The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are ready for a rebrand, but as first revealed on Us Weekly’s “Hot Hollywood” podcast, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s plans are on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Meghan and Harry are trying to rebrand themselves and are want to make a big media splash, but are stymied by the coronavirus situation,” the source explains. “They are losing out on potential paid opportunities by having to keep a low profile.”
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, announced their plans to step back from their senior royal duties in January. While the couple have been living with their 10-month-old son, Archie, in Canada, they relocated to Los Angeles in March.
“They did the move to L.A. to be closer to the deal makers and are setting up calls and virtual meetings with agents, studio heads,” the source tells Us, noting the twosome are “plotting for a summer or fall ‘splash.’”
Harry and Meghan’s departure from their royal roles was finalized on Tuesday, March 31. As a result, the pair announced their Sussex Royal Instagram account would be inactive.
“As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile,” their last post on Monday, March 30, read. “What’s most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic,” the pair’s statement continued on Monday. “As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute. While you may not see us here, the work continues.”
The day after their official exit, Us confirmed that the duo created a new email response, which reads, “Many thanks for your email. The office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has now closed.”
Meghan’s first post-royal project, narrating the new Disneynature movie, Elephant, was confirmed last month. The film will start streaming on Disney+ Friday, April 3.
With reporting by Brody Brown
