Prince Harry Won't Take Work That Jokes About Queen or Royal Family

published 2 April 2020

There are a lot of great jokes to be made about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spectacularly dramatic exit from the royal family in January—I personally went around saying, "How can I quit my family?" and giggling to myself for about a week—but Prince Harry sure won't be making them. According to The Daily Mail, Harry has instructed his new team, including their agent Nick Collins, to unilaterally decline any work that makes fun of the royal family, whether on TV, in a speech, for a movie, or anything else. (There goes my idea of The Royal Exit: The Musical, although Harry probably wouldn't have agreed to star in that anyway.)

This would include tongue-in-cheek work like a guest role for Harry on The Simpsons, which has had actors play members of the royal family on several occasions. (It would not, however, stop Meghan from bringing her Suits character back to life, since her character was entirely separate from the royal family. I'm just saying!) According to the Mail, Harry and Meghan don't want to have any more "bad blood" between themselves and the rest of the royal family. To quote a source who spoke to the Mail:

Offers have come flooding in to Collins for Harry and Meghan. They are worth tens of millions of dollars and some offers are absolutely in their wheelhouse of charity ideas, however some are straight up advertising and marketing promotions and commercials. And of course having a narrative about Harry and Meghan either reflecting on their royal links or stepping away is an easy storyline. However, Harry has instructed his and Meghan's team to nix anything that in any way could be negative towards the royals. Essentially anything that is negative to the Queen, Prince Charles, his brother or the throne is off limits.

Some of the advertising they've been offered, if you wondered, include that of liquor firms and medical corporations, per the Mail. And while I would love—love—to see Meghan do sponcon for a FabFitFun box, or see Harry promote a woodsy gin that can take some of the stress out of leaving your family behind and fleeing to Canada, I can see that's not quite what they're going for in this new chapter.

This kind of royal-mocking content, by the by, is exactly what Kate Middleton and Prince William had to sit through at the BAFTAs, reportedly without their prior knowledge or consent. Both Rebel Wilson and Brad Pitt used their acceptance speeches to take (quite funny) digs at the royal family in front of Kate and William, but, again, probably not what the future king and queen are going for.

Still kind of wish Harry and Meghan would consider The Simpsons, though.

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