When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the United Kingdom in 2020, they presented their move to California as the beginning of a completely new chapter.

They wanted financial independence, greater control over their public image, and the ability to build a different kind of influence outside the traditional boundaries of the Royal Family.

But now, as the couple prepares to return to the UK with their children for an extended stay, their American journey is being examined from a different perspective.

According to a report from The Cut, the question surrounding Harry and Meghan’s years in America is not simply whether they succeeded or failed. Instead, it is a complicated mix of major victories, unexpected disappointments, and projects that never became what many expected.

One of their biggest successes came almost immediately with their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. The conversation became a global cultural event, attracting around 49 million viewers worldwide.

The interview gave Harry and Meghan a powerful platform to discuss their experiences inside the Royal Family, their struggles with public attention, and their decision to step away from royal duties.

It became one of the defining moments of their post-royal identity.

Their Netflix partnership also produced a major success. The documentary series Harry & Meghan, the first major project from their reported $100 million deal with Netflix, reached nearly 29 million households during its release week.

The project proved that the couple could still attract enormous global attention when they focused on their own personal story.

Harry also achieved a significant personal success with his memoir Spare. The book became the fastest-selling nonfiction title ever recorded by Guinness World Records.

However, not every project connected to the Sussex brand produced the same results.

Some initiatives struggled to create long-term impact. Meghan’s early investment in a female-founded instant oat latte company continued operating, but it did not become the major lifestyle success many might have predicted.

Their mental health documentary series The Me You Can’t See, created with Oprah Winfrey and featuring figures such as Lady Gaga and Glenn Close, also failed to maintain public attention after its release.

Meghan’s children’s book The Bench, focused on the relationship between fathers and sons, also received a more limited response, selling only around 8,000 copies in the UK.

The couple’s business partnerships also faced challenges.

Their $20 million Spotify agreement produced Meghan’s podcast Archetypes, a 12-episode series featuring guests including Paris Hilton. However, the partnership ended after that single major project.

Other ideas reportedly connected to Harry also struggled to move forward. Reports claimed he once proposed a show where he would interview figures like Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump about childhood experiences. Another reported idea involved a podcast about testing hot chocolate across America.

Neither concept became a major production.

Their Netflix projects beyond Harry & Meghan also had mixed results. Harry-produced documentaries such as Heart of Invictus and leadership-focused programming featuring figures like Gloria Steinem, Jacinda Ardern, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg received far less attention compared with their debut documentary.

Meghan’s lifestyle business journey followed a similar pattern.

In 2024, she launched American Riviera Orchard, a lifestyle brand promoted through limited releases of products such as jam sent to celebrities including Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen.

However, trademark issues forced a rebrand, and the company became known as As Ever.

Reports later suggested Netflix ended involvement with Meghan’s jam and candle business after millions of dollars worth of unsold merchandise reportedly remained.

Despite those challenges, As Ever continues to exist, and Meghan is expected to operate the business from the UK.

Looking back, Harry and Meghan’s American chapter cannot easily be labeled a success or failure.

They achieved moments of extraordinary influence, including a globally watched interview, a successful Netflix documentary, and a record-breaking memoir.

But many other projects struggled to reach the same level of impact.

Their return to Britain represents more than just a change of location. It marks a moment when the couple’s entire post-royal experiment is being reassessed.

The American dream they built was never completely unsuccessful, but it also did not become the unstoppable media empire that some predicted.

Instead, Harry and Meghan created something much more complicated: a brand capable of generating enormous attention, but one still searching for the formula that can turn attention into lasting success.