It could be an expensive year for the Sussexes who are fighting serval legal cases. Photo / Getty Images
Opinion:
Meghan Duchess of Sussex is a woman who wears many hats – both literally and figuratively. Back in her royal days, the former actress could wear the dickens out of a four-figure Philip Treacy chapeau, a prerequisite if one is to get into the HRH game.
In 2020, with her Treacy creations no doubt packed away in storage (they're not exactly necessary for making Wholefoods runs when one is out of organic oat milk or popping around to see Oprah for a quick asana or two in between planning world domination), the 39-year-old's CV has only grown.
In the past 12 months, to her titles of activist, wife, mother, and duchess she has added palace renegade, A-list speaker, TV and movie producer, and nascent Democratic power player to her name.
And thanks to Oprah, we now know that Meghan can also add start-up investor to her ever growing resume.
The TV supremo gushed on Instagram about Clevr Blends, an instant latte brand, writing "On the first day of Christmas my neighbor 'M' sent to me … A basket of deliciousness!"
Just to really drive the point home she added "Yes that M" with a crown emoji. Subtle.
After the video was posted Fortune revealed that Meghan had invested in Clevr, which bills itself as a "woman-led, mission-driven wellness company," suggesting that the duchess is a woman who both a) values a serious jolt of caffeine and b) a seriously good business opportunity.
However, with the new year almost here, Meghan's 2021 is not looking quite so rosy. In fact, take a closer look and you might start wondering why she didn't see fit to plough her money into a "woman-led, mission-driven" gin brand instead.
For the Sussexes, there are gathering storm clouds on the horizon.
In early December, Harry filed a libel action against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday bringing to six the number of lawsuits the couple has launched in just over the past year.
At the crux of their legal actions seems to be a concerted focus on assertively trying to stake out their privacy.
It is a high stakes gamble.
While all of these actions are slowly wending their way through the British and American legal systems, all of this legal manoeuvring comes at a potentially high cost financially, emotionally and image wise.
The duchess has already suffered a couple of losses in her lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday's parent company (she alleges they breached her privacy by publishing parts of a letter she sent her estranged father Thomas Markle and which he had provided to the paper).
However, in August she was successful in her request to keep the identities of five friends who spoke to People magazine a secret.)
The courtroom saga has not only dredged up family drama ensuring her messy relationship with her father has stayed in the news but has also hit her in the hip pocket, with Meghan being ordered by the court to pay $325,000 so far, in costs. A court heard in September that her costs alone were estimated to top $3 million.
The Mail has vociferously fought the case so far and all signs indicate that they will continue to defend themselves tooth and nail.
And all of this is before the blockbuster courtroom showdown actually kicks off in October or November next year. (In October, a judge in London agreed to nine to ten month adjournment on the basis of a "confidential" matter).
Keep in mind, this is just one of her and Harry's now half dozen lawsuits they are fighting on two continents. No matter what the outcome, they all present the possibility of being a serious drain on their bank accounts and emotional reserves.
Another event that seems assured for 2021: Harry and Meghan's UK return, where they face the possibility of a frosty reception.
Quite when they might land in Blighty is a matter of debate: On May 29, Harry's beloved Invictus Games will kick off in The Hague and, COVID-permitting, he will definitely attend, raising the possibility of him (and perhaps his family too) visiting the UK during the same trip.
June 12 should be the staging of Trooping the Colour, again if COVID-restrictions are a thing of the past, a family event to which the Sussexes would unequivocally be extended an invitation. (Though this would necessitate a new Treacy creation.)
At the very latest, the duke will have to be back in London for July 1 when he and William are set to unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales on what would have been her 60th birthday.
No matter at what point Harry and Meghan's feet are back on British soil, theirs will be an emotionally freighted return.
Publicly, Harry's standing has taken a pummelling in the wake of the Sussexes' shock exit from royal life in January this year. Harry, who had a firm hold on the number two spot in terms of most popular members of the royal family is now a sad seventh.
Polling data that came out at the end of October found that Harry had suffered a 19-point drop and You Gov's popularity tracker recorded the royal hitting his lowest favourability to date.
There is also the question of what sort of welcome they will get from the royal family. This year has seen a raft of biographies delve into the reportedly deeply fractured relationship between Harry and his brother Prince William.
While the rift between the two men is said to be healing, from what details have filtered down into the media it would seem that any sort of family reunion could be a fraught affair.
Adding to all of this is the fact that 2021 will be a make-or-break year for the Sussexes' professional fortunes.
Having inked a whopping deal with Netflix, rumoured to be worth $130 million, the pressure is now on the duo to start cranking out content for the streaming giant that not only fits with their brand but garners the viewing numbers to validate their whopping pay cheque.
While Meghan, having starred on the cable drama Suits, knows her way around a script and a sound stage, stepping behind the camera and having to run the entire show will be a new experience for both of them. It is one thing to come up with some cracking ideas during a caffeine-fuelled brainstorm; it's another thing entirely to successfully execute them.
They will get one shot. Having transplanted themselves to California, once their novelty value wanes and Hollywood bigwigs get used to the notion of bona fide royals in their midst, their titles alone won't be enough to see them pull in the millions of dollars they will need each year to finance their lives.
The pressure – all $130 million worth of it – will be on the couple to prove themselves in the entertainment industry.
The other big project the Sussexes have in the offing is the launch of Archewell, their new charitable entity. With a spiffy, if a bit pretentious, landing page currently live, the clock is ticking down to the launch of the charity that will be the bedrock of their post-royal brand.
Again, there are weighty expectations for Archewell to be an unmitigated winner and to really stand out in the very crowded philanthropic field in the US.
There has been a profound cultural shifts in the world in the past year in terms of how we view celebrity and how high profile people use their image and platform. To be famous today is to have to navigate a minefield and 2020 has proven that no matter how beloved you might be one day, that can change in the space of a careless comment, Instagram post or brand association.
The pressure will be on Harry and Meghan to make their new lives a huge success and to prove that when they decided they wanted out of the royal family, it was a smart decision.
The challenge for them is not just to prove they can survive outside the captivity of the royal family but to thrive.
However, I would never bet against the Sussexes. Time and again they have proven themselves to be canny operators with serious talent and moxy to boot. They have confounded expectations and shown themselves to be willing to take risks – and more importantly, to make them pay off.
If 2020 will go down as the year of Megxit, 2021 may well go down as the year of Mega-success.
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and writer with more than 15 years experience working across a number of Australia's leading media titles.
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