Prince Harry’s Paid Grief Masterclass Reignites ‘Cash Grab’ Debate Among Royal Watchers

Prince Harry has been paid a reported $100,000, plus a share of subscription revenue, for a new MasterClass course in which he discusses his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana, according to the Daily Mail. The course, titled “Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss,” debuted Oct. 8 and features the Duke of Sussex in conversation with neuroscientist and grief expert Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor.

A source told the Daily Mail, “I’d encourage everyone to watch it before casting any judgment,” and argued Harry should not be criticized at length for “speaking from the heart.” Forbes has previously reported that most MasterClass instructors receive at least $100,000 plus a share of at least 30% of revenue. A MasterClass spokesperson confirmed Harry was paid but declined further comment, according to the Daily Mail. Past instructors on the platform include Martin Scorsese, Gordon Ramsay and Hillary Clinton.

Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell and MasterClass for comment.

‘Grief Grifter’ Accusations

Several royal commentators told Fox News Digital that Harry’s repeated public revisiting of his grief — through books, interviews and now a paid course — has renewed questions about whether he is profiting from a tragedy he shares with his brother, Prince William, who has largely grieved privately.

“Prince Harry has spoken extensively about his emotional scars and unresolved grief surrounding the death of his mother,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard said. “However, Harry continuously paints himself a victim. 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.'”

British royal expert Hilary Fordwich offered a similar assessment. “Sadly, Harry hasn’t dealt well at all with his grief,” she said, adding that Harry has faced accusations of being a “grief grifter” for repeatedly discussing his mother’s death through projects that can generate revenue. “What mother would want her child to be miserable and mourning so many years later?” Fordwich asked.

Not every commentator agrees. Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he sees the course differently. “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.”

What Harry Says in the Course

According to People magazine, MasterClass approached Harry about the project in 2025, and it was filmed in California during the summer of 2026 before he and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, traveled back to the U.K. It was released ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 and supports two charities: Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which helps children of British service members who died in or after service, and Comfort Zone Camp, a U.S. nonprofit running bereavement camps for grieving children.

At the start of the course, Harry recalled learning of his mother’s 1997 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, according to 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, did not hug him after telling him Diana had died. “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.”

Harry also said he spent years believing happiness would betray 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,” he said. “But the reality is, what I discovered was actually she just wanted me to be happy. And that was a huge mental shift for me. It freed me, and it gave me a whole different outlook on life.”

A New Detail About Depression in Canada

Harry described an “adrenaline crash” after he, Meghan and their son Archie moved to Canada in late 2019, following the couple’s 2020 departure from senior royal duties, which they attributed to intrusive British media coverage and a lack of palace support. “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,” Harry said. “I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline.”

That disclosure drew particular scrutiny from Chard. “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,'” she 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.”

Harry also said royal engagements had once triggered panic attacks. “The panic was having to put my suit, jacket, and tie on and suddenly feel suffocated,” he said. “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.”

He credited therapy with helping him process decades of unaddressed grief. “I learned more about myself in two or three sessions than I had done in 20 years,” Harry said.

Diverging Paths Ahead of the 30th Anniversary

According to The Times, William has no plans to make a film about Diana to mark the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027, in part to avoid further conflict with Harry, and has turned down several offers to appear in or produce documentaries about his mother. By contrast, People magazine reports Harry is weighing several projects for the anniversary, though no documentary has been finalized, and he has reportedly reached out to family members and friends of Diana.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams predicted Harry will keep revisiting the subject publicly. “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.”

The course arrived weeks after Diana’s younger brother, Charles Spencer, released his own memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.” Nearly three decades after Diana’s death, her two sons continue to take markedly different approaches to honoring her memory — one through paid public disclosures, the other largely out of public view.