Meghan Markle’s time as a working royal lasted only a short time. Her experience as a member of the royal family became a nightmare, and her allegations towards the Firm in her and Prince Harry’s now-infamous Oprah Winfrey interview sent shockwaves worldwide.
Now, she and Harry have created a new life in the US. Not long ago, the couple visited Nigeria for a three-day tour, which reportedly infuriated King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
While most of their business ventures haven’t been successful since leaving the royal family, Harry and Meghan still have many things going on. Recently, Meghan launched her lifestyle brand, and the first product to be released was a limited collection of jams. However, the reception to her first product could have been better. A royal expert reveals that the Duchess was left in tears about what was said about it.
When Harry and Meghan decided to leave royal life behind in early 2020, many wondered what they would do next. The couple first went to live in Canada for a short while but later relocated to fashionable Montecito, California.
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle – business empire
It didn’t take long before the couple began building a business empire. In September 2020, they secured a five-year $100 million production deal with Netflix.
Then there was the four-book deal with their publisher – said to include an eye-watering $20 million advance and global royalties for Harry’s book, Spare – which might be worth more than $120 million. Moreover, Meghan and Harry pocketed an additional $20 million for their Spotify deal. According to an industry expert speaking to Newsweek, the agreement itself could have been worth $35 million when signed.
Meanwhile, Harry and William shared the reported $14 million fortune their mother, Princess Diana, left them. Meghan Markle’s net worth is said to be somewhere around $60 million.
Harry and Meghan’s celebrity lifestyle in Montecito, which includes living in a lavish $14 million mansion, is undoubtedly what many dream of. The Duke and Duchess have been through a lot in recent years but finally appear to have settled into their new life.
Their Netflix series, released in December 2022, was a huge success, and Harry’s book, Spare, as mentioned, sold millions of copies in just a few days. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle embarked on her own Spotify podcast, which seemed hugely promising in its early days.
Meghan’s podcast topped charts for weeks, featuring discussions with several influential women. Guests included Mindy Kaling, Mariah Carey, Trevor Noah, Serena Williams, and Paris Hilton. Despite the success, the two parties decided not to move forward.
Canceled Spotify deal
In June last year, the media group run by Harry and Meghan, Archewell Audio, and streaming giant Spotify announced that they had mutually agreed to end their multi-million dollar contract.
The $20 million contract saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex produce just one series – Meghan’s podcast Archetypes – since their 2020 agreement.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series that we made together,” the official statement read.
At the time, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams declared the end of their Spotify deal a “shocking failure.”
“The idea was that several series would be produced. Since only one was, there’s no doubt the contract could be considered a failure. Clearly, this relationship hasn’t been as mutually beneficial,” Fitzwilliams said.
“Losing Spotify is a huge blow. How hard we’ll have to wait and see,” Fitzwilliams added. “The collapse of the Spotify deal puts under the microscope the three deals they’ve got – Netflix and Random House. They’ve done remarkably little for Netflix.”
What really happened when the mutual agreement to end Spotify became public wasn’t known. However, the problem became evident only a short time later.
Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, was unhappy with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s contribution under their contract.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were called “grifters” by Spotify boss
He slammed the couple on his podcast, calling them “grifters.”
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The Fucking Grifters, that’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” Simmons said on the Bill Simmons podcast.
“I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories … Fuck them. The grifters.”
Although the Spotify deal didn’t work out as she’d hoped, Meghan and her husband can laugh their way to the bank. Today, the former Suits star is gaining popularity in the US, but when the Sussexes moved to the US, reports suggested they wanted in on the Hollywood lifestyle fast. However, it appeared quite a setback as celebrities didn’t want anything to do with them.
As a royal family member, Meghan Markle rose to fame worldwide. When she left royal life behind, however, it appears that she planned to become even more popular and reach a different level of celebrity status.
According. to royal commentator Jane Barr, Meghan wanted to become a “superstar.”
“[Meghan] would not have been happy with the ultimately quiet or truly independent/non-royal lives that William and Harry’s cousins actually live,” Barr wrote in her From Berkshire to Buckingham newsletter, as per the NY Post.
Barr continued, “Meghan wanted to take her HRH and her title and be a superstar in her own sphere on the international stage,” adding that it would be “wholly separate from the control of the crown.”
Meghan Markle – lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard
While the Sussexes have had their ups and downs regarding their business decisions, Meghan Markle is now pursuing her dream of a luxurious brand.
In March earlier this year, the Duchess announced a new business venture: the lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard. In the announcement video, shot at the couple’s Montecito mansion, Meghan walked around the beautiful mansion and featured her cooking.
The first product — a lemon-filled gift basket containing fresh fruit jam — was sent to 50 of her friends, many of whom were celebrities.
At the time, PR expert Mayah Riaz said Meghan Markle could earn as much as a seven-figure sum within the first year of launching her lifestyle brand.
“So far, the jams have been sent to only 50 people. This suggests that it will be an exclusive and limited edition item,” Riaz told the Mirror.
“It has already been reported a single jam jar could cost three figures. I believe that is entirely likely from what we have seen so far. This is not rare for a celebrity brand.”
The PR expert added, “Therefore, my estimation is that American Riveria Orchard in under a year could make Meghan seven figures. It is entirely possible for the brand to make multi-seven figures by the end of next year,” the PR guru added.
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, will reportedly sell products such as oils, home fragrances, kitchen utensils, and homeware. When it was announced, the brand was intensely hyped, and she received hundreds of thousands of followers in the first 24 hours on Instagram.
Meghan Markle was ‘left in tears’ over ‘unfair criticism’ of her brand
However, it’s been quiet since then, and Meghan hasn’t revealed when the brand will go live.
Interest is fading, and now, royal expert Tom Quinn reveals new sad details about Meghan’s company.
Speaking to the Mirror, Quinn claimed that the Duchss was devastated by the public’s reception of her lifestyle brand.
Many criticized her for releasing her jam – and it hit Meghan Markle hard.
“The one fly in the ointment is Meghan’s new internet brand, America Riviera Orchard. Meghan was in tears when the brand launched, and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special. She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized,” Quinn said.
Quinn added that Prince Harry believe “people are unfairly picking on her,”. Moreover, Quinn said she wasn’t prepared for any setback surrounding the American Riviera Orchard.
“She is especially sensitive about any criticism of her luxurious lifestyle in the US – from her point of view, this is something to be admired, not criticized.”
