pivot — a pivot now away from them doing these worthy sorts of causes and rather niche documentary-style topics.”
Instead: adaptations of bestselling rom-coms
“They have baked-in audiences from the books,” Coy said
Prince Harry’s Heart Isn’t in Hollywood
But don’t call it a joint venture. Coy, who covered the couple’s recent Australia tour in person, says the Hollywood machine is really Meghan’s world
<a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/entertainment-news/martha-stewart-meghan-markle-lifestyle-royal/?ipid=promo-link-block4″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”> Martha Stewart questions Meghan Markle’s transition to lifestyle TV
“She’s doing more of the U.S.-based Hollywood side of it,” she said. “But I haven’t gotten the impression that his heart is greatly in any of that. Maybe it was initially, but I know now his focus is very much on Invictus, Wellchild … all those sorts of things that he works on
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“Harry is never more relaxed or better or effortless than when he is doing that philanthropic work, when he is at the charities.”
And Harry himself has all but said it — when asked in Ukraine whether he still identifies as a working royal, “he basically made it clear that that is who he is.”
The Fundraising Trap
The catch: The thing Harry loves most may be the thing his brand is now hurting. With enormous sums still to be raised for the next Invictus Games amid mounting taxpayer scrutiny, Coy sees a painful dynamic at work
“He and Meghan as a brand have become very divisive and very polarising,” she said. “And that’s their issue with fundraising for these sorts of things, particularly in Britain.”
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