Who Is in the Royal ‘Institution’? What to Know About the ‘Firm’ Meghan Kept Referencing

After Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview, many viewers found themselves wondering who is in the royal institution and firm. The royal family “institution” and “Firm” were mentioned several times in CBS’ Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special on Sunday, March 7.

The special saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sit down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss their experience with the British royal family. In the interview, Meghan frequently referenced the “institution” (also known as “The Firm) as an organization that she must ask for permission before she does anything, such as seek mental health treatment or go to lunch with a friend.

In the interview, Meghan explained that the the royal family is separated into two parts: the family and the institution. “So, there’s the family, and then there’s the people that are running the institution,” she said. “Those are two separate things. And it’s important to be able to compartmentalize that, because the Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me.”

What is the royal family institution?

So what is the royal family “institution” and “Firm”? Well, according to CNN, the monarchy works a lot like an independent public body or government department. At the head, of course, is Queen Elizabeth II, and below her is a hierarchy based on a line of succession: Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince Harry.

In Penny Junor’s 2015 book, The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, the biographer revealed that Prince Philip is the royal member who came up with the term “The Firm” to describe the business side of the royal family, which is worth £44 billion or $61 million. “However you look at it, the royal family is a big business, though one with more ups and downs than the stock market. Prince Philip calls it ‘The Firm,’ and all the royal executives and their powerful associates are supposed to make every effort to avoid even a hint of scandal that could diminish the reputation of the family business,” Juror wrote.

According to Newsweek, the Queen also uses often the term “The Firm” to describe the royals. Edward Owens, author of The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media, and the British Public, explained to Oprah magazine in March 2021 about how Meghan’s interview exposed the “impersonal” side of the royals. “Meghan’s words capture the impersonal nature of this PR operation: the monarchy have demonstrated a real ruthlessness in ensuring their survival over the last one hundred years as well as the survival of their wealth and privilege,” he said.

Buy: 'The Firm' by Penny Junor 14.99

Image: HarperCollins.

Who is in the royal institution?

According to Marie Claire, the main members of “The Firm” are often often referred to as the “Firm of Eight,” which are the core eight royals that the Queen chose in December 2020 to represent the royal family. The “Firm of Eight” include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, Sophie (Countess of Wessex), Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Charles, Camilla (Duchess of Cornwall) and Princess Anne. Absent from the “Firm of Eight” are Meghan and Harry, who took a step back as senior royalsi n January 2020, and Prince Andrews, the Queen’s son who is involved in sexual abuse allegations.

But the institution isn’t also made of royal family members. There are thousands of people behind the scenes who work for the royals. These employees were divided into five main departments: the Private Secretary’s Office, the Privy Purse, Treasurer’s Office, IT and human resources. In the special, Meghan revealed that she went to a senior members of the institution and the human resources department for mental health support. However, when she asked them for help, she was told that, as a member of the royal family and not a paid employee of the firm, she wasn’t eligible for the department’s assistance.

Though royal family members like Meghan and Harry aren’t on the palace’s payroll, the Queen leans on them to represent her at public engagements. Instead of a salary, these royal family members have access to public funds, such as the Sovereign Grant, which is paid to the monarch by the government. If they choose to receive money from the Sovereign Grant, royal family members can’t make money from their names, as well as have to remain politically and commercially independent and avoid any conflicts of interest.

In the special, Harry revealed to Oprah that he was financially cut off from the royal family after he and Meghan announced their decision to take a step back as senior members of the family in January 2020. After leaving Kensington Palace, the couple moved to Canada before relocating to Los Angeles. They now live in Montecito, a neighborhood in Santa Barbara, California, with their son Archie. Harry explained in the interview that he and Meghan have been living off of a trust from his late mother, Princess Diana. The couple have also made multi-million-dollar deals with companies like Netflix and Spotify to create content for them.

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