It’s been over two and a half years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family.
The couple’s transition to civilian life certainly hasn’t been easy, and they’ve encountered quite a few major obstacles along the way.
But we think any honest observer, when assessing the couple’s time in America, would have to admit that these two racked up more wins than losses.
And apparently, several members of the royal family are shocked that the Sussexes have enjoyed such favorable results.
According to a new article by longtime royal reporter Omid Scobie, the royals fully expected Harry to fall flat on his face in America.
“Not everybody believed in Harry’s decision,” Scobie writes.
“Few within his own family and the palace thought it was a good idea, many had their own dramatic predictions about how disastrous a move to the US could be.
“Honestly, he’s setting himself up to fail,” Scobie recalls “a very senior aide” telling him shortly after the Sussexes arrived in the States.
“Without all of this, it’s impossible,” the source continued, gesturing meaningfully to the walls of Buckingham Palace.
Not surprisingly, it seems the royals were convinced that money would be the biggest hurdle standing between the Sussexes and a life of true independence.
By stepping down from their royal duties, Harry and Meghan opted out of receiving money from the publicly-funded Sovereign Grant.
Many within the Windsors’ inner circle felt that it would be impossible for Harry and Meghan to devote themselves full-time to their humanitarian endeavors without access to the fund that previously bankrolled their lifestyle.
Insiders told Scobie that they believed it would be only a matter of time before the Sussexes would be forced to accept money from the “wrong” places in order to remain afloat.
“But two years later, and without a penny from the British taxpayer, Harry has created the life he has long dreamed about,” Scobie writes.
The key to this success, of course, has been the Sussexes’ business acumen.
Long before they touched down in the States, Harry and Meghan had several lucrative deals in the works.
They’ve partnered with Better Up, Spotify, and Netflix, with a docuseries about the Sussexes’ home life reportedly slated for release before the end of the year.
And of course, there’s Harry’s highly-anticipated memoir, which is also scheduled for a late-2022 launch.
In other words, the best is yet to come in terms of Harry and Meghan’s lucrative relationship with the American media.
Obviously, that’s good news for the Sussexes, and major cause for concern for their rivals back in the UK.
Scobie says that despite rumors to the contrary, Harry’s book will not contain any “attacks” against his relatives or the royal family as an institution.
Sources close to the Duke of Sussexes say he has zero interest in deepening the rift that has divided the two factions of the Windsor clan for so long.
Instead, he seeks only to tell the story of his life as openly and honestly as possible.
And the fact that royals are terrified of him doing so is rather telling.