Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) have already done much to establish their independence after stepping down from their roles as active senior royals. even before signing a major deal with Netflix (opens in new tab), the Sussexes were expected to make a fortune from their speaking engagements (opens in new tab) They were expected to make a lot of money from But now, according to some experts, the couple is likely to earn less from their speaking engagements than previously estimated.

"Having Harry and Meghan come to the lectures is as important as having President Obama or Arnold Schwarzenegger," an expert at an international consultancy that runs VIP corporate events in the UK and US told The Sun (opens in new tab). 'They are both engaging, uniquely experienced, and have a wide reach, and would have wowed audiences at pre-COVID gigs. So at the time, a figure between $750,000 and $1 million seemed high but doable. Realistically, their revenue range is closer to $250,000 to $400,000.

Harry and Meghan's (open in new tab) income potential from speaking engagements is not the only thing affecting the coronavirus epidemic. Experts who spoke anonymously said the Sussex couple's demanding list of (open in new tab) requirements will also play a role.

"The contract documents seem to state that the speaker has complete control over the client's event. It certainly raises eyebrows and will put many potential large corporations off," the source explained, adding that clients' expectations tend to rise for speakers who charge more, and many speakers may be unwilling to give up control over their events for such a high fee as the Sussex couple's contract demands. He added that many speakers may not be willing to give up control over their events for a higher fee than the Sussexes' contract calls for. He added, "Every speaker has the right to protect their image and demand that their clients adopt their rules. In my experience, no speaker or paid guest, including former U.S. presidents, has been allowed to approve each aspect of a corporate event."

Eventually, Harry and Meghan (open in new tab) will have to negotiate their speaking fees separately, but The Sun's experts expect many of those negotiations to end in a stalemate.

"There will be some give-and-take in some of the contracts, though, and there will be more events that they turn down than they accept," the source said. My guess is that once their speaking brands reach their peak, 90% of the opportunities will be passed up."