It has been another extraordinary week for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. After the ratings triumph of their Oprah interview, which pushed Harry and Meghan to the top of the U.S. national conversation and its news feeds, Harry announced not one but two high-profile new and influential jobs.
His new roles, one in a hip Silicon Valley for-profit mental health start-up and one at a serious nonprofit commission into fake news, give for the first time some real visibility on what the next few years of Harry’s professional life might look like: a carefully curated blend of purpose-driven public and private responsibilities.
But what of Meghan? Well, given that the couple have said her second child is due in the summer (early June is the rumor) it might be unrealistic to expect her to be taking on huge swathes of public-facing roles.
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This is especially the case given the fact that she described what appeared to be such severe post-natal depression after Archie’s birth (combined with unhappiness at the isolation, restrictions and lack of support of palace life) that it led her to contemplate suicide.
Work-wise, she also has the not insignificant matter of a $100m production deal with Netflix to deliver on. For that kind of money, the streaming giant would, one imagine, soon start putting pressure on Archewell to deliver up some fodder for their home page. She has also, it emerged Thursday, parted ways with longtime agent Nick Collins, insiders told the Daily Mail. Collins had both repped her on Suits, and helped her plan “Megxit.” But Meghan and Harry's big-money deals mean she has reportedly hired a new team.
While the day-to-day will be managed by a team of professionals headed up by Archewell’s new head of content, Oscar-nominated indie film producer Ben Browning (described by The Hollywood Reporter as “A veteran in film financing and the international marketplace”), Meghan is extremely unlikely not to be closely involved in Archewell’s evolution.
Intriguingly, Archewell will also partner with a “social impact and culture change” agency Invisible Hand. In a LinkedIn post, the company said: “Earlier this year, Invisible Hand joined Archewell on their mission to drive systemic culture change across all communities, one act of compassion at a time.”
Invisible Hand is headed up by Genevieve Roth, who was previously the director of creative engagement for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Roth is said to be close to the Obamas through her work on their Let Girls Learn initiative. Michelle Obama, who launched Let Girls Learn, was arguably the most influential person to come out in support of Meghan after she made allegations of racism in the Oprah interview.
“Race isn’t a new construct in this world for people of color. So it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear her feelings and to have them articulated,” Obama told CNN.
Adding to the intrigue is the couple’s meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom. According to an internal memo from the governor’s office, Harry and Meghan had an “introductory meeting” with Newsom on Oct. 19 last year.
The meeting fed speculation that Meghan may be interested in running for Dianne Feinstein’s senatorial seat; the long-serving senator has filed the paperwork to allow her to run for re-election in 2024, but would be 91 at that point in time.
Lady Colin Campbell, the British royal biographer, told The Daily Beast it would not be entirely surprising if Meghan at least has an eye on a possible political career.
“My understanding is that she has political aspirations and would like to see herself in the White House,” Campbell said. “She and Harry were busy talking about changing the world on their third date, they spark off each other, but it may yet turn out to be a folie à deux.”
A spokesperson for the Sussexes declined to comment to The Daily Beast on Meghan’s work and career plans.
The author Penny Junor, who has written multiple biographies of the royals including a life of Harry, told The Daily Beast: “I think she is very political. One of the attractions in marrying a prince was that the royal family would give her a platform for her campaigning. I think politics is the logical next step; and to those who say she has no political experience—well look at Reagan, look at Trump. It is doable with enough backers and enough money.”
One fly in the ointment for the Sussexes this week has been the departure of Archewell’s boss Catherine St-Laurent. St-Laurent was parachuted into the organization with much fanfare from a senior role at the Gates Foundation just 11 months ago.
The Telegraph quoted a source as saying: “I think there was a sense that she [St-Laurent] was having to fulfill a great many functions for the couple—not all of which were necessarily in her job spec... She was the bright hope to run their organization so this is surprising news. They do not have a big team out in LA so it is undoubtedly going to be a blow.”
Harry and Meghan’s team have said her move is merely a “transition” to an external advisory role, and St-Laurent herself said she was “honored to remain on as an advisor” to Archewell, but her departure is unhelpful optically, given the well-publicized turnover of staff in the U.K. and bullying allegations (which Meghan vehemently denies).
The royal author Christopher Andersen, author of the New York Times bestselling study of William and Harry, Diana’s Boys, suspects that the next year or two will see Meghan focused fully on the couple’s burgeoning production business.
“Meghan is the pro in the family when it comes to the entertainment industry, and clearly Harry defers to her in that department. She will essentially be running Archewell, and already has her hands full fielding project ideas for books, documentaries, series, and podcasts that have flooded in since the Oprah interview.”
While Harry will likely have “input” Andersen suggests, “It’s clear he wants to focus on mental health issues, and his new job at BetterUp gives him a chance to do that.
“When it comes to making the big bucks, Meghan will be running the show, and Harry is—for the time being at least—happy to have her do it.”
