Prince Harry's reported $100K deal for Princess Diana MasterClass sparks 'cash grab' claims from royal experts
Prince Harry has spent years publicly unpacking his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana. But his latest revelations have sparked renewed skepticism among royal experts.
The Duke of Sussex opened up about how losing his mother when he was 12 affected his life in a new MasterClass course titled "Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss," which debuted Oct. 8.
In the course, Harry spoke with neuroscientist and grief expert Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor about how grief can affect the brain and body.
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE FEEDING THE 'PUBLICITY MACHINE' DESPITE PRIVACY DEMANDS: EXPERT
The Daily Mail reported that Harry pocketed $100,000, plus a share of subscription revenue for his class. A source told the outlet, "I'd encourage everyone to watch it before casting any judgment," adding that he should not be criticized at length for "speaking from the heart."
Forbes previously reported that most MasterClass instructors get at least $100,000 and a share of at least 30% of revenue.
The Daily Mail reported that a spokesperson confirmed Harry was paid by MasterClass but declined to comment further. Past stars featured on the platform include Martin Scorsese, Gordon Ramsay and Hillary Clinton, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell and MasterClass for comment.
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that Harry's decision to repeatedly revisit his grief through books, interviews and media projects has fueled debate over whether the 42-year-old is profiting from the tragedy he shares with his brother, Prince William, who has largely chosen to grieve outside the spotlight.
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY'S REPORTED PRINCESS DIANA MOVIE PROJECT SPARKS CONTROVERSY
"Prince Harry has spoken extensively about his emotional scars and unresolved grief surrounding the death of his mother," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
"However, Harry continuously paints himself a victim," Chard said. "Blame always falls on someone else. He realizes people's interest in Diana and, let's not forget, it makes a quick buck. It's seen as a cash grab, cashing in on his mother's death. It plays into the reported title 'Grief Grifter.'"
"The public understands the heartache Harry and William must have endured after their mother passed away," Chard said. "Grief affects people in different ways, and both boys endured divergent paths of grief."
According to People magazine, MasterClass approached Harry about developing a class on grief in 2025. The course was filmed in California during the summer of 2026, before Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, traveled back to the U.K.
People reported that the course, released ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, supports two charities: Scotty's Little Soldiers, a U.K. organization that helps children and young people whose parents died during or after service in the British Armed Forces, and Comfort Zone Camp, a U.S. nonprofit that provides bereavement camps for grieving children.
According to The Times, William does not plan to make a film about Diana to mark the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027, in part to avoid further conflict with Harry. The outlet also reported that William has declined several offers to make or appear in documentaries about his mother.
GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE
Meanwhile, Harry is considering several projects to mark the 30th anniversary of Diana's death, according to People magazine. While several ideas are under discussion, the outlet reported that no documentary has been finalized or confirmed. Several sources told People that Harry has reached out to family members and friends of his late mother.
The class also arrived just weeks after Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, released his memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister."
At the beginning of the course, Harry recalled his reaction to learning of his mother's death.
"I didn't cry when I was told my mom died, only at her burial, and then not again for nearly two decades," he said, as quoted by People. "I was convinced that was strength, but it wasn't. It was a 12-year-old boy with no permission to fall apart and no roadmap for how to heal."
"You would think I had the best help in the world," Harry said. "I'm a prince for God's sake. But I was still grieving and didn't have any place to put those feelings."
In his 2023 memoir, "Spare," Harry wrote that his father, King Charles III, didn't hug him after telling him Diana had died.
LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
"Pa didn't hug me," Harry wrote. "He wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances. How could he be expected to show them in such a crisis? His hand did fall once more on my knee, and he said, 'It's going to be OK.' That was quite a lot for him. Fatherly, hopeful, kind. And so very untrue."
For some royal experts, however, the issue isn't whether Harry has a right to discuss his grief, but his decision to repeatedly revisit it publicly.
"Sadly, Harry hasn't dealt well at all with his grief," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
Fordwich echoed Chard's criticism, saying Harry has faced accusations of being a "grief grifter" for repeatedly discussing his mother's death through public projects that could generate revenue.
"What mother would want her child to be miserable and mourning so many years later?" Fordwich asked.
Other royal commentators see Harry's decision differently. Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Harry is using his platform to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage others to discuss their experiences and seek help.
"I feel this is not a ploy on his part to create attention or sympathy from the public," Turner said. "I see it as an act of bravery on his part to distance himself from former royal trappings and show himself as most people see him: a man of the people."
PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE
Harry also said he spent years feeling that experiencing happiness would mean betraying his mother's memory.
"I'd spent so long emotionally numb, to a large extent, because I felt disloyal and guilty for the possibility of being happy and joyful without her," Harry said. "I felt like I had to be sad, and I had to be emotionally numb in order to prove to her that I missed her."
"But the reality is, what I discovered was actually she just wanted me to be happy," Harry said. "And that was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me, and it gave me a whole different outlook on life."
In the course, Harry also described his experience after moving to Canada with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their son, Prince Archie, in late 2019. The couple stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, citing intrusive British media coverage and a lack of support from the palace as reasons for their departure.
Harry said he experienced an "adrenaline crash."
"We moved to Canada to get some space away from everything, just to be able to think," Harry said. "Being in Canada, away from the stressful environment where presumably my body was just pumped full of adrenaline, within two or three days, I experienced this adrenaline crash — something that I'd never experienced before."
"It was as if I needed stress in order to get the adrenaline to make my brain function because I became useless around the house," Harry said. "I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn't function without adrenaline."
Harry's disclosure that he experienced depression shortly after leaving royal life caught Chard's attention.
"The new narrative that he was depressed for a couple of weeks after leaving the British royal family is slightly suspect and does not resonate with his 'Freedom Flight,'" Chard said. "Harry wears his heart on his sleeve, and many doubt he'd forgotten to state this information in his previous memoir, documentaries and interviews."
"This is definitely new information and slightly changes the narrative," Chard said.
Harry also said that carrying out royal duties triggered anxiety and panic attacks.
"There was a time where public engagements just created absolute panic right from beginning to end," Harry said. "The panic was having to put my suit, jacket, and tie on and suddenly feel suffocated. The panic was going from A to B, getting out of the car in front of all the cameras and the clicks.
"I started to realize that I had become seriously depleted when just putting a simple dress shirt on — the tightening of the collar — literally felt like I was suffocating, and I would be experiencing panic attacks just in the car on the way to work," Harry said. "And that's when I realized, OK, there's something bigger, there's something else that you need to look into here."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital he believes Harry will continue discussing Diana's death if he moves forward with a documentary about his mother.
"There is no doubt he is likely to continue emphasizing his vulnerability after Princess Diana's death," Fitzwilliams said. "We saw the emotional Harry on MasterClass, yet again."
Harry also credited therapy with helping him confront grief he had carried for decades.
"I learned more about myself in two or three sessions than I had done in 20 years," Harry said. "First of all, she helped me accept and acknowledge that I was grieving and that it was okay to grieve and that what happened to me was really quite hard."
Nearly three decades after Diana's death, Harry and William continue to take different approaches to honoring their mother's memory — one through public revelations, the other largely away from the spotlight.