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Harry and Meghan: 13 Things I Love and Learned

Commentary


After reading, well, listening to Harry's new audiobook, “SPARE”, (I loved hearing Harry tell his story in his own voice), watching the Harry and Meghan series on Netflix, following Meghan’s Archetypes Podcast, watching Harry’s press for the book tour, and reading some of the horrific articles from the British tabloids, here are some questions, perspectives, things I loved, and things I learned:





1. Harry and Meghan's brand is powerful.


Since stepping away from the Royal Family and losing their financial support, they've turned their story and reputation into a major source of income. Their Netflix deal is reportedly worth $100 million and Harry's book is a best-seller earning him upwards of $40 million. Not to mentions a Spotify deal for $25 Million.



2. "Spare" allows Harry to take control of his narrative.


For much of his life, others have benefited from his story. In this book, he shares personal stories on his own terms, the ups and the downs.






3. Who is Harry?


Harry did not go to college but he's not just a any prince. Harry is a pilot, world traveler, photographer, philanthropist, and an animal conservationist.



4. Emotional and mental trauma is real.


Throughout his book and other public statements, Harry has opened up about his struggles with emotional and mental trauma stemming from his mother's death, his time in the military, and his dealing with the British press. This has helped raise awareness about the impact of PTSD and trauma in general.



5. Meghan is a Smart and Savvy Business Woman


First, Meghan is a well educated, smart, and savvy business woman. She went into this relationship with a career and strong brand. When she began getting relentlessly, thrown under the bus by the British press, it was not only destroying her mentally, but harming her career, and possibly her long term earning power.



6. The Ring


Ok, I know this is going to sound petty… But it is a real thing.


Prince William asked Harry for their mother’s famous ring for Kate Middleton. That ring was Princess Diana’s 14 carat sapphire and diamond ring, worth approximately $500K. Camilla’s ring is 5 carats and worth approximately $250K.


Meghan's ring is much smaller at 3 carats, and worth approximately $150K. Also, Meghan's original ring was not very attractive, her redesigned ring is far better looking. Harry did a lot of things right, I know he is not a royal jewelry designer, but this would have really upset me.





FYI. Queen Elizabeth's ring was 3 carats and worth approximately $180K.





7. King Charles's actions are questionable.


Harry feels that his father, King Charles, did not protect him and Meghan with communications from the Royal Family and that his father's PR team, actually Camilla’s, threw them to the wolves. It's unclear what the motivations really are, but it's not looking out for his son.




8. Diana’s Gift


While King Charles cut Harry off financially, Princess Diana did provide for him by leaving him a nice chunk of money, estimated at $15 million. Harry thought this money would be something he could pass down to his children, but after being cut off it could have been used as an emergency fund.



9. Tyler Perry is Beyond Kind!


Tyler Perry is a great person with the means to do great things! I mean who just has a great big empty house that a prince and princess can just come and stay in for a while? In the book there seem to be a few people with nice big empty houses that people just go hang out in. So, I guess this is a thing? Hey Tyler, call me!




10. It’s Not a Castle


When Oprah visited Harry and Meghan, she famously said, “No one would believe it!” This referred to the fact that while Harry and Meghan were living on Royal grounds, their living space was not up to par.



Shortly after getting married, the Queen gifted the couple Frogmore Cottage, which needed to be renovated, at a cost of about $3.4 million, to make it livable.



While the couple still owns it, the toxic UK environment made them leave the house behind. They currently pay approximately $20K in commercial rent. They eventually landed a beautiful $14.7 million property in an exclusive neighborhood in california.




11. Missed Opportunity


The Royal Family missed a huge opportunity to elevate their brand and show respect for people of color, who make up a large part of the Commonwealth. Many people in the Commonwealth are disheartened by the blatant racism and lack of respect shown towards Meghan Markle. From watching many interviews about the topic, I believe these slights will be a factor in a number of countries opting to leave the Commonwealth.




12. An Olive Branch


At the end of SPARE, Harry seems to reach out to his father and brother to mend the relationship. We will have to wait and see how that turns out. But, what a huge loss to the Royal Family.





13. Oversharing and Oversaturation


I often think about writing a book about my life, but I would run into the same problem as Harry. You have to reveal enough of your story to make it honest and captivating, but you run the risk of hurting a lot of people in your life. In Harry’s case, his life has been on full display from the beginning, so is it really oversharing? Perhaps it is just over saturation because EVERYTHING has come out all at once.


And, why does everyone really want to read SPARE? It is because of years worth of negative attention from the British Press. Now, we want to hear directly from Harry himself.





Copyright © 2023 By Michele Gerber, All Rights Reserved


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