EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘Set to Charge Fortunes for Dinner Dates’ After Auctioning Themselves Off For $100,000
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to monetise access to themselves by charging eye-watering sums for private “dinner dates,” RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The couple, 41 and 44 respectively, are said to be looking at offering tickets at around $100,000 a plate for the nights out, prompting questions over whether former royals are now effectively “selling themselves” to the highest bidder.
Fundraising Through CharityBuzz
It comes after the couple earlier this month quietly auctioned access to themselves to the highest bidder as a way of raising money.
Reports said tickets to attend a dinner with the Sussexes were going for around $100,000 a plate, as they used the company CharityBuzz to raise funds for their charity Archewell.
Up until this point the charity has relied on anonymous wealthy donors, which has allowed them to make grants to their selected good causes.
But a spokesman for Archewell has confirmed: “We have partnered with numerous fundraising partners over the years and CharityBuzz has been one of them.”
A source added the pair’s Archewell charity had used the company to support a fundraising dinner on World Mental Health Day.
Breaking Royal Taboos
Paying to have dinner with, or arranging access to, a working member of the British royal family is seen as a taboo – but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t been working royals since their dramatic departure from duties with The Firm under the terms of their 2020 ‘Megxit’ deal.
The access to Harry and Meghan appears not to have been advertised on the company website, prompting speculation it may have been offered privately to “high rollers” who have previously paid to socialize with celebrities.
A source said about their association with CharityBuzz: “People will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have dinner with them.”
A source familiar with the Sussexes’ plans on the back of the apparent auction deal told us: “This is essentially a jumping off point for Harry and Meghan to offer the chance to meet them in person for huge money. People will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have dinner with them. It’s a bold move – but there’s no denying it’s selling access to a former working royal.”
High-Profile Auctions and Future Plans
CharityBuzz has raised $650million for charitable causes over 20 years, running high-profile events with George Clooney, Beyoncé and Sir Paul McCartney.
Current offerings include $10,000 for a dinner with Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk and $50,000 for platinum tickets to the Grammy Awards.
Going forward, the Sussexes are said to be planning dinners that will be on offer only privately and to “top-tier players.”
A source close to the couple said: “They’re going to use their public visibility to fundraise, but for themselves. They will be able to say the dinners are for all sorts of reasons, from charity to business discussions, but the bottom line is this will be a very easy way for them to make money for themselves – and they will get a free dinner into the bargain. But there’s no denying it – they are offering access in a way that past royals would never have entertained.”
Critics and the Impact on Royal Ties
Critics have told us the plan is a “cynical celebrity cash grab,” while supporters argue it will enable their Archewell cause to find more donors.
A source said: “The dinners will be discrete, but this pair better get set for the criticism that is going to come with it.
“It will also not do anything for Harry when it comes to trying to prove to his estranged father King Charles he is trustworthy enough to be able to be welcomed back into the ranks of the royal family, which is really what he wants.”