Skip to main content

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family back in 2020, they immediately got started planning their own business ventures. Meghan launched Archetypes, a podcast that hosted celebrity women and created an open discussion for breaking down different stereotypes that women face.

While the podcast had a huge launch, Spotify revealed back in mid-2023 that the venture hadn’t hit the metrics the streaming giant was hoping for. And with that, Meghan and Spotify parted ways. There were rumors that Meghan was going to try to find another streaming service to host the podcast, and it looks like that might be the case. A source claims the Duchess of Sussex is in talks with a different service.

Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meghan Markle might move her Archetypes podcast to Audible

When Meghan launched Archetypes back in 2022, it immediately shot to the no. 1 podcast spot. It sat at no. 1 in the United States and the United Kingdom, even beating Joe Rogan’s longstanding, highly-rated podcast. However, Spotify presumably had even higher hopes for Meghan’s podcast, and when it didn’t hit certain metrics, the streaming service didn’t want to continue the $20 million deal. Meghan had only created 12 episodes despite the high-money deal. In June 2023, it was announced that Meghan and Spotify had parted ways. There were immediate rumors that Meghan would shop around to see if she could host the podcast on another platform, and now, a source claims Meghan is “in talks” with Amazon-owned Audible.

According to Express, a source claims that Meghan could move her podcast to Audible, which is a rival of Spotify. It’s unclear how far along the deal is and whether it will come to fruition, but the move comes as Harry and Meghan are changing up their business ventures.

“Harry and Meghan are retooling, retrenching, and preparing to change course in their efforts to establish themselves and their production company Archewell as serious players across multi-media platforms,” a source told Express. “Expect them to come out swinging in the New Year.”

Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation
Related

Meghan Markle’s ‘Rebrand’ Appears to Distance Her From Prince Harry and Is a ‘Huge Risk,’ Expert Says

Meghan Markle recently signed with a new PR agency

Meghan is clearly looking to expand her horizons on the business front. Also in 2023, the duchess signed with high-profile PR agency WME, but interestingly enough, she signed solo — not in partnership with Harry. The move suggests that Harry and Meghan are taking different business routes, which isn’t a bad thing. The couple have Archewell together, but it would be good for both of them to also have their own separate ventures where they can create different brands for themselves without always being associated with the other one.

Harry and Meghan have certainly made a name for themselves since leaving the royal family. The couple spent the week together at Harry’s Invictus Games in Germany earlier this year, which helped them earn plenty of publicity as a couple without having their royal titles attached. From what we know of Meghan’s 2023 moves, it seems like she has a lot more coming her way in terms of building her brand.

Best in Entertainment