Yes, "The Firm" Is a Nickname for the Royal Family
In a new clip from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's upcoming tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, refers to the royal family as "The Firm."
While addressing how she feels about the palace hearing her speak her truth, she says, "I don't know how they could expect that after all this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us."
The phrase may be new to some viewers, but perhaps not to longtime royal watchers. Long used as a nickname for the crown, the term alludes to the royals' exclusive, business-like operation—meant to express both endearment and criticism.
Prince Philip, husband of the queen, is known to commonly use the term. In a blurb for her 2005 book, The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, journalist Penny Junor writes, "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."
But the phrase dates back further to Philip's father-in-law—Queen Elizabeth II's father—King George VI. Junor writes in her book that the monarch, who ruled from 1936 to 1952, "first referred to the House of Windsor as The Firm and the name stuck."
The New York Times even reported back in 1996 that the king "once remarked that British royals are 'not a family, we're a firm.'" Recent reports point to the 2010 movie The King's Speech, noting a time when King George, played by Colin Firth, says that quote. Current sovereign Queen Elizabeth II is believed to also use the term in private, "according to legend," Newsweek reported in 2015.
Harry and Meghan were considered part of the Firm as senior working royals, but now that they've stepped back from official duties, not anymore. Rumors bubbled up in December that following the couple's exit and Prince Andrew's stepping down, the queen formed a "firm of eight" to carry out royal duties, consisting of Prince William, Duchess Kate, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, and the queen herself. Philip retired from royal duties in 2017.
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