Harry and Meghan have worked on a number of endeavors since they announced their departure from the Royal Family in 2020. In addition to Harry getting his big book deal, the Duke and Duchess also signed significant contracts with Spotify and Netflix.
These contracts not only helped Harry and Meghan regain the spotlight, but they also brought in millions of dollars for the couple. Meghan started her podcast on Spotify, which at first enjoyed tremendous success, while Harry was preoccupied with writing his book Spare. But now things are looking up; Meghan and the powerhouse in the sector have mutually decided to end both the Spotify deal and her podcast.
Due to the failure of the deal, Harry and Meghan will probably concentrate on earning money in other areas. This might result in the couple writing a new book, says one royal expert.
one like Spare but with “steroids.”.
”.
Even though there is still a rift with the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan’s daily lives go on as usual. Early in May, the Duke attended his father’s coronation, but despite being invited to stay for a while, Harry left right away for the US to celebrate his son Prince Archie’s birthday.
A few weeks later, it was time to celebrate Princess Lilibet’s second birthday, which was also Harry and Meghan’s daughter.
Lilibet’s birthday is celebrated by Harry and Meghan.
Harry and Meghan have shown they are adept at making the most of special occasions. Lilibet turned two, and she probably had a full day of surprises, lavish presents, and lots of love.
According to People Magazine, Lilibet’s birthday party had between 20 and 30 attendees. Among them were Tyler Perry, Lilibet’s godfather, and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, who frequently visited her grandchildren. Lady Jane Fellowes, one of Princess Diana’s two older sisters, is also mentioned. There to celebrate the young princess’ special day were and Lady Sarah McCorquodale.
Harry once remarked that he didn’t even get a hug from his father after hearing the heartbreaking news about Princess Diana’s tragic passing in 1997. However, William and Harry received a lot of support from their family members after Princess Diana’s tragic death.
Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine were reportedly among the songs a gospel choir sang at the birthday celebration. At Harry and Meghan’s wedding, the latter song was also played.
An insider told the Daily Mail that “attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing, with Archie enjoying a dance with his little sister. ”.
According to reports, Princess Beatrice is the only senior royal who has so far traveled to see Harry and Meghan in America. As previously mentioned, King Charles was unable to attend Lilibet’s special day, despite reports that he wanted to throw a lavish birthday party for his granddaughter.
It goes without saying that Harry and Meghan have the resources and free time to throw lavish birthday parties for both themselves and their kids.
How much wealth do Harry and Meghan possess?
Simply put, they have made millions of dollars from their individual deals.
The couple reportedly signed a $100 million, five-year production deal with Netflix in September 2020.
Then there is the four-book deal with their publisher, which is rumored to include a staggering $20 million advance and worldwide royalties for Harry’s book and could be worth more than $120 million. Additionally, Meghan and Harry received an additional $20 million from their Spotify contract. The contract itself could be worth $35 million, a business expert who spoke with Newsweek claimed.
The reported $14 million estate their mother, Princess Diana, left them was split between Harry and William in the meantime. A $60 million estimate for Meghan Markle’s wealth has been made.
Undoubtedly, a lot of people wish they could live the celebrity lifestyle that Harry and Meghan enjoy in Montecito, which includes residing in a opulent $14 million mansion. The Duke and Duchess have been through a lot lately, but they finally seem to have found a way to adapt to their new life.
Their Netflix series was a huge hit, and Harry’s book Spare, as previously mentioned, sold millions of copies in just a few days. Meghan started her own Spotify podcast, which at the time looked incredibly promising.
But now, both financially and professionally, the couple has suffered a severe setback.
Archewell Audio, the media company run by Harry and Meghan, and the world’s largest streaming service Spotify announced on Thursday that they had mutually decided to end their multimillion-dollar contract.
Significant setback for Harry and Meghan: termination of Spotify contract.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have only produced one series under the $20 million contract since their 2020 agreement: Meghan’s podcast Archetypes.
The conversations Meghan had on her podcast with numerous powerful women kept it at the top of the charts for weeks. Stars like Mindy Kaling, Mariah Carey, Trevor Noah, Serena Williams, and Paris Hilton were among the attendees. However, despite the success, the two parties decided against continuing.
In a joint statement, Spotify and Archewell Audio said they were “proud of the series we made together” and that they were parting ways.
Spotify allegedly anticipated more content from Archewell Studios, according to an unnamed Variety source.
Harry and Meghan no longer want to distribute exclusively to Spotify, a different source told the American news organization. Instead, they have located other venues for their audio endeavors.
The company behind Archewell Audio states in their description that it strives to “produce programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” and “spotlights diverse perspectives and voices.”. They also hope to create a “community through shared experience, narratives, and values. ”.
Nobody currently knows how much money Harry and Meghan will receive from the Spotify deal now that it has been finalized. But according to a source close to Spotify, who was quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Harry and Meghan failed to reach the productivity threshold necessary to receive the full amount of money initially agreed upon.
Only 12 episodes of Meghan’s podcast were ever made available.
According to Spotify’s CEO, the Sussexes are “Grifters.”.
It’s obvious that one Spotify employee in particular is not pleased with the way the couple has handled the situation. The organization’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, Bill Simmons, is vocally criticizing them.
The Ringer podcast network was founded by Simmons, who in 2020 sold his business to Spotify for about $200 million. He received a leadership position at the streaming company, according to The Guardian.
Simmons described the Sussexes as “grifters” in his podcast.
”.
“I regret not taking part in the discussion about Meghan and Harry leaving Spotify. The podcast we ought to have started with The Fucking Grifters, Simmons said on the Bill Simmons podcast.
“I’ve got to get wasted one night and tell Harry about the Zoom I had with him to try and help him with a podcast idea. One of my finest tales. Fuck them. The swindlers. ”.
Simmons has voiced her disapproval of Harry and Meghan before. He admitted to being irritated by having to “share Spotify” with Harry in January 2022.
You only sell documentaries and podcasts and you live in Montecito, for crying out loud. Unless you talk about the royal family and only complain about them, no one is interested in what you have to say about anything, Simmons claimed at the time.
Despite being dropped by Spotify, Harry and Meghan still have a lot of things on the go. They have a number of other significant projects in the works despite the likelihood that they will not receive all or even a portion of the promised funds.
On May 16, 2023, in New York City, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex attend the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power at Ziegfeld Ballroom. (Image courtesy of Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women).
But that is irrelevant, according to royal editor Angela Levin. The royal expert, who spoke to The Sun, asserts that Harry and Meghan’s future endeavors will be a “disaster,” noting that their standing isn’t “as high as it once was.”. ”.
A huge blow was dealt by losing Spotify.
Their empire is “crumbling,” she added, as a result of the canceled Spotify agreement.
People are now tired of them, according to Levin.
Meanwhile, royal authority Richard Fitzwilliams dubbed the termination of their Spotify agreement a “shocking failure.”. ”.
The plan called for the creation of multiple series.
It’s clear that the contract can be viewed as having failed since only one was. This connection hasn’t been as mutually beneficial, obviously,” he said.
It’s a major blow to lose Spotify. We’ll have to wait and see how difficult it is, Fitzwilliams continued. “The failure of the Spotify deal casts doubt on the two other deals they have: Netflix and Random House. They have remarkably little to show for Netflix. ”.
Harry and Meghan, according to The Sun, have expressed interest in producing more “fun” movies for Netflix, such as rom-coms. The Daily Telegraph claims that kind of content would place a “heavy emphasis on fictional scripted contact. ”.
It’s a “disastrous” idea, according to Levin, though.
She claimed that they had made a statement stating they would no longer discuss the Royal Family and that they now preferred to remain hidden from view. The star is the only thing that matters; no one cares about the producer or editor. There won’t be as much interest if they stand in front of the camera. ”.
The royal expert continued, “I also don’t think Meghan knows how to do that, so she’ll need help, and people find working for her difficult.”.
Possible “Spare on steroids” from Harry and Meghan, beware.
It goes without saying that Harry and Meghan have drawn ire from many people since starting their new life in the US, not the least of whom is the British Royal Family. Therefore, some people may welcome the news that the Sussexes have now lost their Spotify deal and the associated income.
The breakdown in relations between the Sussexes and Spotify as a whole, however, could pose a further threat to the monarchy, according to Camilla Tominey, editor of The Telegraph.
The Palace’s ruling class, according to Tominey, “should perhaps be mindful that the Sussexes could become more dangerous as their financial standing declines,” she wrote in her royal article.
The Duchess is unquestionably still brimming with ‘content’ that is seemingly bursting to come out, while the Duke may have said everything he wants to in his autobiography Spare and accompanying interviews (although he has claimed he has enough material for a second book). ”.
“And while much of it can be easily written off as word salad, she’s never been afraid to add a splash of vinegar dressing when discussing her royal relatives,” Tominey continued. ”.
If Palace backers believe that the Sussexes’ de-Spotification is a positive development, they are thus celebrating a hollow victory, she said.
“Their paymasters might be more picky about the kind of content they provide the more desperate the duo is to land new deals. Consider Spare on a high level. ”.
