ONE would’ve thought Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were wealthy enough by now, having netted a reported £230million during their new Stateside life.
But it seems the royal couple have yet another lucrative scheme up their sleeves, on top of their Netflix, Spotify and Penguin Random House deals.
Meghan, 40, and Harry, 37, have been getting close to Bill Guthy, the co-founder of beauty marketing firm Guthy-Renker.
So, could she be looking to expand her empire by launching her own beauty line?
The couple reportedly made several visits to co-founder Bill Guthy’s home in Carpinteria, California, with Meghan’s mum Doria between February and March.
There has also been speculation that their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey was filmed at his ranch.
So, is Meghan about to follow in the footsteps of supermodel Cindy Crawford, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Heidi Klum?
The couple are certainly making an effort to stay in the limelight, with their recent trip to New York – during which they flew on a private jet owned by Guthy-Renker, reports the Daily Mail.
During the trip Meghan sported a new bolder makeup look, and also took the time to visit her close pal celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin.
Here we take a closer look at the tell-tale signs Meghan is about to plunge her fingers in yet another money-making pie.
Cosying up to Bill Guthy
Harry and Meghan have reportedly been getting closer to businessman Bill Guthy – who is worth more than £367million ($500m).
The duke was spotted driving from Mr Guthy’s estate with Meghan beside him and her mum Doria Ragland in the backseat on March 1 – days before their Oprah interview aired on US TV.
And while the Sussexes haven’t publicly revealed the location of the infamous sit-down chat, satellite pictures of the Guthy estate reveal a stone courtyard very similar to the one seen in the interview.
A-listers including J-Lo, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson and Heidi Klum have all had cosmetic lines by Guthy-Renker which have earned them millions of dollars.
But Guthy and his company aren’t completely squeaky clean.
In recent years Guthy-Renker has been fined for illegal business practices.
It had to pay out £19.2million ($26m) in a class action lawsuit by customers who claimed its shampoos cause hair loss, while ads for its acne treatment line Proactiv were banned in the UK as they were found to be “misleading”.
The firm also helped launch the career of self-help guru Tony Robbins, who last month was accused of spreading lies about Covid.
‘Strategic’ new look
When she married Harry and became a royal in 2018, Meghan’s makeup was well-known for being pared back and subtle.
But since moving to California with her husband and the kids, she’s regularly sported a much bolder, more red-carpet ready look.
Makeup artist Laura Kay has explained how Meghan’s appearance “requires thoughtful strategy” and noted she “has been making a big statement with her makeup choices” recently – perhaps having previously felt restricted by royal protocol.
Speaking exclusively to The Celeb Report, Laura said makeup now appears to be Meghan’s “trademark”, and that hints she is using it as a ‘power grab game’ are evident.
“I believe her makeup artist uses clever application tricks as a tool to help her get her message across and it is very much a collaborative effort,” she said.
Laura believes every part of her makeup was thought about for their Oprah interview, as “she needed a serious and stern look and makeup carried her message perfectly”.
“She used makeup to captivate the audience,” Laura explained.
“Bold eyeliner, glamorous lash extensions and smoky eyeshadow around her eyelids, have become a staple look of Meghan’s, which helps her command attention in the way she intends.
“In addition, the highlighter down the bridge of her nose and heavy blush cheeks draws your eye to her lips, making us, the viewer, ‘hang on her every word’.
“The application of a creamy glossy lip is exaggerated because her lips are plumped up more than usual.”
Beauty blog
Meghan has always been into her beauty, and used to have a lifestyle blog called The Tig in which she’d share her tips and tricks with fans.
She would often reveal the products she uses in her beauty regime, including how she gets her hair so famously sleek.
Filed under “Valentine’s Day Beauty”, Meghan and her Tig team recommended Leonor Greyl organic beauty oil.
She claimed the natural elixir is perfect for strengthening the hair or improving the softness of the skin.
And if you ever wondered how the former Suits actress gets her flawless skin, she recommended an affordable beauty mask from Giovanni D:Tox System.
Laura noted how it would be a “natural move” for Meghan to look at beauty and lifestyle businesses in light of her former blog.
Makeup guru pal
While Meghan has apparently ditched a lot of friends since marrying Harry, one she’s firmly kept in her circle is celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin.
The makeup guru worked for her at her and Harry’s wedding, and is renowned for being behind Meghan’s luminous skin and natural makeup look.
Earlier this year, Daniel said: “I’m always going to be Meghan Markle’s makeup artist for the rest of my life. Which is totally fine because we’re friends.
“I think if we didn’t have a personal connection, it would definitely be different.”
Meghan made the effort to catch up with him in New York – Daniel shared a photo of her and Harry on Instagram, along with a quote from her speech about Covid vaccinations being a “fundamental right” of the people.
He added: “Though it was awesome spending time with these two the last few days, I truly learned a lot about the inequities the world faces regarding (the lack of) distribution of the vaccine.”
‘There is big money to be made’
Royal expert Russell Myers previously told talkRADIO that the couple have “got to stay relevant”, which is why they’re signing big money deals.
Laura believes Meghan knows that the lucrative beauty industry is the way forward, and is sure that’s what she’ll go into next.
She told The Celeb Report: “Meghan is savvy and she knows ‘anyone who is anyone’ has a cosmetics range.
“There is big money to be made and Meghan will want a piece of the pie, she will want to be the next billionaire cosmetics queen.
“Why wear anyone else’s makeup when she can wear her own?”
Why, indeed.
Money to launch it
The couple aren’t short of cash to get a new business up and running.
Harry was estimated to be worth around £29.5m in 2019, before he and Meghan made the move to the States with their son, Archie, now two.
After allegedly running up a colossal taxpayer bill in the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who are also parents to four-month-old Lilibet – have been racking up their earnings.
They landed a £30million deal with Spotify for their own podcast – branded a “woke word salad” by listeners.
The couple also bagged a £112million Netflix deal – which led to Meghan being labelled the “new Kim Kardashian” – and have appeared at a string of lucrative speaking events, averaging at £756k a speech.
If that wasn’t enough, Meghan enlisted her close pal Oprah Winfrey to help flog a coffee investment via an Instagram post, reportedly worth millions.
Harry has also had a £15million advance from publishers for a memoir, which experts fear he may use to name the “royal racist” – although he’s said to be donating profits to charity.
