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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas & Chloe Burrell

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'creators of own demise' as fans claim star appeal has died

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have "only themselves to blame" as their "star appeal" has now "died", royals fans have claimed.

The verdict comes soon after Pearl, the Duchess of Sussex's planned animated film about a young girl inspired by influential women from history, was dropped by Netflix after profits plunged at the streaming giant.

Their joint podcast, Archewell Audio, has meanwhile only released a 35-minute long Christmas special, which came out back in 2020, with the Sussex's £18 million deal with Spotify now looking to be a bad deal for the audio app.

Harry and Meghan's string of failed media deals has been viewed by many as evidence that their ability to draw in large audiences is now fading after years of high-profile media attention, The Daily Star reports.

One dismissive fan wrote: 'Whatever appeal they had was solely because of their connection to the Royal Family' (X80003)

Asked whether or not the Sussex's "star appeal" was dying, one person simply wrote back: “I can honestly say yes it has.”

A second believed their conduct since stepping back from The Firm was to blame, writing: "They didn't have any ‘star power’ in the first place.

"Public opinion has certainly dropped, but that is due to their behaviour more than anything else."

Another agreed, writing: “Whatever 'appeal' they had was solely because of their connection to the Royal Family. When they quit that went along with them.”

One said Prince Harry had been the most affected, writing: "Meghan had no star appeal, Harry has definitely been affected.”

The views echo those of royal expert Andrew Pierce, who told Palace Confidential last week that the cancellation of the Duchess of Sussex's animated film Pearl is a sign that Netflix are losing faith in the royal couple's star power.

Pierce added that the decision was evidence that Netflix had realised that the royal couple were "not the investment they thought they were”.

He added that he thought the show would have been “very important to Meghan,” who he described as “the great woke warrior Queen”.

The Daily Star has approached the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

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