Prince Harry’s Toronto Keynote Payday Sparks Fresh Royal Backlash

Prince Harry’s appearance as the headline speaker at a Toronto real estate conference is raising eyebrows across the royal world. Tickets cost up to four hundred ninety-nine Canadian dollars, the event is political in tone, and commentators question whether this latest paid engagement pushes the Duke even further from any possible royal return. Meanwhile, Meghan is reportedly seeking early legal advice about protecting her Duchess of Sussex title under a future reign. Plus: continued fallout from Meghan’s Harper’s Bazaar cover, criticism of the Sussexes’ commercial use of their titles, and Tina Brown’s blunt assessment of the couple’s post-royal missteps.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Callarogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to you, Pallace Intrigue.
I'm your host, Mark Francis. Prince Harry is in Toronto
today where he's serving as the headline keynote speaker and
the Ontario Real Estate Organization Powerhouse Conference. The Duke of

(00:23):
Sussex is taking the stage to deliver remarks on service
and leadership at the political affairs gathering, which brings together policymakers,
industry figures and commentators to discuss Canada's economy, housing supply,
and real estate policy. Organizers build the appearance by writing
the headliner keynote speaker is Prince Harry, humanitarian, mental health advocate,

(00:47):
environmentalists and military combat veteran, adding that his work focuses
on positive and lasting change for communities in the planet
and on advancing conversations around resilience and healing. They also
noted that Harry won't be speaking about real estate, but
will instead deliver a powerful message of service and leadership.
It is not known whether the Duchess of Sussex is

(01:08):
in Toronto with him. Harry was last in the city
earlier this month for engagements ahead of Remembrance Day meeting veterans,
members of the Armed forces community, and representatives from military charities.
In The Daily Mail, Richard Eden writes members of the
Ontario Real Estate Association will have to cough up two
hundred and ninety nine dollars Canadian for the privilege, while

(01:30):
non members will have to pay an even steeper fee
of four hundred ninety nine dollars. It's not clear how
much of this revenue will go on settling Harry's appearance fee.
Harry's experience of the Canadian housing market has been largely
confined to visits to the three bedroom home in Toronto
where Meghan lived while she was filming the legal drama
series Suits during the early days of their courtship. Delegates

(01:53):
of the Canadian Conference have been advised that King Charles's
youngest son will bring a powerful message of service and
leadership to the powerhouse state. This description led one royal
source to tell me rather pointedly, Harry and Meghan gave
up their message of service and leadership when they left
Britain and their royal duties behind. Presumably they will now
give speeches to whoever pays them. Jasmine Carey in The

(02:17):
Express commented, not only does the price to attend this
event baffle me, But I also can't help but wonder
what the Royals will be thinking. Surely they will be
confused and apprehensive about what Harry is going to say
at a conference where politics is the underlying theme. And secondly,
surely it feels od that Harry is speaking at an

(02:39):
event that people can only enter if they pay a
high price. What makes it worse is that the Duke's
presence at the event is almost used as a selling point,
with the website saying meet Prince Harry in person above
the registered button. Do they know he isn't some famous
pop icon but an actual duke. For Harry to attend

(03:00):
as a speaker at a political conference where people will
be paying hundreds to listen to his opinions, it isn't
very royal at all. It could also firmly shut the
door on any future return to royal life, if the
door wasn't already slammed shut years ago. Our Royal inside
a Deep Crown observes one would think that with Meghan's

(03:20):
holiday special premiering her grand Netflix moment, carefully orchestrated and
no doubt expensively produced, the Sussex strategy might involve oh,
I don't know, actually focusing attention on it. Instead, we
have Harry addressing Canadian real estate professionals about service and leadership,
two concepts he spectacularly abandoned when he departed his actual

(03:41):
role serving crown and country. The timing is almost comically
inept today belongs to Harry's standing before a state agents
who paid several hundred dollars for the privilege, hardly the
dignified setting one associates with royal duty. Tomorrow, naturally, will
be consumed with reaction pieces dissecting this latest misstep, and
Meghan lost in the muddle, just another casualty of their

(04:04):
perpetual inability to coordinate a coherent public strategy more palace
in just a moment. Megan is reportedly taking early legal
advice amid concerns that her title could one day be
removed under a future reign. According to royal sources quoted
in Women's Day, Meghan has begun exploring potential legal avenues

(04:27):
to protect her position as Duchess of Sussex, amid speculation
that William may favor a more streamlined monarchy when he
eventually becomes king. A source claimed Megan's not taking any chances,
and she's willing to fight to keep her title. According
to the report, the Duchess is consulting legal specialists to
determine whether she has the grounds to retain the title

(04:48):
should it ever be challenged, with the same sources suggesting
she may actually have a case for Meghan. The title
of Duchess of Sussex has become closely bound to the
commercial ventures she and Prince Harry haves sued since moving
to the United States, and he moved to withdraw it
could have significant implications for their commercial value. The report
notes that her legal team is examining whether the title

(05:11):
granted by Queen Elizabeth the Second at the time of
her marriage in twenty eighteen may be considered part of
a commercial enterprise that she and Harry have developed in California.
The same source alleged there's no doubt on several occasions
the King's conveniently turned a blind eye to her capitalizing
on her title. She even sends gift cards with hr
H on them, referring to the style that she and

(05:33):
Prince Harry agreed not to use for commercial purposes when
they stepped back as working royals in twenty twenty. It
is suggested that the Prince of Wales takes a firm
view than his father regarding the public use of titles,
consistent with his state and ambition for a more concise
and clearly defined royal family. According to the article, Meghan
views the issue as deeply personal. The source said, if

(05:55):
William even tries it, she thinks it proves that it
is personal, adding that her response would be to use
the California courts to defend a California business. Any such
legal challenge would be unprecedented. Constitutional experts note that royal
titles are governed by UK law and can only be
altered by the British Sovereign with the approval of Parliament.

(06:18):
Even so, the article suggests that Meghan is preparing for
every scenario, mindful of the high costs and international complexity
involved in past royal legal actions. Meghan's use of her
title during the Harper's Bizarre story continues to be a
source of amusement. Kinsey Schofield, host of Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,
suggested Meghan could argue that the incident was inadvertent. Meghan

(06:42):
would likely argue that this particular instance was an innocent
moment she didn't dispect to see in print, she said.
Schofield noted, however, that a similar controversy occurred earlier this year,
when Meghan sent entrepreneur Jamie kern Lima a gift basket
signed hr H Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. According to the
team argued it was a private gift, so it didn't

(07:03):
violate royal rules, but the basket included some of Meghan's products,
and critics felt there was a violation. When Jamie shared
the post on social media, some interpreted it as a
way of promoting Meghan's ventures, with her titles clearly on display.
Chofield warned that the Duchess risks crossing a line. Meghan
spoke to the publication to promote her business ventures, blurring

(07:23):
the lines of appropriate title use. She said, even if
no formal rule was broken, the optics are poor, especially
given the type rope the Sussexes agreed to walk after
stepping back from royal life. Harry and Meghan aren't supposed
to use their titles for profit, but they obviously do.
Harry is being paid for an appearance at a Hilton
and Toronto, not for his real estate expertise. These are

(07:46):
the types of incidents that Royal Family hope to avoid
when rejecting the couple's half in half out proposal. Anything
resembling cash for access or commercial endorsement threatens the monarchy's credibility.
The institution must appear selfless and community focused to maintain
public trust. Harry and Meghan often come across as unusually
self focused, eager to attach themselves to any opportunity that

(08:09):
elevates their profile. It creates a jarring juxtaposition. Their behavior
continues to strain tires with the royal family, which has
no interest in being linked to the Sussex's business ventures.
The more Meghan and Harry blur the line between royal
status and commercial ambition, the greater the distance the institution
will put between them. Royal expert Hillary Fordage told Fox

(08:33):
News Digital nothing she does is by accident. This was
very intentional. Instructions were given, so it appears she was
making a point, sadly for her, probably not the points
she intended. The use of her royal title is beyond pretentious,
it's hypocritical at best. Royal expert Helena Child adds, this
is not protocol. Little Royal protocol. It's bizarre and highlights

(08:55):
the Megan attention's enormous importance to her royal status. Megan
will cling to her Duchess of Sussex title because it
gives her a sense of importance. The title remains useful
for Meghan's business activities, particularly in the United States. It
gets people talking and keeps her in the limelight. Meghan
loves the pomp, sparkle, and drama. She works on the
premise that all publicity is good. Publicity visibility is her thing,

(09:19):
but it could also lead to the collapse of a
personal brand, and an important point by Chard with which
we agree. One thing is for sure. She certainly keeps
giving comedy writers fabulous content. They must be having a
field day. Royal author Tina Brown has delivered a stark
assessment of Prince Harry and Meghan's post royal life, telling

(09:39):
the New York Times, It's very sad what's happened to them.
I have never seen anybody in professional life make as
many mistakes as Meghan has, and unfortunately Harry is not
the brightest bowl by the He thought that Meghan would
be his guide in the big wide world beyond Buckingham Palace,
and it turns out that Meghan makes one terrible professional

(09:59):
decision after another. She added, the couple up pariahs everywhere,
noting that America was supposed to be the place that
paid the bills. Brown expressed sympathy for Harry's position, saying,
what is said is that Harry's very good at being
a prince. He's charming, he's upbeat, he's attractive, he makes
people happy when he walks into a room, and I
think he has realized too late that he was born

(10:21):
to be a prince. She suggested that his current ventures
amount to just some guy doing pr gigs while Megan
tries out her latest cooking idea whatever with King Charles
the third continuing treatment for cancer. Brown said Harry's best
decision would be to return home and reunite with his family,
but she warned that reconciliation may be difficult. I'd like

(10:42):
to see a way for him to make amends with
his family, but it gets harder and harder as the
years go by. I think that William is going to
be the decider of that, and I think William has
a very tough view of the whole situation, which is
that the betrayal of Harry is not something that can
be remedied, and they have it. If you'd like to
email us some addresses The Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com.

(11:05):
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We're all over on social Come by and say hi, hey,
Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace
Intrigue and good times.