Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a tumultuous year in 2023, which has left many speculating how 2024 could pan out for them. After announcing they were stepping down from life in the Royal Family in 2020 and moving to California, the couple have attempted to establish themselves independently from the Firm.
However, a series of tell-all interviews, books and TV documentaries have damaged their reputation in many circles, and have had a mixed response critically.
Now with their Archewell Foundation taking a hit in donations, more signs are emerging that the Sussex brand is struggling to stay afloat in the US.
The year kicked off with a dramatic start for Harry and Meghan, as the Duke’s memoir Spare was published on January 10 and became an instant bestseller.
But Harry received a huge amount of backlash for his treatment of the royals in the book, as King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William in particular all came under attack.
He accused Camilla of leaking stories to the press and claimed his older brother physically attacked him during an argument about Meghan, with the fallout leading to the Sussexes being evicted from Frogmore Cottage.
After they first moved to the US Harry and Meghan signed a number of deals with some of the world’s biggest entertainment producers, including Netflix, Spotify and Penguin Random House.
However in the summer it was revealed that Spotify and Archewell Audio, who produced Meghan’s podcast Archetypes, had parted ways after making just twelve episodes of the show together.
By September things seemed to be looking better for Harry and Meghan, as they looked delighted attending the Invictus Games together in Germany.
But on November 28 another book was published which seemed to set back any chance of a reconciliation with the royals, as Omid Scobie’s Endgame reopened old wounds with the naming of the so-called ‘royal racists’.
Although Harry and Meghan claimed they are not affiliated with the book or the author in any way, they have previously been forced to admit that they contributed some information to his previous release in Finding Freedom.
Endgame was a PR disaster for the Sussexes, and it only got worse when they were named amongst 2023’s biggest “losers” by the Hollywood Reporter in their annual list.
In its “brutally honest rundown of who had the best and worst year in entertainment”, the publication said the pair were included on their list due to their “whiny Netflix documentary, whiny biography and an inert podcast”.
It was also revealed earlier this month that the couple’s Archewell Foundation has seen a significant drop in donations from 2021 to 2022, amounting to £8.6 million altogether.
In 2022 the charity recorded a deficit of £530,064, with the £1.6 million it received in donations not being enough to cover its costs for grants, support and PR.
The family now look to be spending another Christmas in the US, as an invitation to Sandringham with the royals has still not materialised.
