EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: New blow to Harry and Meghan as TV boss quits the production company set up by the Sussexes

When the Duchess of Sussex was interviewed on the red carpet at a showbusiness event in Los Angeles last November, she declared that she and Prince Harry had ‘so many exciting things on the slate’ to announce.

‘Things that make people feel – I was going say ‘good’, but it’s more than that – things that make people feel something, right?’ Meghan gushed.

Unfortunately, the most powerful feeling for one key member of their team was, I hear, a desire to quit.

The manager of Archewell Productions, the company that Harry and Meghan set up in 2020 amid great fanfare to make television programmes and films, has exited, stage left.

Bennett Levine, who was promoted to manager of Archewell in 2022, left the company this month. When he was taken on as co-ordinator for the business in 2021, his appointment was hailed by the Sussexes’ most outspoken cheerleader, Omid Scobie, as a sign that Archewell was ‘a hive of activity that continues to grow’.

When the Duchess of Sussex was interviewed on the red carpet at a showbusiness event in Los Angeles last November, she declared that she and Prince Harry had ‘so many exciting things on the slate’ to announce

The manager of Archewell Productions, the company that Harry and Meghan set up in 2020 amid great fanfare to make television programmes and films, has exited, stage left

Levine confirms his departure in a message to contacts on social media. ‘I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position at Cinetic Media,’ he says of his new job at an American film financing and distribution company.

A source tells me: ‘It’s a blow to the company. There’s no doubt about that.’

Production managers take care of the business, financial and recruitment side of film and television productions.

Levine’s surprise exit comes amid rumours that Netflix may not renew its deal with Archewell. The US streaming giant paid the Sussexes a rumoured £80million in 2020 as part of a deal that ends in 2025.

Levine worked on the tawdry documentary series, Harry & Meghan, which Archewell co-produced with Netflix and was released in 2022.

Rumours that the California-based couple may be preparing for the end of their Netflix deal were fuelled by their trip to Jamaica last week for the film premiere of Bob Marley: One Love, as guests of Paramount Pictures boss Brian Robbins. Paramount is a major streaming rival of Netflix.

Music streaming giant Spotify cancelled its £18million deal with the couple last summer, reportedly because it ‘expected more content’ from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their Archewell Audio team. The couple produced only one podcast and a half-hour ‘holiday special’ in three years.

Archewell has been contacted for comment.

Bennett Levine worked on the tawdry documentary series, Harry & Meghan, which Archewell co-produced with Netflix and was released in 2022

Rumours that the California-based couple may be preparing for the end of their Netflix deal were fuelled by their trip to Jamaica last week. Pictured is Netflix’s ‘Meghan & Harry’

Spy Keira is on the run

There was a familiar look to one woman seen jogging in central London at the weekend.

On closer inspection, she was Keira Knightley, and the film crew riding on a motorcycle alongside her was a giveaway that this wasn’t just a regular keep-fit session.

The Atonement and Pirates Of The Caribbean star, 38, wore a burgundy hoodie and camouflage leggings as she ran across Waterloo Bridge while shooting a scene for the forthcoming Netflix spy thriller Black Doves.

She plays a politician’s wife and doting mother with a secret life as a spy. But keep it under your hat…

There was a familiar look to one woman seen jogging in central London at the weekend

I wonder if she saw that coming? Mystic Meg, who predicted the future for millions in her newspaper columns, left a fortune of more than £1 million in her will, with half going to her friend and fellow astrologer Janine Palmer.

Margaret Anne Lake, who died last March aged 80, left an estate of £1.27 million after her debts and bills were paid, according to newly released probate documents.

Meg, who hosted a segment on the National Lottery draw TV show, looking into her crystal ball to predict a future winner, left £100,000 to her executors to be used to rehome any horses she owned when she died.

Her half-sister, Dorothy Taylor, receives the other half of her estate.

Mystic Meg, who predicted the future for millions in her newspaper columns, left a fortune of more than £1 million in her will

How Star Wars Rey lost the Force in lockdown

The Force was with Daisy Ridley when she played Rey in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Yet, the actress, 31, reveals that Covid lockdowns left her with a crippling fear of going out.

‘I do connect with social anxiety,’ she says. ‘The first dinner I went to after lockdown I literally got home and cried for, like, an hour. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to do. I felt really exposed, like I had nothing to talk about.’

The banker’s daughter, who’s married to her Murder On The Orient Express co-star Tom Bateman, adds: ‘Me and my husband spend an awful lot of time together, which is comfortable and great. But then I’ll go and see one person for an hour, and I’ll think, ‘Why was that so hard?’

Daisy Ridley, 31, reveals that Covid lockdowns left her with a crippling fear of going out

Crime author Sir Ian Rankin is exasperated at having to ‘translate’ his Inspector Rebus novels for the U.S. editions.

‘In America, no publishers trust the readers,’ says the novelist.

‘So Fleshmarket Close, which is a real street in Edinburgh, title of one of my books, in America it’s called Fleshmarket Alley. Americans come to Edinburgh looking for Fleshmarket Alley and they write to me saying, ‘Dear Mr Rankin, I was really annoyed and disappointed …’.’ Rankin adds: ‘Rebus in America cannot wake up with a fag in his mouth. And you can’t use a rubber, use an eraser.’

Hollywood wife’s pub she ran for years facing last orders

Johnny Depp was linked with a bid to buy the Grade II-listed village pub run by Paul Hollywood’s wife, Melissa Spalding, but now it could be closed and turned into a house.

The Chequers Inn, in Smarden, Kent, has been owned and run by the Spalding family for many years — including long-serving landlady Melissa, who married The Great British Bake Off judge last September.

But the historic site, which dates back to the 16th century, could now be converted into a ‘single dwelling’ home after a planning application was submitted to Ashford Borough Council.

The owners claim the business is ‘unsaleable’ because there are two other pubs in the village.

The Chequers Inn, in Smarden, Kent, has been owned and run by the Spalding family for many years — including long-serving landlady Melissa, who married The Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood

This sounds ominous for country sports’ lovers: an aristocratic estate is closing its long-established game shooting operation tomorrow.

The 3,000-acre Ugbrooke Estate, Devon seat of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, has been offering game shooting to guests since 1896. ‘We have always been committed to attaining the highest standards for our shoot; ethically, environmentally and experientially,’ says Lord Clifford’s son, Alexander.

‘After much careful consideration, we have decided the time has come to close the shoot and place our energy, focus and investment into a range of sustainable enterprises.’