Prince Harry has definitively cut the tenuous apron strings that were still holding him to Great Britain; he has officially renounced his British residency and declared the United States as his new home.
On Wednesday, for his first public remarks since his sister-in-law Kate Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis, Harry, 39, spoke via a video link at Travalyst’s annual general meeting.
Travalyst is a sustainable travel organization that Prince Harry founded in 2019. It’s a nonprofit based in London, and as part of the organization’s procedures at the end of the year, company returns were filed with Harry’s “new details.” Topping the list of the Prince’s details, was his change of address.
The official documents filed list the “date of change” as June 2023, a date that pointedly coincides with their eviction from Frogmore Cottage, the royal residence that he had been granted by his father, Charles, at the time that he was the Prince of Wales. In a public statement that seemed to serve also as a not-so-subtle snub of his native country, Prince Harry stated that his home is in the United States, where he feels welcomed and has found a supportive community in Santa Barbara.
The shift in residency is not just a change of address but signifies a deeper transition in Harry and Meghan’s lives, as they devote themselves ever more to their commercial enterprises.
Since stepping back from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family, they have embarked on various commercial ventures to establish their financial independence. Their projects span across different sectors, including entertainment, where they have signed deals with Netflix and Spotify to produce content that aligns with their values and interests. Some of these, like the Netflix and Spotify deals, have been resounding disappointments, as they were both canceled when they failed to live up to their promises of success. However, Netflix has not given up on Meghan, as she has announced a deal with the company focused on her passions of entertaining and cooking. Harry also got his own series–about the sport of polo–to be made by the team behind Ryan Reynolds’ soccer smash hit, Welcome to Wrexham.
Just a few days ago, Meghan Markle launched another product from her “lifestyle brand,” American Riviera Orchard, that puts her in competition with such lifestyle influencers and entrepreneurs as Gwyneth Paltrow and the juggernaut that is Martha Stewart’s empire. Markle’s debut was modest, she released 50 jars of a limited edition, elite jam. But the Instagram launch was preceded by a trademark application that hinted at its provision for American Riviera Orchard to sell downloadable and printed recipe books, tableware, textiles, jams, and marmalades. She has also returned to social media with a blog that is reminiscent of her previous lifestyle blog, The Tig.
The couple’s nonprofit organization, the Archewell Foundation, continues to be a significant focus, reflecting their promotion of various social causes. While their commercial activities have been met with mixed reactions, they underscore the couple’s efforts to stay relevant and also earn a living in the aftermath of their separation from the Royal House and its financial rewards.
It seems that the Sussexes have found the true spirit of America—entrepreneurship—to be the most congenial to their ambitions.
