RICHARD EDEN: Ouch! Ahead of Harry’s bizarre lecture to estate agents, school friend’s VERY cutting comment to me about Prince… as royal sources spill moment that says it all

Like many people, the Duke of Sussex gets ‘incredibly nervous’ before giving a speech. He wrote in his memoir Spare: ‘Hours before a speech or public appearance I would be drenched in sweat. ‘Then I would be unable to think during the event, my mind would be flooded with fear and fantasies of escape.’

In the passage discussing this issue, she even made a criticism of her brother, claiming that Prince William was making fun of her after she had a particular panic attack while speaking at a public event. He wrote that the future king laughed at him as he walked off the stage and said: ‘Harold! Check it out! You’re soaking wet.’

But her fear of public speaking didn’t stop her from accepting an invitation to give a keynote speech at Power House, a conference for 450 realtors in Toronto, Canada, next month.

Organizers say of the conference: ‘This is your chance to hear from influential leaders, political experts and powerful insiders on all things real estate policy, housing supply and the Canadian economy.’

Ontario Real Estate Association members will need to pay C$299 (£163) for the privilege, while non-members will need to pay a higher fee of C$499 (£272). It’s unclear how much of that revenue will go towards paying Harry’s appearance fee.

News of the Duke’s appearance, which I reported yesterday in my Daily Mail social diary, Eden Confidential, amused his old school friends at Eton College, who were not known for their incisive contributions.

“I’m not sure how much I’d pay to hear Harry talk about housing provision in Canada,” laughed one of the older Etonians when he learned of the Duke’s speech.

The plan was for the Duchess of Sussex to make a fortune through brilliant Netflix series (pictured), writes Richard Eden

However, Harry, 41, has gained some experience in the property market in recent years. While he grew up in royal homes and lived as a single man at Clarence House and Kensington Palace, he bought his first property – a mansion in Montecito, California – for £19.5 million in 2020.

With no less than 13 (one and a half) bathrooms, this is a substantial property boasting a wine cellar, cinema, gym, spa, pool and tennis court.

Last year I revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had also bought a house on the Portuguese coast.

Harry’s experience of the Canadian housing market has been largely limited to visits to the three-bedroom home in Toronto where Meghan lived while filming the legal drama series Suits in the early days of their dating.

After stepping down as working royals in 2020, the couple lived in a waterfront mansion on Canada’s Vancouver Island for several months before moving to Los Angeles when Covid lockdowns began.

Delegates at the Canadian conference were told King Charles’ younger son would ‘bring a strong message of service and leadership to the Power House stage’.

This revelation led a royal source to tell me quite bluntly: ‘Harry and Meghan abandoned their message of service and leadership when they left Britain and royal duties behind. They’ll probably now give a speech to whoever pays them.’

As Harry addressed a room full of estate agents, he might have pondered the very different audiences he might have stood in front of had he and Meghan chosen to remain royals.

After all, his brother William gave a powerful speech on the environment to dozens of world leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, at the COP30 climate change summit in Brazil earlier this month.

William’s speech followed his attendance at the Earthshot Awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro; where it most recently distributed £1 million in grants to five activists dedicated to solving environmental problems.

The program was founded by William in 2020 to ‘find, support and celebrate those who are turning bold ideas into real solutions to repair our planet’.

Meanwhile, the charity’s income reached £24 million in the last financial year, the highest figure ever. At least £23 million in donations came in; this includes £5 million from the American Friends of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Harry can also look to the example set by his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who made headlines this week with her first public speech in two years.

Prince William at the Earthshot Award event. Donated £1 million to five activists dedicated to solving environmental problems in Rio de Janeiro

The Princess of Wales is at the Future Workforce Summit in London this week. The event was organized by the Royal Foundation Early Childhood Center

He urged business leaders at a summit in the City of London organized by the Royal Foundation Early Childhood Center to prioritize ‘time and precision’ alongside profit and success.

In fact, Harry was hoping he could focus on charity projects, such as the laudable Invictus Games he organized for wounded soldiers, and leave the money-making task to Meghan.

The plan was for him to make a fortune through his brilliant Netflix series and its spin-off lifestyle business, but having to take on public speaking gigs like the Canadian gig means he’ll need to bring in a few bucks, too.

After meeting the King at Clarence House in September, Harry declared that ‘the focus should be on my father’. As I mentioned before, Harry is desperate to return to this country with Meghan and their two children. Following his visit to Britain, he told anti-monarchy newspaper The Guardian: ‘This week has definitely brought that closer.’

Next month, as Harry looks out at a conference room full of real estate agents, he may ask himself whether he and Meghan made the right decisions.