The deal struck by Meghan and Harry with the Queen and her aides in January has made them virtually free from customs and rules other senior members of the Royal Family have to abide by, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said. This means the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are, for example, no longer required to follow the royal rota system implemented to make sure royal engagements are always covered by the press.
Mr Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk: “It is important to bear in mind that Harry and Meghan are a unique case.
“They are non-working royals, provided the arrangement which the Queen brokered at Sandringham is renewed before the end of next March.
“They are free to make whatever rules they like regarding press access and they have already left the Royal Rota.”
However, stepping into Hollywood and the showbiz world with their new contract as TV producers, Meghan and Harry are to find themselves bounded by new rules and scrutiny.
Speaking about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s multi-year deal with Netflix, the expert continued: “What they have become are major players globally.
“This won’t bring them the privacy they seek so passionately, which will always elude them.
“The Netflix deal will enhance their global reach which is already enormous.”
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The couple, Mr Fitzwilliams continued, “may well make errors” in their post-royal lives.
But, when it comes to their links to the royals, their limit is the sky, he added.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Meghan faces the prospect of a bruising court battle with the Mail on Sunday over the publication of extracts from a letter she wrote to her father, and he may even appear against her.
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“This would be damaging.
“But as royals, they are a special case. At present, the sky is the limit.”
Meghan and Prince Harry officially stepped down as senior royals in late March, two months after they negotiated the terms of their exit with the Queen, aides and other senior royals.
Since the spring, the pair have continued to support their patronages in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, they have also started speaking about new topics such as racial equality and the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
In July, Meghan and Harry settled down in their new home in Santa Barbara, bought with their own savings and a mortgage, according to royal expert Omid Scobie.
The pair have also repaid in full the £2.4million spent to renovate Frogmore Cottage, the home in Windsor they lived between April and November 2019.
In early September, the Duke and Duchess announced they had founded a production company and signed a deal with Netflix.
This helped the couple break free from the Sovereign Grant and the financial help offered by the Prince of Wales.
While the Netflix deal has granted Meghan and Harry more financial freedom, it will likely subject the couple to “relentless scrutiny”, Mr Fitzwilliams had previously warned.
He said: “The way they handle their huge deal with Netflix and what they appear in their shows will be subject to relentless scrutiny to see how their royal connections are used, if at all.”
The couple, the expert explained, may use the platform to cast a light on causes close to their heart – including feminism, the Invictus Games and ending the stigma surrounding AIDS patients.
