Prince Harry assuming “ownership” of his late mother’s legacy could see Prince William’s intervention, said a royal biographer.
Speaking to the Royal Beat on True Royalty TV, Duncan Larcombe said the Duke of Sussex, 36, and the Duchess of Sussex, 39, should not expect to be able to use the late Princess of Wales’s legacy for their own projects – some of them with which they are expected to earn millions without real approval.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relaunched the Archewell foundation website in December 2020, they used an image of their mothers to promote it, with a photo of Prince Harry showing him sitting on Diana’s shoulders during his childhood.
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Royal biographer Duncan Larcombe told the Royal Beat of True Royalty TV that the Duke of Cambridge would probably be concerned about how Diana’s legacy is used by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after their separation from the royal family in January 2020 (The Sussexes pictured at the Commonwealth Day Service on March 9, 2020)
In December, the couple updated the website of their charity foundation Archewell, using images of Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother, and a childhood photo of Prince Harry with the Princess of Wales.
Intervention? The use of Princess Diana’s legacy may be of concern to the future King Prince William, says Larcombe, especially if the Sussex appear to be using it for commercial gain (Prince William and Kate Middleton photographed in Ireland in March 2020)
Prince Harry relaunched his Archewell foundation website stating “I am my mother’s son” (Princes William and Harry photographed with Princess Diana in Thorpe Park in 1991)
The first line of ‘a letter for 2021’ placed over the photos said: ” I am my mother’s son. And I am the mother of our son. Together, we bring you Archewell. We believe in the best of humanity. ‘
Larcombe told Royal Beat presenter Kate Thornton that such use of Diana’s legacy would probably worry the future King Prince William, saying: ‘I think William will be concerned about this … Harry trying to appropriate Diana’s legacy will be a problem. ‘
He also suggested that if the Sussexes continued their charity work in areas previously close to Diana’s heart, it could also clash with Prince William and the rest of the royal family.
He said, ‘Harry taking care of mental health, Harry taking care of conservation, those are the questions that William and Kate want to ask – that’s where I anticipate tension. Heads Together was also Kate’s idea. ‘
In the year that Prince Harry announced that he would renounce royal duties, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex put on paper an agreement with Netflix estimated at around £ 100 million and also has a lucrative podcast deal with Spotify, worth from to £ 30 million
Larcombe also suggested that there could be potential future tensions between the brothers if they both promote similar causes, saying: ‘Harry doing mental health, Harry doing conservation, these are the questions William and Kate want to ask – this is where I anticipate tension’
Larcombe suggested that since Prince Harry would potentially make money using Diana’s name, this could negate the charity benefit, saying, ‘Because there is money involved, it is not a charity thing.’
It has been a year since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they were moving away from royal duties.
Posting on their now defunct Sussex Royal Instagram page, the couple revealed their plans to ‘retreat as senior members’ of the firm and work to become ‘financially independent’ while dividing their time between the UK and the United States.
In the year since the dramatic separation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex put ink on paper in a deal with Netflix that is expected to be worth around £ 100 million and also have a lucrative podcast deal with Spotify, worth up to £ 30 millions, on the stock exchange, with private lectures also filling the coffers.
On New Year’s Eve, the couple launched their first Spotify podcast, summoning famous friends, including Sir Elton John, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, Stacey Abrams and James Corden for a 2020 review.
Despite any potential tension over Princess Diana’s legacy, the Cambridges and Sussex are still ready to meet this summer, when a new statue of the deceased royal will be inaugurated in the gardens of Kensington Palace on July 1.
The statue was commissioned by Princes William and Harry in 2017 to commemorate the 20 years since their mother’s death in 1997 and to recognize its ‘positive impact’.
The Royal Beat is available on True Royalty TV from Saturday, January 16
What are the five organizations supported by Archewell?
Compassion and Altruism Research and Education Center: The Stanford University research group is investigating techniques to ‘develop compassion and promote altruism in individuals and society’.
Center for Humane Technology: The organization in San Francisco, it is led by former Google design ethics expert Tristan Harris, and aims to ‘create the conditions for safer and more compassionate online communities’.
The Loveland Foundation: The organization is providing cheap and accessible mental health resources to black women and girls.
Internet Critical Inquiry Center: The Department of the University of California at Los Angeles aims to defend racial and economic justice in the technology sector.
World Central Cuisine: Chef José Andrés’ project (right) is building four humanitarian aid centers in regions hit by hunger, starting in Dominica and Puerto Rico.