After moving to the United States earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed with the Harry Walker Agency to represent them for speaking engagements. The rider the agency has been sending out on their behalf for those speaking engagements recently leaked. It turns out the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a number of requests that must be fulfilled before they sign on for any public appearances.
According to the four-page “Virtual Event Request Form,” which was obtained by London’s Telegraph, Harry and Meghan require they have the say-so on every detail of their online appearances, including "the choice of Introducer and Moderator will be at the final discretion of the Speaker." The Sussexes are also quite specific on the method of payment. The form reads "the Fee will need to be paid directly from the contracting organization’s account.” It's reported they receive $1million for speaking engagements.
Another important aspect of their rider concerns the event's sponsors. Harry and Meghan require the company hiring them disclose everyone helping to fund the event, including “corporations, individuals, members of the organization and government entities or organizations." They require “what they are receiving in return for their sponsorship" to be disclosed, as well.
While some celebrity riders focus on dressing room set ups, it seems Harry and Meghan are mostly focused on how their image will be presented to the world and what the event—and by extension, themselves—will be associated with. The rider states they want to know whether “any live or pre-recorded program elements will run concurrently with the Speaker’s presentation” and who else might be speaking at the event. “What will the audience see on screen? Will you incorporate any branding? What will the Speaker see on screen immediately prior to and during their presentation?” the form reads.
Harry and Meghan have not addressed the leak of their rider publicly. It's likely that they will refrain from confirming its accuracy and keep mum on the subject as they continue with their speaking engagements.
Photo: Getty