The glamorous trajectory Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been on since stepping back from royal duties may have come to an end.
After swearing off the monarchy, the pair managed to secure lucrative deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify for tell-all series and podcasts.
However, it has been reported that Netflix will not renew its deal with the Sussexes, and they have been dropped by Spotify.
The head of podcast innovation at Spotify even went as far as to call the couple “f—ing grifters”, when their multimillion-dollar deal came to an end after the pair produced just 12 podcast episodes.
Adding fuel to the fire, this week claims began to circle about how Meghan conducted her podcast.
Deals unravel
Last year, Harry and Meghan released their eponymous documentary series on Netflix that showed off their relationship.
The series was part of their five-year deal with Netflix, which was signed in 2020. The deal wasn’t meant to stop at the docu-series. The hope was to have the couple produce other content for the platform.
However, according mainly to the tabloids, Netflix bosses are not interested in renewing the deal after it ends.
According to The Sun on Sunday, executives at Netflix will not seek to renew the contract – however, the couple will see out their contractual obligations.
Although it’s highly likely there won’t be a follow up to their docu-series, which was the most-watched series on a streaming service for 2022, Harry has a series about the Invictus Games coming out later this year.
As for Spotify, the couple reportedly signed a three-year deal with the platform in 2020 and it was rumoured to be upwards of $30 million.
On the platform, Archetypes, was born. The podcast was hosted by Meghan and 12 episodes have been released.
Meghan was named top entertainment podcast host in the Gracie Awards in March.
But in a joint statement, Spotify and the royal couple’s company said the agreement to produce future series had been terminated.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” the statement said.
It was reported by the Wall Street Journal that the couple had not met the productivity benchmarks required to receive the full payout from the deal.
Even without Spotify, however, it appears Archetypes might go on.
Meghan’s WME manager told the WSJ she was working on more content for another platform.
“The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify,” her manager reportedly said.
“Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”
Citing sources close to the couple, Spectator Magazine chairman Andrew Neil said on Twitter the couple would cease making content about their lives as they have “nothing left to say”.
After it was announced the Spotify deal was over and done with, Spotify executive Bill Simmons called the couple “grifters”.
“‘The f—ing grifters’ — that’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” said Simmons on his own podcast.
“I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
It’s not the first time Simmons has taken aim at the Sussexes. In 2022, Simmons said the Prince “just whines about s–t and keeps giving interviews”, according to Variety.
More controversy
Claims began to circulate surrounding Meghan’s podcast this week and, more specifically, how the podcast was conducted.
Each episode features well-known guests in an interview format, with Meghan hosting.
However, there are claims that Meghan didn’t conduct the interviews. Instead, Podnews reported that sources claim staff conducted the interviews and Meghan’s voice was added later.
Speculation surrounding this method dates back to 2022, when writer Allison Yarrow shared a picture of herself in front of a Gimlet Media sign.
In the post, Yarrow said she was excited to be featured in Archetypes but remarked that producer Farrah Safari was an “excellent interviewer”.
The report from Podnews was brief and other news outlets have failed to get a statement from the duchess’s representatives or Archewell.
The allegation began swirling after rumours of Meghan being the new face of Dior were put to rest.
The rumours started after a socialite told the Mail on Sunday Meghan was in talks to be the face of Dior in an effort to reinvent herself.
“If she pulls that off, then no one will remember that her silly little podcast got cancelled after one season,” the socialite said.
Meghan and Harry’s team told Page Six no such deal was in the works.
