Royal pundits have responded to claims suggesting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attribute their recent career setbacks, including the termination of their lucrative Spotify deal, to a streak of ill-fortune.
Kara Kennedy, from The Spectator, provided her insights to Sky News host Caleb Bond on a recent Daily Mail report. According to unnamed sources, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly under the impression that a series of unfortunate global incidents, such as the pandemic, economic downfall, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's health deterioration, have substantially undermined their post-royal career endeavours. However, International Business Times could not independently validate these details.
Kennedy expressed her skepticism and argued that the Sussexes may be disconnected from reality. "This recent report seems to expose their lack of touch with everyday people," she commented. She conceded that the Queen's passing could have potentially stirred resentment among Britons and global audiences due to the Sussexes' actions during her final years.
However, Kennedy argued against the Sussexes blaming macroeconomic difficulties for their woes. She stated, "To claim that economic downturns and living cost crises are responsible is far-fetched. They seem to assume that without these incidents, audiences would eagerly invest in watching Meghan and Harry consistently express their discontent. It's preposterous. I would rather literally burn my money."
The royal critic also scrutinized the output from the couple's deals with Spotify and Netflix, which they entered nearly three years ago. "The Spotify deal was valued at $20 million and Netflix's deal was reportedly $150 million. That's an astounding sum for the minimal work they've produced - a total of approximately 15 hours," Kennedy pointed out.
Last month, a mutual agreement to sever ties between the Sussexes and Spotify was announced.
Their partnership with Spotify yielded only 13 hours of content - 12 episodes of the duchess' "Archetypes" podcast, and a single holiday special.
A Wall Street Journal report claimed that the Sussexes' productivity fell short of the expected output to merit the full payout from their deal.
Kinsey Schofield, royal commentator and host of "To Di For Daily" podcast, joined Kennedy in questioning the report, stating that attributing their lack of productivity to the pandemic seemed "ludicrous."
Schofield said, "It's entirely absurd and seems very unfeeling. If these claims are unfounded, I'd anticipate a statement from the Duke and Duchess refuting them because this negative image can tarnish their brand - appearing so unfeeling, cold, and harsh."
