NewsNation has their own in-house royalist nutcase, and the outlet has gone all-in with their Sussex-bashing over the past year or so. I would love to see the metrics on this, by the way, because I don’t actually think there’s a financial incentive in “abandoning objectivity in royal coverage to become full-throated derangers.” But I digress. This latest piece starts out as a mockery of Prince Harry because of the defeat of the Daily Mail lawsuit. None of these people know how much Harry will be out of pocket, because the court hearing on legal costs has not happened yet. But the actual point of the story is that the Duchess of Sussex made a smart business decision by investing in OneOff, the fashion app which IDs celebrities’ clothing and provides commissions. Of course, the most ridiculous spin has to be put on “Meghan made a wise investment.”

“Harry and Meghan already have two mortgages out on their (Montecito) house,” The Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff told me.

But while the couple’s deals with Netflix, Penguin Random House and Spotify have all gone stale, there is one deal that could financially save them: Meghan’s investment in OneOff. Earlier this year, during the couple’s quasi-royal tour to Australia, Meghan announced her investment in the AI celebrity shopping site. And while her sales on the site were mocked and dragged — especially after she shilled her “trauma closet,” clothes she wore to visit a children’s cancer hospital, a women’s shelter and the site of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre — it makes no difference if she sells one pair of pants or not.

According to my source, who is a top fashion tech advisor, “It’s all about selling the site’s technology to Google, Meta, Anthropic or another large company that doesn’t have the bandwidth to finesse smaller AI models… but they do want the profit.”

“OneOff is actually backed by respectable players in the industry, like Revolve, and has a lot of heat right now.”

The company was founded by Emir Talu, the venture investor who previously helped launch Blank Street Coffee, and Bobby Maylack, an executive who formerly served as the Chief Creative Officer at Cameo.

“The deal with Meghan isn’t really about her at all – she is not a style icon. Her style is actually very basic. They are using her for press (good or bad) to get the name out there and recognizable enough that the company’s tech will be picked up and absorbed by a larger company.”

If and when that happens, Meghan will make some serious money.

“Even if (Meghan) didn’t put in any actual money,” my source said. “It’s her participation and the publicity she got them. She likely got a point of equity which will pay out very well in the end. It was a smart move.”

Proving the point that a broken clock is right twice a day.

[From NewsNation]

Let’s go through it, shall we? 1. I don’t believe that the Sussexes have two mortgages on their Montecito home, especially since they also bought a place in Portugal. 2. The “trauma closet” line didn’t stick at the time, which is why they’re still trying to make fetch happen now – “Meghan wore the same outfit for several events in a row, a few of which were sad!” GMAFB. 3. I’m glad that fashion industry experts are impressed with OneOff’s pedigree, but that expert shoots themselves in the d–k by then claiming that Meghan “is not a style icon.” Y’all – Meghan moves product. The Meghan Effect is real. Meghan’s Midas Touch is real – not only did she put OneOff on the map, but everything she wears sells out. 4. If OneOff does get sold to some bigger fish, I agree, Meghan probably has equity in it and that’s great.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.