SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA: The Sussexes' podcasting project at Spotify has ended. Archewell Audio, the production company owned by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, and Spotify "mutually agreed" to go their separate ways, a Spotify spokeswoman said. If a report from Daily Mail is to be believed, the music giant's executives were likely "horrified" by Harry's revelation that he made impulsive deals in order to make money quickly.
As per the outlet, The Duke expressed his financial concerns following the removal of his family security during a dramatic 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry claimed in March 2021 that the multi-million dollar contracts he had inked with the two biggest streaming services, Spotify and Netflix, were "never part of the plan" and insisted, "That was suggested by somebody else by the point my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us."
Why are Spotify execs 'horrified'?
Harry's statement, according to journalist Richard Eden, sent Spotify executives into a state of shock. The hot take came a week after the June 15 announcement about the streaming service cutting ties with the Sussexes after just one season of Meghan's podcast series. "It takes an awful lot of work [to produce a podcast]. It's serious work, it's planning," he stated. "You can't just turn up and, 'Oh, what shall we do today'?"
'Undoubtedly a blow'
Eden revealed to Palace Confidential that Harry's statement about negotiating deals with streaming companies to pay for his security would have come as a shock to Spotify officials. He went on, "That's shown by... you know... I had to listen to these podcasts for the program so frankly, I'm not surprised it's coming to an end." Although Spotify and the Sussexes put a "brave face" on the agreement, Rebecca English, another royal expert, acknowledged that the transaction was "undoubtedly a blow" to the pair. She stated, "What it gets to the heart of is what it is they can sell."
What's next for the Sussexes?
Rebecca English continued by saying that, even though the Sussexes probably wanted to produce "worthy" shows promoting subjects they are passionate about, streaming behemoths are more curious about what it's like to be a member of the royal family. "I think anybody, even their biggest supporters, will admit people are not given multi, multi-million-pound deals with no track record in the industry on the basis they're going to produce some incredibly worthy programs over a number of years," she added. The royal analyst stated that despite rumors that Harry's Netflix project regarding the Invictus Games had been scrapped, it is still expected to happen this summer as the Sussexes' next step appears to be undetermined. Eden noted, "To be fair, that could be really interesting."
