Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in their “flop era”, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
The US outlet suggested they were going through a period of failure after losing lucrative deals with streaming giants including Spotify.
“Part of the issue the Sussexes are currently facing is that they have made their brand about their beef with the Royal Family. Now, their feud has reached a stalemate it feels like there isn’t much more to say,” Rolling Stone reports.
Harry and Meghan signed several lucrative deals after leaving the Royal Family in 2020— (AP)
“The Sussexes are in a difficult position: appetite is waning for content about their rift with the royal institution, because digesting it in so many different formats now feels like overkill.
“But there isn’t much enthusiasm for their other projects, like the Archetypes podcast, which aren’t about that.”
Following their departure from the Royal Family and subsequent move to the US in 2020, the couple signed a number of lucrative deals with global streaming giants and launched their own multi-media organisation Archewell.
However, on June 15 it was reported that Markle’s deal with Spotify was coming to an end after just one series of her podcast, Archetypes. Media reports soon circulated that Spotify were unhappy with her lack of output and engagement for the £15 million deal, which only saw 12 episodes released.
Jeremy Zimmer, chief executive of the United Talent Agency, reportedly told an advertising festival in Cannes: “Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent.
Spotify terminated their contract after one season of Archetypes— (AFP via Getty Images)
“And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
Following their dramatic interview with US host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, it was estimated that the Sussexes’ deals with Netflix, Apple and Spotify had secured them over £100 million to maintain their new celebrity lifestyles.
Their docuseries Harry & Meghan, which detailed their romance and departure from the Royal Family, remained at the top of Netflix’s “most-watched” list for weeks, while Prince Harry’s book Spare broke world records for becoming the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time.
Their other projects however have been less well-received. Last May, it was confirmed that Netflix had cancelled development of Pearl, an animated series created by Archewell Productions that had planned to focus on influential women from history.
