The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s “ambition to become a global humanitarian power couple” appears to be temporarily “on ice”, a commentator claimed.
Journalist Alison Boshoff analysed the latest reports regarding Meghan and Prince Harry’s work and noticed a gap in their respective rumoured plans.
While the Duchess of Sussex has signed a solo deal with Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel at WME – who will no doubt try to deepen her presence in the creative and entertainment world – Harry is said to be gravitating back to charity and campaigning work after a string of projects focused on his own life and struggles, the commentator said.
This gap led the journalist to ask “how long before Harry turns his back on the showbusiness life, for which he is obviously ill-suited and seems entirely uncomfortable with”.
While Meghan has been happy to get in touch with an array of celebrity friends for her Archetypes podcast, the commentator penned in a comment piece for the Daily Mail, Harry’s reported ideas for an audio series were more focused on dialogues with world leaders, with Bloomberg recently claiming one of the Duke’s plans was to interview Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin about their formative traumatic experiences.
But Harry’s focal point, Ms Boshoff wrote, has always appeared to be charity work and service.
In March, the Duke himself said he is driven by “being in the service of others”.
Appearing at the Uplift summit in San Francisco hosted by coaching firm BetterUp, for which he is the Chief Impact Officer, Harry said: “For me, personally, I get so much out of helping other people.
“To be in the service of others is what drives me, what gets me out of bed every day. Then you have kids.”
His passion for service and supporting others is reflected by the Duke’s announced Netflix project, believed to be close to release – Heart of Invictus.
This docu-series, first announced in April 2021, is focused on inspiring Invictus Games athletes – sick, ill or injured veterans and servicemen and women who overcome their difficulties also through the power of sport.
Ms Boshoff also noted that, while Meghan grew up in the entertainment world and had a career of her own in the industry, Harry didn’t appear too drawn to it.
During the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey two years ago, the Duke spoke about their deals with streaming platforms Netflix and Spotify, saying: “The Netflix and the Spotify, they’re all… that was never part of the plan. We didn’t have a plan.
“That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us.”
Ms Boshoff also claimed while discussing Meghan’s new partnership with her Hollywood agent: “She is modelling herself on her old boss Bonnie Hammer, an executive at NBC who gave her her big break in Suits.
“But even as she races towards bigger and more lucrative media ventures, her husband’s concerns are centred on the environment and mental health.”
