Meghan Markle and Harry could become a '$1 billion brand' after Oprah interview, reveal sources
After Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey last week, discussions have now moved from their claims to their future. With the Duke and Duchess living in the US, experts and columnists have weighed in on their financial future, and by the looks of it, the couple seems to not really take a massive hit when it comes to the moolah.
The Santa Barbara mansion they live in currently is estimated to be worth $14.7 million, and according to Forbes' Ariel Shapiro and Deniz Çam, the couple has enough deals that will see them breeze through the next few decades. The writers do make a note of the round-the-clock security Meghan and Harry would need and that would cost them approximately $4 million per year.
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In addition, the couple has multiple streams where the money comes in. Archewell audio, the duo's first podcast with Spotify was released last December and they signed a three-year podcasting deal with the audio streaming and media services provider, which the site estimates to be roughly between $15 million to $18 million.
Add to this, the Apple TV+ series that Harry will executive produce with Winfrey. Then comes the five-year Netflix deal they signed in September last year. The sister entity of the couple's non-profit organization, Archewell Foundation, has an agreement with the streamer to produce scripted series, docu-series, documentaries, features, and children's programing.
Plus, consider the heightened celebrity status. Meghan now has a healthy and favorable 67% rating in the US, a percentage that saw a bump after her interview with Oprah, according to Morning Consult. This would mean a flood of incoming offers for the 39-year-old to choose from. The experts from Forbes reckon that the interview was a boost and that was where Winfrey and Harry's project took the spotlight. "You know Harry and I are working on this mental health series for Apple, so we hear a lot of these stories," she said.
Not to mention that Harry and with his brother William, each inherited $16 million from their late mother, Princess Diana. "I've got what my mum left me and, without that, we would not have been able to do this. I think she saw it coming. And I certainly felt her presence throughout the whole process," Harry said, during the interview.
According to Brand Finance, if the couple decides to go past Netflix and their other deals and then foray into jewelry and apparel, their life would not be a financial struggle. "Harry and Meghan could become a $1 billion brand." Last year, former royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bought a nine-bedroom and sixteen bathroom mansion in Montecito, California with a $9.6 million mortgage. Just nine months after the couple bought the mansion for $13.9 million (£10 million), reports indicate that the home has now tripled in value.