Power couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who stepped back from their duties as members of the royal family at the beginning of this year, have pursued a range of entertainment deals in recent months. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth II is not happy with the moves.
Netflix secured a deal with the couple over the summer, rumored to be in excess of £100m ($135m). Conflicting views over the royal family’s portrayal in popular series The Crown has caused complications, however.
With the full-throttle endorsement of Oprah Winfrey and Kim Kardashian, Meghan has been pushing Clevr Blends.
The former actress has invested in the company that sells “SuperLattes” that contain probiotics, coconut cream, adaptogens, mushrooms, and oat milk.
Meghan Markle also provided the narration for Disney+ Elephants this year. Prince Harry and Meghan have also announced their new audio company — Archewell Audio — and a mega-deal signed with global music streaming company Spotify.
Their new venture is worth £30 million ($40m) and will see Prince Harry and Meghan create and host a podcast series that seeks to build community, listen, and hear other people’s stories.
The giant sum of money is the largest yet for a new podcast series, as Spotify attempts to attract some of the most popular celebrities in the world.
The Sussexes have already enlisted the help of Michelle Obama who is no novice when it comes to podcasting and launched her own series — The Michelle Obama Podcast — earlier this year in July.
And it looks like fans will not need to wait too long to hear from the duke and duchess again.
A “holiday special” over the Christmas period is anticipated, officially launching the podcast series for the couple.
Spotify has paid out more than £200m ($270m) to get big A-listers involved, including model and campaigner Kim Kardashian West.
Sources within Buckingham Palace say the royal family was aware of the new Spotify agreement for Harry and Meghan, but not the value of the deal.
However, according to royal experts, the Spotify deal and the investment in the latte company and the other business ventures have made Prince Harry and Meghan look like laughingstocks, and the Queen is ready to blow a fuse.
Royal expert Roya Nikkhah said the contracts had pushed the Queen to “snapping point” and added in the Sunday Times: “Harry and Meghan had pledged their future activities would ‘uphold the values of Her Majesty. An almighty plug from a talk-show host flagging her royal connections has stretched the elastic contours of the ‘Megxit’ deal to snapping point.”
Nikkhah went on to say: “The move marked a new direction as an investor for Meghan, who contacted Mendoza after trying one of her organic oat milk lattes.” The manner of last week’s coup induced a bout of queasiness in royal circles, where Oprah’s involvement was considered ‘tacky’ and ‘clumsy.’
Nikkhah concluded by: “Harry and Meghan had pledged their future activities would ‘uphold the values of Her Majesty.’ An almighty plug from a talk-show host flagging her royal connections has stretched the elastic contours of the ‘Megxit’ deal to snapping point.”
Meghan and Harry are determined to make a mark in the entertainment industry.
