Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been working hard to develop their own brand ever since they left their positions as working members of the Royal Family in the year 2020. At the same time, they have been enjoying their more isolated family life in the state of California.
But it seems that the couple may be feeling the strain, as tensions have been building since the conclusion of their exclusive Spotify agreement. There has been pushback to Harry's recognition award, and there have been reported doubts about the future of their cooperation with Netflix.
Through their Netflix series, public appearances, and joint participation in the Invictus Games, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have consistently maintained a unified front, weathering countless storms. This is shown by the fact that they have participated in the Invictus Games together.
An informant has said that for the first time in a very long time, Prince Harry and Meghan are not working together and that a "growing rift" is reportedly developing between them. This suggests that their efforts to stand on their own two feet may hurt their relationship.
"This has been such a tough few months for Meghan and Harry and the pressure they are under is a lot to handle, they feel they are constantly under attack. When they first left the royals, they had so much support and that support seems to be dwindling over time and they're facing more and more criticism," an unnamed source told OK! Magazine.
"Harry has been really hurt by the backlash over his award nomination and Meghan is still reeling over the Spotify axe as she loved doing that podcast and she knows people want her to fail with her next project so there's quite a lot of tension in the house at the moment,” the insider further told the entertainment news outlet.
"There is a growing rift between Harry and Meghan caused by Meghan's increasing concern that her life is not going in the direction she had planned she loves media attention and hates the fact that surveys suggest she and Harry are no longer of much interest to the American public,” royal commentator Tom Quinn shared to The Mirror US.
As a result of the fact that their Archetypes podcast was only broadcast for a total of twelve episodes, Harry and Meghan, who are the parents of Prince Archie, who is five years old, and Princess Lilibet, who is three years old, had their contract with Spotify terminated the previous year. According to the statement made by the Sussexes, they had "mutually agreed to part ways" with the audio streaming behemoth.
Meghan signed a contract with Lemonada Media to develop a "dynamic new podcast" in an effort to recover from her recent setback. However, this endeavor appears to be encountering obstacles as well, with rumors suggesting that its launch could be postponed until the year 2025.
Harry has recently been subjected to criticism about his nomination for the Pat Tillman Award for his commitment to the Invictus Games, which he helped organize in 2014. This additional obstacle has been added to the difficulties that they are currently facing. A petition that demanded ESPN to "rethink" awarding Harry received signatures from more than seventy thousand persons.
The decision was upheld by ESPN, which praised Harry's "incredible" efforts in a statement. This was done in spite of the widespread criticism.
Following their departure from the Royal Family, the pair simultaneously entered into a relationship with Netflix for a period of five years; however, there has been no information regarding whether or not their contract would be renewed.
At the same time, Meghan is planning to create her very own Netflix show in conjunction with her lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard. This is something that has already been criticized by critics, with one Sky News presenter telling viewers, "It sounds b****y awful."
The Duchess of Cambridge launched her own brand in March, complete with an official website; however, she has not yet made any products available for followers to purchase.
"With news that the couple's Netflix contract may be under threat, along with the mockery that greeted the launch of her online brand, Meghan feels very much under siege,” Tom went on.
Concerns have been raised regarding whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan are functioning as a team as a result of the negative impacts of their initiatives and the increasing amount of strain.
“They are both so determined to prove everyone wrong that for the first time in a long time. Obviously, they are very supportive of each other but they have to be a success to make money to pay for their lavish lifestyle and they need the public onside,” the informant shared.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are working on a number of projects, but the tipster argued that change is necessary for the evolution of their brand. "The royals have really turned things around and are very popular again and Meghan, in particular, is determined for them to be number one. They know they can't go on like this as it's started to affect their brand and they are going to make changes,” the mole said.
"However, they now have to show off their other talents to become the global success that they so desperately want but they have a lot to overcome,” it went on.
Business Times has reached out to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comments.
