5 Royals Who Quit Quietly And Thrived Without A Netflix Deal

Most royals have chosen to step away from the limelight with a grace that’s almost radical in today’s hyper-public age. They didn’t need a primetime interview, a docuseries, or a multimillion-dollar PR machine to announce their new lives and continue following up on it. Instead, they exited with dignity, found peace in privacy, and perhaps most refreshingly, they thrived. Let’s meet the royals who showed us that sometimes, the most powerful statement is made in silence.

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway: The Spiritual Trailblazer

Let's start with the situation that's the most similar to Meghan and Harry's. Princess Märtha Louise was born into Norwegian royalty as the eldest child of King Harald and Queen Sonja, but her life has been anything but conventional. Despite being fourth in line to the throne, Märtha Louise has always danced to her own beat. In 2022, she officially stepped back from royal duties, not with a scandal or a media storm, but with a simple announcement and a respectful bow to tradition.

Her reason? To pursue her spiritual calling and commercial interests: think publishing books, selling beauty products, and holding seminars. She’s also the chair of her own charitable fund, quietly supporting causes close to her heart. Märtha Louise’s engagement to American shaman Durek Verrett made headlines, but the coverage was a mere ripple compared to the tsunami that follows the Sussexes. Most of the commotion was due to Durek’s homosexual past, current work as a shaman, and history of questionable businesses. 

Regardless, the princess announced her decision and married Durek. Similar to the Sussex’s, they now run a business and are fairly active on social media, but to this day neither one has said a negative thing about the Norwegian Royal Family and their press coverage remains a world away from the Hollywood spectacle.

What sets her apart: Märtha Louise’s exit was neither a protest nor a plea for attention. She simply chose a life that fit her values, and the world respected her for it.

Prince Friso of the Netherlands: The Quiet Banker in Kew

Prince Friso’s story reads like a modern fairy tale. One where the prince gives up his claim to the throne, not for glory, but for love and privacy. Second in line to the Dutch throne, Friso fell for Mabel Wisse Smit. When the Dutch government refused to seek parliamentary approval for their marriage due to a minor scandal in Mabel’s past, Friso didn’t fight for his royal status. Instead, he quietly accepted his fate, married Mabel, and moved to London.

There, the couple built a life far removed from royal protocol. Friso worked as a banker, Mabel pursued her own causes, and their daughters grew up in the leafy suburb of Kew (London). There were no tell-alls, no reality shows, no calculated leaks. Just a family living their new lives. Sadly, Friso died in 2013 after spending 18 months in a coma following a skiing accident. He was just 44 years old. 

What sets him apart: Friso’s abdication of royal privilege was an act of quiet defiance and deep contentment. He proved that you don’t need a title to live richly, in every sense of the word.

Prince Philippos of Greece: The Wall Street Royal

The Greek royal family may not have a throne these days, but they still know how to live well. Prince Philippos, the youngest son of King Constantine II, could have chased celebrity in Europe. Instead, he chose the anonymity of New York’s financial world. As a hedge fund professional, Philippos is rarely in the press, preferring the hum of Wall Street to the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs.

His marriage to Nina Flohr, daughter of a Swiss billionaire, was a low-key affair by royal standards. Together, they blend into the cosmopolitan swirl of Manhattan, building careers and businesses far from the royal fishbowl.

What sets him apart: Philippos’s royal status is a footnote, not a headline. In a world obsessed with fame, he chose substance and found freedom.

Princess Mako of Japan: The New Yorker Next Door

If you’re looking for a royal who truly embraced anonymity, look no further than Princess Mako. The eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of Emperor Naruhito, Mako made headlines in 2021 when she married her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro, a commoner and, more scandalously, a lawyer. What a rebel. 

Unlike British law where the commoner Kate Middleton will one day be queen, Japanese law required Mako to relinquish her title and imperial privileges upon marriage to a commoner. Unlike her Western counterparts, there were no lucrative deals, no tell-alls, and no designer wardrobe reveals. Instead, Mako quietly moved to New York City, where she now lives a low-profile life with her husband in Manhattan. She works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, commutes on the subway, and blends into the city’s diverse tapestry.

What sets her apart: Mako’s transition from Imperial Princess to private citizen was seamless and dignified. She left the world’s oldest monarchy for love and found a new kind of freedom in the world’s busiest city.

King Edward VIII: The Original Quiet Quitter

No list of royal exits would be complete without King Edward VIII, whose 1936 abdication for love remains the most dramatic royal resignation in history. Yet, after the initial media frenzy, Edward became the Duke of Windsor and retreated into a life of relative obscurity. He married Wallis Simpson in a small ceremony in France, accepted a new title, and largely stayed out of British affairs.

While his legacy is complicated by later controversies, such as his secret deals with the Nazi’s and the theory that the government did not see him fit to be King and simply used Wallis as the scapegoat, Edward’s post-abdication years were marked by a conscious avoidance of the spotlight. He and Wallis lived between France and the U.S., hosting quiet gatherings and rarely courting publicity other than the time Wallis wrote a book and the couple did an interview to promote it.

What sets him apart: Edward’s abdication was seismic, but his subsequent silence spoke volumes about his desire for peace and privacy over power.

The Sussexes: A Case Study in the Power of Noise

Contrast these quiet exits with the ongoing saga of Meghan and Harry. Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, the Sussexes have rarely left the headlines. Their $100 million Netflix deal, multiple docuseries, and high-profile interviews have kept them at the center of global attention with every move dissected, every rebrand analyzed, every PR shake-up reported in real time. It’s as if they’ve embraced the old marketing adage: “Say good things about me or say bad things about me, but please talk about me.” In the Sussexes’ case, noise (whether positive or negative) translates directly into financial profit and sustained relevance. Businesses and streaming platforms seem to seek them out precisely because attention, even if embarrassing or controversial, is lucrative in today’s media landscape. Rather than choosing the quiet dignity of a private life, Meghan and Harry have opted for a strategy where scandal and spectacle are not just tolerated, but leveraged for commercial gain.

Their approach is the antithesis of the royals above: where others chose silence, the Sussexes chose the megaphone. Their strategy has brought both immense wealth and relentless scrutiny. A double-edged sword that seems to cut deeper with each passing year.

Why Silence Is the Most Powerful Exit

In our hyper-connected era, silence is a radical act. It’s tempting to believe that impact comes from visibility, but the royals who exited quietly show us another way. Silence, when chosen intentionally, is not weakness, it’s strength. It allows for reinvention without spectacle, for healing without intrusion, for a life lived on one’s own terms.

As leaders, silence can be a tool for reflection, presence, and genuine connection. It creates space for others to speak, for new narratives to emerge, and for dignity to be preserved. The quiet royals remind us that sometimes the most powerful legacy is the one built away from the cameras.

There’s a certain magic in the royal disappearing act. It’s not about running away; it’s about stepping forward and into authenticity, privacy, and peace. Märtha Louise, Friso, Philippos, Sayako, and even Edward VIII chose the road less traveled, and in doing so, they redefined what it means to be royal in the modern age. 

Meghan has continued to present herself as a business woman and perhaps that’s why she chose the loud but profitable road at whatever cost. But is there real business longevity behind this? Is there a brand establishment outside of the family pain we all now know of? Time will tell. 

While the world may always have an appetite for royal drama, these quiet quitters prove that true class is found not in the headlines, but in the hush that follows. And in that hush, real life and real happiness begins.