Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent flurry of project announcements, including a new podcast deal and the Duchess of Sussex's "jamfluencer" rollout, have been labeled as a "diversion tactic" by a royal expert who suggests that "probably not much is going on" behind the scenes. Speaking on this week's Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail's Richard Kay said that the couple always appears "in a hurry to make announcements" and look "busy," despite the fact that "all these plans are in the pipeline and then nothing happens."
The comments come in the wake of several high-profile announcements from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including Meghan's signing with Lemonada Media to develop and host a new podcast series and the launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. However, a source told Richard Eden that there is not expected to be any new podcast work broadcast this year, with the relaunch of Meghan's Archetypes podcast reportedly pushed back to 2025.
Lemonada is said to be concerned about potential scheduling conflicts between the launch of its podcasts and that of Meghan's lifestyle brand, as well as the possibility of the podcast being overshadowed by the former actress's television series, which she began filming at a rented house in Montecito last week. Netflix described the show as a celebration of "the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining and friendship."
Richard Kay also suggested that Meghan's focus is "clearly on the lifestyle Riviera stuff that she's very proud of and curating," and that the announcement of project plans is "sort of a way of taking breath and pausing trying to decide what to do next." However, Richard Eden questioned the couple's approach, calling it a "very strange way of operating."
"I mean, take Netflix, they will announce a new film for something when it's gone into production or it's about to be broadcast," he explained. "It's very strange to announce deals and then have nothing. Announcing a deal like this and then not having any content, any podcasts for a year. You do wonder, is she just doing it for the publicity?"
The couple's previous podcast venture with Spotify, which saw them produce less than 13 hours of content during a three-year partnership, ended in controversy last summer when Bill Simmons, Spotify's head of podcast innovation and monetisation, blasted the Duke and Duchess as "f****** grifters" just hours after their reported £15million deal was axed.
Despite the setbacks, Meghan expressed her excitement about joining Lemonada in February, stating, "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."
However, with the focus now seemingly shifting to Meghan's strawberry jams, which she recently sent to 50 friends and influencers, questions are being raised about the substance behind the couple's numerous project announcements. As the royal experts suggest, the constant stream of announcements may be more about maintaining a "busy" image than making tangible progress on their various ventures.
