Of all the manufactured controversies, “Prince Harry got paid for doing something” is never going to move me. Prince Harry got paid for his MasterClass episode, which his office apparently confirmed to various media outlets. And I just… couldn’t care less. Tom Sykes incoherently claimed that Harry is “monetizing grief,” a bizarre claim in big 2026, more than three years after Harry’s Spare became a bestseller, with millions of copies sold. That’s what struck me more than anything else about Harry’s MasterClass – much of what he’s saying in the episode is well-trod throughout his 2023 memoir. I would argue that all of this is in Harry’s wheelhouse, he’s been a strong advocate for mental health and the power of therapy for years now, and his MasterClass episode is just another way for him to reframe his advocacy in another medium. Still, the Daily Mail is clutching their pearls at Harry taking home a six-figure payday.

Harry was paid to give his 99-minute ‘masterclass’ on coping with grief and may have pocketed $100,000 plus a share of subscription revenue in the process.

The Duke of Sussex should not be criticised for speaking at length and ‘from the heart’ about the subject, a source close to the prince has said.

Harry gave a raw and emotional account of dealing with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, as well as his struggles with depression and feelings of uselessness following Megxit. A spokesman for Harry confirmed he was paid by MasterClass for taking part in Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, but declined to comment further.

‘I’d encourage everyone to watch it before casting any judgement,’ a source close to the prince told the Daily Mail.

MasterClass instructors can expect an upfront payment of at least $100,000, plus 30 per cent of any subscription revenue generated by their courses, according to Forbes.

A spokesman for Harry declined to comment on the $100,000 figure. Fans wishing to watch Harry’s interview, where he hopes he will help them ‘discover new ways to process grief and loss so you can find your way back to you’, cannot do so for free. Access to the full online lecture costs between £10 and £19 a month through a subscription to the San Francisco-based tech company, which is valued at $2.75billion. A source close to Harry reportedly said no one has the right to judge him for how he has dealt with the grief of losing his mother at the age of 12.

[From The Daily Mail]

I think $100K plus a percentage of new subscriptions sounds pretty normal for what this is. It also sounds like something Harry would have done for free or for less money – he has given free speeches before, and he’s given paid speeches before, and MasterClass is arguably an extension of that. Additionally… Harry doesn’t need the money. They’re trying to make it sound like “Harry is so desperate for cash, he’s selling his never-before-told grief stories!” Rather than… Harry, a longtime mental health advocate, was approached about doing a MasterClass about his specific wheelhouse and he agreed, and he was probably paid their flat rate.

Additionally, Rob Shuter claims that MasterClass paid Harry $250,000, and that Harry told MasterClass that he would not speak about his brother, his sister-in-law or his degenerate uncle Prince Andrew. I mean… I’m assuming that Harry put together his MasterClass episode, so he got to decide what to say entirely.

Screencaps courtesy of MasterClass videos.