Renowned British commentator Charles Rae recently criticized Prince Harry for his reportedly disconnected and impractical podcast pitch to Spotify. The commentary was aired on TalkTV, hosted by Kevin O'Sullivan, where the two discussed the proposal that Prince Harry reportedly pitched to Spotify.
The Duke of Sussex allegedly proposed a podcast idea that would involve interviewing notable figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin, former U.S President Donald Trump, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The discussions would center around their childhood traumas and how these experiences shaped them into the individuals they are today.
O'Sullivan, during his discussion with Rae, questioned the assumption that these figures had experienced troubled childhoods. The host also expressed his skepticism about the feasibility of the pitch. He humorously imagined Spotify's reaction, "'Yeah, right.'"
Rae, who previously served as the royal editor at The Sun, found similarities between Prince Harry's pitch and the "bizarre" concepts that "certain executives" would propose during his time at the popular publication. He noted Prince Harry's assumption that he could readily contact Putin and Trump for a conversation, calling it an indication of how "out of touch he is with reality."
Despite his criticisms, Rae acknowledged the potential appeal of a podcast discussing the childhoods of famous personalities. However, he expressed doubt about Prince Harry's ability to secure interviews with notoriously private figures like Putin or Zuckerberg.
The royal commentator also shed light on the seemingly unreal world Prince Harry exists in, "I mean, I don't very much [think] he's ever made a proper phone call in his life rather than getting aide to ring someone up and say, 'Prince Harry will call you in 10 minutes if that's OK with you.'"
He further hinted that the failure of this podcast proposal might have been one of the reasons why the hefty Spotify deal, reportedly worth £18 million ($20 million), was eventually dissolved, along with the lack of productivity from Meghan Markle.
In the three years since the Sussexes penned their contract with Spotify in 2020, the only production that came to fruition was Markle's 12-episode "Archetypes" series. The Duchess of Sussex recently faced accusations of feigning interviews for her podcast, but Andy Cohen, one of the podcast's guests, vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as "an insane rumor."
