Harry and Meghan called 'Junior Obamas' after Oprah interview: 'Difference is that Obamas never left anyone'
After their bombshell interview aired on CBS on March 7, the former royal couple have been dubbed the 'Junior Obamas'. Much like Diana, Harry's mother, who was called "People's Princess" after her divorce from Prince Charles, industry experts reveal that Meghan Markle has also earned an informal title for herself -- "Hollywood's Princess".
Harry and his wife sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview about the former actress's trials and tribulations with the British monarchy and her claims were explosive. She called out the British media and tabloids' for bullying her and claimed there were concerns in the royal family surrounding the skin colour of her then-unborn son Archie and how dark he would be. When the former duchess had allegedly started feeling suicidal and sought help, she was told there's nothing to be done as it would look bad on "the institution".
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Following these claims, social media has been buzzing with both celebrities and the general public alike, expressing massive support for the biracial actress and Harry's plight that lead to the infamous 'Megxit' - aka the couple giving up their royal titles and duties to move to Canada with their son Archie. Now, pregnant with their second child - a girl - and after turning their Archewell company into a multi-billion dollar media empire, the couple are being treated as royalty in the US.
"The massive outpouring of support for Meghan among the A-list crowd in America is unprecedented," The Express quotes Jane Owen, owner of Hollywood public relations agency Jane Owen PR, that functions both in the US and UK. "In my 20-plus years as an LA publicist I have never seen anything that has brought the Hollywood community together so unanimously. Meghan has been embraced as 'Our Princess' by the Hollywood community beyond a shadow of a doubt," she added.
Speculating on their future plans, Owen said: "Meghan has definitely solidified her position as a huge power player in the USA. It's too early to tell what her next steps will be but I would expect that their charity will be a force to be reckoned with and I wouldn't be surprised if they draw the attention of the political crowd too. It would be interesting to see if they team up somehow with the Obama Foundation to do any joint activations against racism, for example. Harry and Meghan are a modern couple who understand that the modern world values open conversation, transparency, honesty and integrity. Meghan did a wonderful job of answering very personal and difficult questions from Oprah, whose seal of approval is very powerful. Meghan was definitely very impressive to the young American audience."
In the wake of the allegations and claims made, support for the couple has been profound, from the likes of POTUS Biden's White House to the pop culture's Queen Bey - Beyonce. Harvey Levin, top Hollywood lawyer and founder of TMZ, the TV and internet news and entertainment portal, declared: "Make no mistake, Harry and Meghan are incredibly marketable. They are young, beautiful, intelligent and interesting young people who are now extremely sought-after. Someone I know in the industry calls them the 'Junior Obamas' when it comes to making money because they are so marketable."
“The difference between Barack and Michelle Obama and Meghan and Harry is that Barack and Michelle never left anyone,” Levin said. “Harry and Meghan left their country... and family.”
Deals worth more than $80 million with Netflix and Spotify have also been bagged by the couple. Sports giant Mark Cuban believes they will soon join the exclusive ranks of America's 614 billionaires. Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball franchise, said: "I think they can make it within a couple of years." Their creative projects include Harry's planned TV series on mental health with Oprah and an expected enormous profit through their brand, used strategically for diverse projects. Markle has also tried her hand at start-up investing, backing a new coffee company called Clevr Blends, which touts the "world's first oat-milk wellness latte".
Cuban believes this won't be the only deals in their future, and expects them to continue commanding million-dollars-per-speech fees via New York's Harry Walker Agency. The same agency also represents the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama, and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Variety, in an article about the couple, wrote: "Over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle proved that Hollywood's their new kingdom. It's only a matter of time before everyone in showbusiness starts picking up the phone. That was the general consensus Variety got from numerous conversations with power brokers, executives and agents following the two-hour TV special."
Ahead of the bombshell interview, Robert Watts, the person behind Sunday Times' annual Rich List of the UK's 1,000 wealthiest residents, predicted the Duke and Duchess could acquire a 1.39 billion dollars (£1 billion) fortune in the next decade. A senior studio production source told The Express "After Oprah, the sky's the limit. They have tapped straight into today's political and cultural zeitgeist in America, so any TV project, commercial product or anything else that bears their brand is a guaranteed winner. Consequently, they can probably get almost anything they ask for right now. That position makes them the absolute envy of just about everyone else in Hollywood. Here, right now, they can do no wrong."
Having recently parted with her longtime talent agent Nick Collins, it's sure that Meghan is not returning to acting. Variety reported about the amicable split, noting "An individual close to Markle says that with no plans to act, she simply doesn't need an agent. But Meghan and Harry may occasionally appear in documentary projects to elevate their topics."
Their Archewell Foundation has also named new causes it would be supporting, such as the online racial justice movement Colour of Change, and the UK-based mental health charity Mind. A top international film finance expert has also been hired to lead their Archewell production team, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Ben Browning will be heading their projects for Netflix, and that includes all scripted and unscripted television series, documentaries, feature films, and also children's programming.