Meghan Markle has reportedly halted Prince Harry’s plans to reconcile with the Royal Family due to fears it will negatively impact her lifestyle brand, As Ever, as the Firm continues to deal with the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein saga.
Meghan Markle has reportedly shut down Prince Harry’s plans to reconcile with the Royal Family, amid concerns renewed royal ties could damage her lifestyle brand- even as she continues to use her HRH status when it suits her.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who agreed to stop using the HRH style after stepping back from royal duties in 2020, is said to be increasingly cautious about her husband’s family as the Firm grapples with fresh fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein saga.
According to reports, Meghan is wary that any renewed association with the Royal Family, particularly amid scandal, could negatively affect her brand, As Ever, as well as her wider commercial ambitions.
The latest release of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice has once again thrust Harry’s disgraced uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and aunt Sarah Ferguson into the spotlight, with the pair named repeatedly throughout the documents, exposing the depth of their relationship with the convicted paedophile.
While King Charles III stripped the scandal-ridden ex-Duke and Duchess of York of their royal titles last October, the new tranche of files has reportedly sent the monarchy into crisis mode- and, according to royal expert Duncan Larcombe, Meghan wants none of it.
“There’s no doubt the royal family is going through a crisis at the moment… Meghan will be aware of how upset Harry is by what’s happened… But in a way, she’ll probably be pleased that Harry has stayed out of it,” Larcombe told RadarOnline.
“I’m sure she’s telling him, ‘keep your head down, don’t get involved, the royal family is in a crisis, don’t drag us into this’.”
Larcombe said the former actress’ focus is firmly on protecting her As Ever, which launched last year alongside Netflix and her cooking series With Love, Meghan.
While products from As Ever- including flower sprinkles, jam, and crepe mix- continue to sell out online, the Duchess has reportedly had less success on screen, with her Netflix series axed after two seasons due to poor ratings.
The Sussexes’ once-headline-making $100 million Netflix deal has also since been downgraded to a “first look” arrangement.
According to Larcombe, Markle, who previously leaned heavily on her royal connections to secure major commercial deals- will now likely be far more selective about when and how she aligns herself with the monarchy.
“There was a time when all Meghan needed to do was associate herself with the royal brand. But at the moment, particularly for her, perhaps now is not the time to be going on about what a close member of the royal family she was and still is,” he said.
This, despite reports Prince Harry has never been closer to reconciling with his 77-year-old father, who is currently undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Harry and King Charles III held a private hour-long meeting at Clarence House in September last year and are tipped to reunite again in July at an Invictus Games-related event in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, Meghan has not returned to the UK since September 2022, when she and Harry attended the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The couple stepped back from official duties two years earlier before relocating to Montecito, California, where they now live with their children, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
