Prince Harry is once again facing scrutiny over his efforts to merge royal duties with commercial ventures, raising fresh debate over Queen Elizabeth II’s long-standing stance against a “half in, half out” royal model.
The Duke of Sussex, who stepped down from official royal duties in 2020 alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, is under fire following controversy surrounding a recent event linked to his former charity, Sentebale. According to royal experts, the situation highlights exactly why the late Queen was adamant that royals could not mix official responsibilities with private enterprise.
Speaking to The Sun, royal correspondent Matt Wilkinson outlined the unfolding tension. “Harry announced that he was going to bring Netflix to this charity fundraiser,” he explained. “And it caused, I think, lots of disturbances, I think Dr. Sophie said. And then Meghan turned up. And then we have these text messages that Harry allegedly sent to Dr. Sophie.”
The event, which was expected to focus purely on charitable aims, reportedly took a turn when cameras from Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal were brought in—raising questions about whether the charity’s platform was being used to enhance their commercial profile.
Wilkinson then posed a question to veteran royal commentator Phil Dampier: “Phil, I want to take your view on this. It’s been five years since Megxit. The Queen said you can’t have a hybrid situation. You can’t be half in, half out. Is this the incident that Dr. Sophie has highlighted? Does this justify the Queen’s decision five years ago to just send them on their own?”
Dampier didn’t hesitate in his response: “Yeah, absolutely. The Queen saw it straight away.” “She saw the dangers of commercialising the royal family, combining a sort of hybrid model of doing royal jobs and cashing in with commercial stuff,” he said.
Phil further elaborated: “And that’s exactly the sort of thing that she was trying to avoid. That’s exactly the thing that she told them not to do. And that’s what happened with this polo match. She thought, the doctor thought that it was just going to be presenting the trophy and it was all going to be part of the charity.”
The incident has reignited debate about Harry and Meghan’s post-royal ventures, particularly their partnerships with streaming giants like Netflix and Spotify. For many royal watchers, it appears to affirm Queen Elizabeth II’s firm position that being a working royal could not be blended with personal business interests—a position now echoing louder than ever.
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