Prince Harry ‘has an uncertain future’ after tell-alls: royal expert
True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen tells Fox News Digital that, after a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, a six-part Netflix docuseries and a memoir, the Duke of Sussex needs to focus on his future.
With the new year approaching, Prince Harry has "an uncertain future" as he continues his life in California.
True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen wondered what else there is to say after a series of tell-alls that have rocked the House of Windsor.
"I think Harry has an uncertain future currently," Bullen told Fox News Digital. "His Invictus Games are very important. I think you’ll see him be more and more involved in that in the coming years. Because if you look around, is there another area that he has a significant stake in? I’m not aware of it."
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Prince Harry will need to figure out his next move after writing his memoir "Spare," True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News Digital. (Chris Jackson)
Bullen is an award-winning documentarian who has been producing programs about the British royal family for 20 years. He has also worked closely with King Charles III for about a decade. His streaming platform offers several documentaries that examine the British royal family’s past, present and future.
After drawing on his complaints with the royal family for a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey that was viewed by nearly 50 million globally, launching a record-breaking Netflix docuseries and writing a bestselling memoir, the prince will need to find new ways to move forward, Bullen suggested.
Prince William wears a lab coat and uses forensic equipment for DNA sequencing tests with staff during his visit to the Centre for Wildlife Forensics at Lim Chu Kang in Singapore Nov. 8, 2023. (Chris Jackson)
"Conservation and sustainability are very much in the Prince of Wales’s bag, whether it be the Tusk Trust, the Earthshot Prize or United for Wildlife," said Bullen. "It’s something Harry’s passionate about. But on a world stage, Prince William has taken ownership of that. All of the Duchy of Cornwall businesses now sit under Prince William. The king has his role as king. So what has Harry got? I think the answer is not a lot apart from, of course, his family and his children and his new life in California."
Prince Harry's bestselling memoir "Spare" was published in May of this year. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
"I think that’s what he chose," Bullen added. "And I think he’s going to have to find a way of being comfortable in that California life, which is why I think he’ll focus more and more on Invictus."
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals and moved to California. At the time, they alleged palace officials were insensitive to Meghan Markle’s mental health struggles as she attempted to navigate royal life. The couple also claimed the duchess faced racist attitudes from the U.K. press, which contributed to their decision to leave the country.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down for a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. (Harpo Productions)
Since moving to California, where Markle is originally from, the couple launched their nonprofit, The Archewell Foundation, as well as Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio. They also secured multimillion-dollar deals with Spotify and Netflix.
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Netflix's six-part docuseries "Harry & Meghan" premiered Dec. 8, 2022. (Netflix)
But not all of their businesses have been triumphs. After one season of the former "Suits" star’s podcast, "Archetypes," the pair split from Spotify over the summer. Their Netflix programs "Heart of Invictus" and "Live to Lead" resulted in a "quiet reception," People magazine reported. In addition, Markle’s animated series "Pearl" was scrapped early in development.
A source close to the couple told the outlet they "have swapped in and out all sorts of projects, and people and are embarking on a total system reboot."
Bullen pointed out that Harry’s commitment to the Invictus Games is a no-brainer. The competition for wounded, injured and ill service personnel and veterans launched in 2014 after Harry went on a trip to America’s Warrior Games in 2013.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 at Merkur Spiel-Arena Sept. 16, 2023, in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
Harry, 39, founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of service members and veterans by giving them the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.
He served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in 2012-2013.
Harry recently headed the 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany. As Harry plans his next moves in 2024, the next edition of the Invictus Games is already set for 2025 in Canada.
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The Invictus Games are heading to Canada in 2025. (Joshua Sammer/Getty Images)
"I think he’ll focus more and more on Invictus because I think it gives him a real purpose," said Bullen. "And it is a real success."
A lawyer for the prince is challenging the U.K. government’s decision to strip his security detail after he gave up his status as a working royal and moved to America.
The Duke of Sussex claims his safety is jeopardized because of hostility toward him and his family on social media and in the press.
Prince Harry doesn't feel it's safe to bring his wife and two young children to the U.K. (Max Mumby/Indigo)
Harry wasn’t in court on Tuesday as attorneys presented opening remarks before the hearing moved behind closed doors to discuss sensitive security matters. The judge is expected to rule at a later date.
Harry failed to persuade a different judge earlier this year that he should be able to privately pay for London’s police force to guard him when he visits. A judge denied that offer after a government lawyer argued officers shouldn’t be used as "private bodyguards for the wealthy.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California in 2020. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Bullen previously told Fox News Digital the public can expect to see Markle more in the New Year.
The American actress became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. They share two young children.
"I think Meghan Markle is very good at her PR and her appearances in public at high-profile events," Bullen said. "I think she comes from a world of self-promotion, and she knows how to self-promote. She knows when she’s going to make the front pages after her latest Hollywood play."
Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry in 2018. (Getty)
Bullen said he wouldn’t be surprised if Markle wanted to pursue a Hollywood career again.
"I guess it’s something she has to give a go," he explained. "The Spotify deal has been canceled. … [The couple’s] documentary about their life did very well for Netflix. But how many times can you allow cameras into your life when you’re saying you want privacy?
"So, if she’s not returning to acting, what is the obvious next step? Producing has got to be right up there. So, I think you can see that coming. … Production seems to be the next turn of the wheel … and it would make sense."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the sitting volleyball final at the Merkur Spiel-Arena during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, Sept, 15, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
Bullen noted Markle is "never coming back to the U.K." and instead will continue, like Harry, to focus on carving out a life for herself in California.
"She has no intention of being a working royal ever again," he explained. "But she knows the power of her title. She knows the power of having a son who’s a prince and a daughter who’s a princess. She knows the power of being the king’s daughter-in-law.
"She may be looking at the working life of a royal through a rearview mirror, but I think she wears her tiara and royal status pretty heavily," Bullen added. "She knows exactly who she is and what she can do with [her title]."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends Variety Power of Women Los Angeles presented by Lifetime at Mother Wolf Nov. 16, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Jon Kopaloff/Variety via Getty Images)
Sources previously told Bullen Markle had ambitions of pursuing a political career. But, these days, Hollywood might be a safer bet for the royal.
"I understand from people who know her well that she has made moves over the last couple of years to expand her political life," he claimed. "I think it hasn’t been successful so far.
"Maybe focusing on being a producer is the next play."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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