She will launch a new charitable enterprise
This is something that we already know Harry and Meghan are planning to do – and the project has been in the works for some time, ever since they decided to split from the Cambridge family with the Royal Foundation.
On the couple’s new website, the duke and duchess explained that they will be revealing more details about the project in due course, but did give an outline of what they hoped to achieve when the venture launches.
“Through local and global community action, progressive change can be achieved far quicker than ever before. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to shape their charitable entity to respond to these pressing needs. After carefully considering a number of foundation models, and having researched the incredible work of many well known and lesser known foundations, the Duke and Duchess are actively working to create something different – a charitable entity that will not only help complement these efforts, but also advance the solutions the world needs most. They look forward to sharing more with you in due course.”
As well as continuing their work with their various patronages, it sounds like the scope for the type of work they will be covering under their new entity is huge.
She could write a book
It seems extremely likely that the Duchess of Sussex will choose to write a book when she becomes a less senior member of the royal family. Not only has Meghan professed a love of writing in the past (through her former blog The Tig, as well as through her work guest-editing Vogue last year), but both the duke and duchess have spoken out about the many mistruths written about them by the media, particularly the British tabloids. Following everything that has taken place, it seems very plausible that Meghan would want to give her own, unfiltered account of events.
A book with her name on it would be in extremely high demand and some publishers have already suggested that a deal with the couple, who have mass appeal in both the UK and the US, could even surpass what the Obamas were offered (which was £57 million for their two biographies). Of course, Meghan is known to have attended an event on Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ book tour – and she could well be hoping to follow in the First Lady’s footsteps with a wildly successful book and sell-out stadium tour.
Public speaking
One skill the Duchess of Sussex has certainly proven to have throughout her career is that she is an excellent public speaker. Before becoming a royal, Meghan worked with the UN, giving a powerful speech about gender equality at the summit in 2015 – and since marrying Harry, she has time and time again proven that she knows how to make a powerful statement with her words, whether that is relating to women’s rights in Africa or speaking suffrage at a university in New Zealand.
So, there is little doubt that Meghan’s future will feature plenty of public speaking and will no doubt be a part of her philanthropic work and in her role as a less senior royal. However, both the duke and duchess may also choose to turn public speaking into a very lucrative situation for themselves.
“Every agency that represent speakers would be all over it,”Jeff Jacobson, co-founder of the Talent Bureau speaking agency told The Times. “Associations are big in that world — corporate groups, conferences, executive retreats — but the honest truth is that speakers set the parameters so it is different for everyone. There are so many different kinds of events out there.”
She could go back to acting
This one seems unlikely, but Meghan had a successful career as an actress, particularly with her role on the hit TV show Suits, which she worked on for seven years. She only stepped down from the part, and from acting altogether, because of her relationship with Harry, so on the face of it, it doesn’t feel impossible that she might want to work in Hollywood in some capacity now that she is stepping back from the royal family.
However, the duchess gave the impression in her engagement interview that she was happy to be letting this part of her life go, while suggesting that her true passion now lies in her charity work.
“I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter. And keep in mind I’ve been working on my show for seven years. We were very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series. For me, once we hit the 100 episode marker, I thought, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work we’ve done there and now it’s time to work as a team with [Harry].”
Brand or TV deals
As two of the most famous people in the entire world, 10 million followers on Instagram and an enormous global fanbase, Meghan and Harry could make millions through brand partnerships or some form of television deal if they so wished.
The duchess, like most celebrities do, knew how to monetise her profile before becoming a royal, reportedly making up to £60,000 a year from her blog – and she will now be in much higher demand with fashion brands, so there is precedent that they could fund themselves in this way.
However, when it comes to TV, Harry and Meghan clearly have a desire for more privacy than they were given in their royal roles, so it seems unlikely that they would want to step into the television limelight in any real way, although they could of course use one-off specials as a way to tell their story or to highlight the issues they care about, which Harry has already done in a deal with Oprah and Apple for a project about mental health.