Meghan Markle ‘may have been planning dig at royals on podcast before suddenly putting it on hold’, royal expert claims
MEGHAN Markle may have been planning a ‘dig’ at the royals on her new podcast before it was suddenly put on hold, a royal expert has claimed.
The relaunch for the royal’s Archetypes podcast for American network Lemonada Media has been pushed back to 2025.
The Duchess of Sussex will instead focus on making her new Netflix series about “cooking, gardening and friendship”.
Sources say the push back has come because producers at American network Lemonada Media don’t want the podcast to be overshadowed by her TV show and are concerned about “scheduling conflicts”.
However, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes this excuse is “suspicious”.
Speaking to The Sun, he explained: “It’s very strange to put something on ice for a year.
“If it’s current, if it’s big, if you’re excited about it, and then you want to launch it.
“This is very curious, because usually, when someone’s doing well or in the news, you can’t get enough of them.
“So a podcast would complement a television program which, would complement online material, which would complement lots of jam being sent out.
“That’s not the case. So you get strong suspicions about all this.”
Mr Fitzwilliams believes the sudden halt could be because of Meghan’s history of “knocking” her husband’s family.
He explained: “This is an opportunity to note that she’s doing something that does not involve knocking the royal family.
“That’s my concern, because for four years or so it seemed they did practically nothing else. That was painful. That’s their problem.
“It’s the only thing they can do successfully is to be rebel royals. Now is most certainly not the time for that.”
Filming has started on both Meghan’s new lifestyle show and Harry’s polo programme.
A source told the Daily Mail: “The relaunch of Meghan’s Archetypes podcast got pushed back to 2025.”
Meghan revealed she was fronting a new podcast after widely-criticised Archetypes flopped.
Meghan's career relaunch
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have been busy since stepping back as senior working royals.
Following the early end of her Spotify deal last year, the Duchess of Sussex is relaunching her podcast career with a new streaming network – but could face a £16million loss.
Meghan has signed with the American podcast network Lemonada Media to create new content, and her old 12-episode Archetypes episodes will also be distributed by the firm.
But while her previous Spotify gig was worth around £18million, her new contract could be worth significantly less.
News of the new podcast came hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ditched Archewell.com and replaced it with Sussex.com – in a bid to share “personal” updates with fans.
The couple still have their deal with Netflix, where they have created shows like their Harry & Meghan documentary, and the Duke of Sussex’s Heart of Invictus show.
And Meghan has enlisted Beverly Hills talent agency William Morris Endeavour ahead of her long-planned relaunch.
Reports of an acting comeback came after the duchess appeared in a playful Instagram ad for a coffee company, a firm she holds shares in.
The cameo appearance sees the former Suits star doing multiple roles at coffee company Clevr Blends, including packing, working on the digital team, and on the operations team.
The American network will re-distribute Archetypes and also produce a new show with the duchess.
In a statement, Meghan said: “I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting.
“Being able to support a female founded company with a roster of thought provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024.
“Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works.
“I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family.”