A royal author has claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were only given a certain amount of the $20 million they were set to earn from their Spotify deal.
Omid Scobie has said in his book Endgame, Meghan Markle and her husband had “so many of their ideas” turned down by two of the top executives at the streaming service. Prince Harry and Meghan also didn’t get all the money they could have when they walked away from the deal earlier this year, he claims.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn’t get all the money from their Spotify deal
In his book, Scobie wrote a source with inside knowledge said Spotify “was only interested in paying out for juicy goods which could generate major headlines and bring in subscriptions”. He claimed before the couple “mutually agreed” to cut ties with the platform, they were not paid the entire $20 million they could’ve earned.
In the three years after the royal couple announced working with the music and podcast streamer, they only produced two projects. This was an Archewell Audio Christmas special and Meghan’s Archetypes podcast. The podcast only ran for one series of 12 episodes.
The series features interviews with the likes of Paris Hilton, Serena Williams, and Mariah Carey. In their conversations, the 42-year-old and her guests would “explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back and “dismantle them with action.”
MORE: Opinion: Prince Harry and Meghan will be backed into a corner if they lose royal titles
Bill Simmons, a podcast executive at Spotify later blasted Harry and Markle, calling them “grifters.” But a source who is close to the pair told Scobie: “There have definitely been a mountain of lessons learned when it comes to the business side of thing.”
‘Fighting’ to tell their side of the story
However, Harry and Meghan were reportedly “embarrassed” at being “fired” from their deal, a source has previously claimed.
The source said: “There have definitely been a mountain of lessons learned when it comes to the business side of things. Yes, they’ve made mistakes, but they have big plans for their next endeavor.
“Practically everyone in Hollywood is talking about how Harry and Meghan’s empire is crumbling.”
CEO of United Talent Agency, Jeremy Zimmer, weighed in and said the Dutchess of Sussex is not “a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent.” He added: “And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
Meghan has teased her Hollywood comeback
It comes as the former TV actress has teased her comeback to our screens after she stepped back from acting following her marriage to Harry, 39.
After the fall out of their Spotify deal, Markle is set to make her own ventures into the world of work away from Harry. She explained on the red carpet at Variety’s Power of Women: “[I want to make] things that make people feel – I was going to say ‘good,’ but it’s more than that, things that make people feel something, right? And feel a sense of community.”
However, it doesn’t mean she’ll stop working with her husband completely.
“We have so many exciting things on the slate. I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating,” she said.
MORE: Meghan Markle’s memoir wouldn’t be as ‘interesting’ as Harry’s, friend confesses
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