Meghan & Harry keep cashing in by piggybacking off royal family – it’s disgusting
Megan has a big machine around her in the form of Netflix. She’s also had, you know, a big TV show in which to launch her product line. So, it’s very different from an individual just starting to make jam at their kitchen, and Netflix is the big one there because that is the other element that I was going to raise. I’m glad you have, because do you think that these decisions are largely coming from Team Megan, or do you think that Netflix would be a driving force behind the way that this is rolling out?
Well, again, we don’t really know the structure of this business deal, do we? And whether Netflix are more silent partners in the business, but it is, you know, in collaboration with Love Megan, because we see her making the products with Love Megan, and then you can buy them. Netflix has got this range of stores coming out where you can go and buy things you’ve seen on shows on the streaming platform.
But it, you know, it is very different from a one-woman band trying to get a product from her kitchen table to scale. She does talk about the problems that I think she has—there’s a lot of opportunity there. I sort of agree with you, Sarah, except you’ve got to remember that when she first started, what was it? Riviera. American Riviera. So, they’ve had to rebrand. She’s had to look at other things to do with it. So, it’s not being perfect. My view is that it is mainly, I would say, 90% Megan who’s running the show because this is a woman who does not want to take orders from anybody.
Agree. She doesn’t want to let go. And I guess, you know, she is putting her name to it. But yes, it has been chaotic. Whether or not that’s the sort of thing you’d expect when launching any small business, it’s just that this one is playing out in the public eye—and a really public eye—that’s what she wants. That’s what she wants. She wants it played out in the public eye because that is one of the main ways that she has got to sell—£10—and that’s why they sell out in 45 minutes, isn’t it?
Yeah, exactly. It’s very rich Americans. The issue is—it doesn’t seem that strategic, though—when it does change a lot, and then the public perception is that it appears a little chaotic.
Further to that, Megan’s had a few projects now that haven’t survived long past their infancy or season one, as was the case with the first podcast. Do you think that she really needs to be careful now to show that she’s committed to this long term? And that’s a reputational issue.
I don’t think she bothers that much about that. As far as she’s concerned, she’s there. I’ve got no objections to Megan and Harry making money—none whatsoever. However they want to operate now is fine. It’s their royal connections that really irritate me—they’re piggybacking off that a great deal.
But I think Megan is the one who’s driving everything, and I think she will eventually come across—her with all this. I mean, she says, “I don’t want to annoy the public.” Well, why not? She’s annoyed everybody else, you know. I mean, you know, she’s—she is an very annoying person, in my view. But I do agree with Charles that it is in everyone’s interest if she is able to make a success of this and make money off the back of it, because we know they’ve got a very expensive lifestyle, not least the security costs, and Prince Harry just having lost that Court of Appeal case.
It is in everyone’s interest, the royal family included, if they are able to be self-sufficient, if they’re able to build a life—Prince Harry can do his philanthropy, Megan can launch the business. Well, I mean, I think that suits everybody. And if five years on from exit, they want financial independence—so, exactly as you say—that’s what this is hopefully going to achieve with this business.
And moving on now to this bonus episode itself with Tina Nulls. It was a bit of a departure from earlier episodes in that it had a lot more showbiz flare to it. Of course, it’s Beyoncé’s mom. Do we think that this is what we’re going to see more of moving forward with Megan’s podcast, or do you think that this was just going out with a bang?
I think that’s what Lemonada will be hoping for, if there’s a second series. And, of course, we don’t know yet whether there will be a second series, but this was a bonus episode. The series had come to an end, and then we got this announcement that there was going to be this extra episode featuring—uh, what did she call her? The mom, the matriarch. And I think she called her Tina Nulls. Um, and she made it very clear that Tina Nulls had picked up the phone to her. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, I picked up on that. Yes. And that you don’t turn down a call like that—you pick up the phone and then do this episode.
Actually, I thought this was one of the most interesting episodes in the series, because Tina Nulls has a really, really interesting story to tell about launching her own hair care business, about going into business with her daughter Beyoncé, about managing family businesses, and the disagreements that come along the way. And as I was listening to that, I was thinking about family firms and disagreements. And there was one particular line that stood out for me when Tina said, “You know, of course we disagree as family, and when we’re in business together and we’re working together, there will be disagreements. But I don’t let them sit. I can’t. I pick up the phone and I make up because I don’t want to miss that time.”
And I thought, “Oh, wow. Okay.” Because, you know, you’re talking to someone who is no longer speaking to her father, and whose husband is no longer speaking to his father. A lot of time is passing. It really stood out because she used the phrase wasted time—and Megan agreed and said, “Yes, it’s wasted time.” And at the end of that sentence, you think, surely, as you said, it felt pointed. Surely, she had that reflection of, “Well, there’s a lot of people around in our lives.”
The thing about Tina Nulls is, you know, she’s a very successful businesswoman. But it’s her background—coming up in Texas when she was very young, where there was segregation and everything else. I mean, it’s a really fascinating story, and I’m hoping to get hold of the book she’s just done.
And I think it was a— I don’t know who rang whom, whether Tina rang Megan or Megan rang Tina or whatever. Whoever it was, that was a very smart move to get someone like her on that podcast. You know, to talk about a whole variety of subjects. And I agree with Sarah, you know, that point about, you know, “I’ve never let, you know, arguments sit.” You’ve got to not have arguments within the family and everything else. I mean, that’s a great point. I bet she forgets that bit.
And I’m glad you touched on it, because there have been reports previously that Megan had struggled to get A-list names on her show and on the podcast. How important is it for her brand, moving forward, and away from the royal connection? How important is it for her to get those names involved in what she’s doing?
I think it’s very, very important. I mean, when you look at a company in the UK called Ward Borden’s, which makes bread, and they’ve had Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Dairo—you know, advertising their bread. Now, that is a lot of money. She needs to get hold of A-list, really triple-A-list celebrities on those podcasts to help sell what she’s making. And also, people who want to be involved in their own right—not just because they’re friends with Megan or because they’re in Montecito with Megan, because that’s been my slight bugbear with this podcast: sometimes, it feels like a bit of an exclusive club.
There’s an awful lot of gushing chat. There’s a lot of praising of each other. There’s a lot of talk about people we don’t know. In this episode, they were talking about, I think, Ivet—who I believe is Beyoncé’s PR or manager. They were also talking about Tyler—well, that’s Tyler Perry—who, of course, helped Megan and Harry and gave them a house when they first moved to California. But there’s a lot of conversations about people they know and we don’t know, and a lot of kind of ‘matiness’ going on. I’d really love to see some of these guests being booked because they want to be a part of Megan’s podcast because they believe in that brand, not just because they’re doing each other favors.
