After initially trail-blazing their way through Hollywood following their split from the Royal Family and raking in multimillion-pound deals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s earning power took a huge blow last week when it was revealed that they had parted ways with streaming giant Spotify.
At the time, both the Sussexes and Spotify revealed they had mutually agreed to walk away from their 2020 deal, but in the following days, reports began to emerge that the top bosses had been left miffed by a lack of content from the couple, who’d originally been happy to shake hands on a staggering £15.7 million pay packet.
For a period of three years, Meghan, 41, only produced 12 episodes of her podcast, Archetypes, which led one top boss to lash out last week and brand the couple “grifters” – American slang for someone who swindles other people through fraud and deception.
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The F***ing Grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” the Spotify executive said on his podcast last week.
It was also claimed that Meghan even faked her own podcast interviews – instead ordering her staff to host
them and then edit her own voice in later on.
Now a source tells Closer the whole episode has left Meghan at rock bottom.
The insider says, “Meghan is distraught over this Spotify snub and the fallout that has followed. It’s totally knocked her sideways. She can’t believe she’s been attacked so viciously and so publicly by one of their execs, and to be labelled ‘grifters’ is an utterly humiliating and gut-wrenching all-time low – it’s served as a brutal reality check that things really do need to change to save their popularity.
“Her team have warned her that there’s ‘no future’ with Harry and that she needs to start working on her individual projects rather than being seen as one half of ‘Brand Sussex’. They feel that if Meghan does more on her own, she’ll have more opportunities to save her career. It will give them breathing room and restore confidence – or at least that’s the hope.”
To make matters worse, insiders say Meghan has been left even more humiliated by reports that Spotify are believed to be considering brokering a deal with an even more prominent royal – Meghan’s “nemesis”, Kate Middleton.
After making her audio debut in 2020 on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, it’s likely that Kate, 41, could use the opportunity to promote her royal causes, which include her passion for early childhood development.
The insider says, “Meghan would be shocked if Kate signs a podcast deal. She feels she would just be doing it for revenge on her and would really rub salt into the wounds.
“Meghan would never have been allowed to do things like that when she was part of the royals as they weren’t permitted to do anything commercially. For her, it would be so hypocritical, but nothing would surprise Meghan as she felt it was always one rule for her, one rule for Kate.”
Meanwhile, Kelly Osborne added to their week from hell when she described Prince Harry as a “f***ing t**t” during a podcast appearance, adding, “He’s whining, whingeing, complaining, woe is me….”
Now, a source at Netflix, one of the few remaining deals that Harry and Meghan have retained so far, has revealed
that they could also end the couple’s huge £78 million deal – a decision that would leave a huge dent in their millions.
This could undoubtedly cause a crisis for the couple, who would need to recover the funds to foot their lavish lifestyle, including the huge £7.4 million mortgage they took out on the £11.8 million Montecito mansion they share with their children, Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet.
Describing Harry and Meghan as having “ruffled feathers” during their time working with the streaming platform, the Netflix source adds, “Harry is no problem, but Meghan thinks she knows how to run Hollywood”.
Netflix produced the couple’s December documentary, Harry & Meghan, but scrapped Meghan’s children’s animation show, Pearl, last year. And aside from Harry’s Invictus Games documentary, which is set to air in August, no other programming has since been announced.
And while Meghan had been distancing herself from the ongoing furore between Harry, 38, and the Royal Family – which ramped up a notch last week when a US report revealed that he and Meghan had not been invited to King Charles’ Trooping The Colour celebration – the source says the couple could be set to continue on separate paths.
The source adds, “The greatest fear from Meghan and Harry’s perspective is that this latest controversy and criticism could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to what the public thinks of them and how much money they can earn.
“Things may have to change as far as joint appearances go, and certainly it seems like bashing the royals together is off the agenda now formthe foreseeable future.”
Taking the first steps to rehabilitating her personal brand by signing with influential Hollywood agent WCM in April, Meghan is also reported to have befriended top beauty guru Victoria Jackson – the name behind Jennifer Lopez’s beauty brand – with brand expert Nick Ede claiming Meghan could “become the world’s highest paid influencer”.
But rumours that Meghan is set to become the new face of Dior were dashed by a spokesperson for the Paris fashion house last week, and now the source says Meghan is still “reassessing things from top to bottom”.
The insider says, “It’s like a perfect storm of stress and challenges and, of course, that’s led to some tense conversations while Meghan and Harry hunker down to navigate this latest crisis. But they are determined to come through this and overcome the tougher times together.”