A royal analyst asserts that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are grappling with difficulties as they face the conclusion of one of their prominent business collaborations.
Royal analyst Kinsey Schofield discussed the wrap-up of the Sussexes' purported $20 million agreement with Spotify on Patrick Christys' GB News show.
Christys observed the Sussexes' string of setbacks in recent times, referencing their purported car pursuit incident involving paparazzi in New York City, the criticism surrounding Prince Harry's tell-all book "Spare," and the Duke's failed attempt to overturn the decision barring him from paying for police protection.
Schofield, who hosts the "To Di For Daily" podcast, expressed her view that it's been a rocky period for the royal couple, especially for Markle.
"It's a tough day for Meghan Markle," Schofield suggested. "Meghan despises failure, and she's falling short on a global stage. A broad audience is witnessing this. Netflix called off 'Pearl', her animated series, before it got off the ground. Spotify showed her the door in the public eye. It's a challenging period for them, and I believe they're scrambling to find their footing and plot their future course."
Schofield attributed the recent developments to the Sussexes allegedly being "difficult" to partner with and falling short of delivering the anticipated output.
Upon being asked by Christys if she considers Markle a diva, Schofield retorted, "I'd say she's a diva. They appear to be hard to work with."
The royal expert further scrutinized the Sussexes' productivity. Despite signing lucrative agreements with Spotify and Netflix in 2020, the couple only created a single podcast series comprising 12 episodes for the former, and two docuseries, "Harry & Meghan" and "Live to Lead," for the latter.
Schofield said, referring to Prince Harry's upcoming docuseries on his Invictus Games, "The 'Heart of Invictus' documentary for Netflix is still nowhere in sight. Where is it? I just don't believe they're competent at delivering. They're so consumed by vengeance that they seem to be sidetracked from actually accomplishing their work."
The Sussexes and Spotify confirmed on Thursday that they had mutually agreed to dissolve their partnership. The Wall Street Journal reported that the streaming platform chose not to extend Markle's "Archetypes" podcast for another season.
Sources privy to the situation told WSJ that the couple allegedly didn't meet the productivity standards set for them. Following their Spotify deal in 2020, they only put forth a single holiday special episode in December of that year, with Markle's podcast making its debut almost two years later.
The claims have not been independently confirmed by Business Times.
