Nicolai Haugsted
Prince Harry faces accusations of exploiting his mother’s memory as speculation grows about his and Meghan Markle’s financial situation.
Prince Harry has spent years speaking openly about the emotional consequences of growing up without his mother, Princess Diana.
His willingness to discuss grief, trauma and mental health has become a defining part of his public life since stepping away from royal duties.
But his latest appearance on the subject has prompted a different kind of conversation, with critics questioning whether the Duke of Sussex should be earning money from sharing such deeply personal experiences.
According to RadarOnline, the 42-year-old prince received payment for participating in a MasterClass discussion about coping with loss, prompting accusations that he is profiting from his mother’s death.
Harry revisits the loss that shaped his childhood
The online session, titled “Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss,” features Harry in conversation with neuroscientist Dr. Mary Francis O’Connor.
O’Connor, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona, specializes in the science of grief and how people process the deaths of loved ones.
During their discussion, Harry reflected on the emotional difficulties he experienced after Diana died in 1997, just weeks before his 13th birthday.
The prince described how he struggled to reconcile moments of happiness with his continuing sense of loss.
“I felt like I had to be sad and I had to be emotionally numb in order to prove to her that I missed her,” he explained.
Harry also spoke about his inability to cry for much of his adult life, a subject he previously discussed during a 2023 interview with 60 Minutes.
“I didn’t cry when I was told my mom died, only at her burial, and then not again for nearly two decades,” he said.
His royal upbringing, he explained, offered little protection from the emotional consequences of losing a parent.
“I’m a prince for God’s sake, but I was still grieving and didn’t have any place to put those feelings.”
Questions emerge over his payment
Harry’s participation has attracted attention not simply because of what he discussed, but because of the financial arrangement behind the appearance.
Royal commentator Tom Sykes reported that Harry’s office confirmed the prince received payment for taking part in the MasterClass production.
The amount he was paid has not been disclosed.
However, previous reporting about MasterClass celebrity contracts has suggested that prominent participants can receive substantial fees.
Industry sources cited in reporting about the company’s business model have claimed that some celebrities can earn approximately $100,000 upfront, potentially supplemented by royalties.
Certain arrangements have reportedly included a 30 percent share of royalties generated by course sales.
Those figures describe reported deals involving other participants and do not establish how much Harry earned or whether his agreement included similar terms.
Nevertheless, the confirmation of payment has given his detractors fresh ammunition.
Critics accuse Harry of profiting from grief
The prince has discussed Diana’s death extensively over the years, including in his 2023 memoir Spare, television interviews, documentaries and podcasts.
His latest appearance has therefore prompted criticism from people who believe he has returned to the subject too frequently.
Several social media users went further, suggesting that the paid session reflected financial difficulties for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
“More evidence that Harry and Meghan are broke,” one person wrote on X.
Another critic was equally dismissive.
“This just proves he’s desperate for cash!”
Other comments focused on Harry’s repeated public discussions of his mother, particularly when compared with his older brother, Prince William.
“Prince Harry is a student of grief. Because he’s the only person who has lost a parent? How much longer is he going to dine out on his mother’s death? I can’t imagine how frustrating this is for Prince William. He lost his mother too, yet Harry acts like he owns grief. Grifter. He’s a Grief Grifter. His and everyone else’s,” another user wrote.
A fourth person added: “They are so poor that they are selling classes now!”
The comments represent individual reactions on social media, rather than evidence of the couple’s financial circumstances.
No financial documentation establishing that Harry and Meghan are broke has been presented in the report.
William’s approach comes under comparison
The criticism has also revived comparisons between the two brothers and their different approaches to discussing Diana’s death.
William has generally kept his reflections on his mother’s passing more limited, although he participated in a documentary marking the 20th anniversary of her death in 2017.
Harry, by contrast, has made his experiences with grief a recurring subject of his public work.
His openness has formed part of a broader effort to encourage conversations about mental health and emotional vulnerability.
Critics argue that repeated commercial appearances risk turning a personal tragedy into a source of income.
However, receiving payment for participating in a discussion does not, by itself, establish that Harry’s account is insincere or that he is deliberately exploiting his mother’s memory.
The disagreement largely concerns where people believe the boundary should lie between sharing personal experiences and commercializing them.
Financial speculation follows the Sussexes
Questions about Harry and Meghan’s finances have followed the couple since they left their roles as working members of the British royal family.
After relocating to California, they pursued commercial projects involving streaming, publishing and other media ventures.
Some of those partnerships attracted considerable attention, while others reportedly failed to meet expectations.
RadarOnline claims the couple returned to the United Kingdom in late August after six years in California and suggests that their commercial prospects have weakened.
The outlet also reports that Harry has participated in several charity engagements since returning to Britain.
However, the article does not provide financial records showing that the couple lacks a stable income or is experiencing serious financial difficulties.
Speculation about their wealth therefore remains separate from the confirmed report that Harry received payment for his MasterClass appearance.
