Meghan Markle signs agreement with Disney: voiceover in exchange for donation
Forbes magazine has estimated that the Dukes of Sussex should earn at $ 3 million now that they have broken away from the royal house and its financial prerogative.
MILAN - Meghan Markle has signed an agreement with Disney to record a voiceover, in exchange for a donation from the US giant to an environmental organization that protects elephants, Elephants without Borders. The Times reports that it does not provide further details on the project. The news of the deal fits into the delicate economic question of how much Prince Harry and the Duchess are worth to become financially independent after leaving the British royal house.
The editorial staff of Forbes magazine tried to answer this question, using official documents that describe the prerogative for members of the English Royal House and hypothesizing the rest based on the couple's statements, habits and inclinations. Let's start from a basic principle that should be clear by now: detaching from the royal family, the formal duties of the couple fail, which prevents them from carrying out professional activities with a special prohibition. In practice, they are awarded an annual income for their representation activity. And given the media coverage of their love story and marriage, it is easy to understand how much they are in demand and how much they could count for the image of the English ruling house.
But what does the prerogative consist of? As reconstructed by Forbes, 95 percent of the couple's annual income comes from Prince Charles, Harry's father, thanks to the properties of the Duchy of Cornwall, established in 1337 precisely to support the direct heir to the throne. A part of the proceeds is redistributed by Carlo to his two children: overall, according to the official report delivered in March 2019, in the last fiscal year the properties have earned the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton) as well as the Prince Harry and Megan Markle $ 6.5 million (€ 5.8 million). The sum, understandably, will be divided into two parts, assuming that William and Kate perceive something more for already having three children, against the only heir of the other couple. Furthermore, Harry and Meghan have already stated that they are also giving up the remaining 5% of their current income, covered by the Sovereign Grant, intended to cover the expenses of institutional commitments as well as housing and representative offices.
How much is it all, then? For Forbes, to maintain the same income, they would have to find ways to earn at least $ 3 million (€ 2.7 million) a year. Expenses for their safety are excluded, at least when they are in Great Britain, because it will still be guaranteed by the Metropolitan Police. But housing costs should be added, both in London and in the United States, where the couple has decided to live for at least half of the year. In London, for now they will live in the apartment made available to them by the Queen (which last year covered 3 million renovation costs through the Sovereign Grant, while the couple paid for the furniture).
Will they succeed? Not only Forbes, but in general the English press has enjoyed compiling a list of possible economic activities. Megan, of course, could go back to work on television. For each episode of Suits, the TV series on business lawyers in New York that launched it, he received $ 85,000 (€ 76,000). But that was before she became the Duchess of Sussex. Now a lot more could come up. Harry, on the other hand, can count on the inheritance left by his mother, Princess Diana: according to an estimate, at least 31 million dollars (27.8 million euros).
The requests were not long in coming. To say: today is the news that Meghan Markle has signed a contract with Disney, where she lent her voice for a new production. Warning: the Duchess of Sussex has given the compensation to charity, in favor of Elephants Without Borders, an organization that helps and protect animals from poaching. But this too is marketing for future business.
