LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Sussexes, Prince Harry and Meghan embarked on the journey of their Spotify podcast ‘Archetypes’ with high hopes of turning many wrongs into right and bringing them some much-required public acclaim. However, on the contrary, the approximately $25 million (£18 million) deal produced only 12 episodes of Meghan’s ‘Archetypes’ podcast before being axed by Spotify.
Earlier this month, a joint statement by the royal couple and Spotify said that the two parties had "mutually agreed to part ways" after starting the podcast series in August 2022, as per BBC. The ‘Archetypes’ podcast which hosted celebrity guests like Serena Williams and Mariah Carey, also won the top podcast award at the People's Choice Award in Los Angeles in December 2022. However, getting the podcast axed is probably not the only woe that Meghan has faced recently as news surfaced that the ‘Suits’ actress might have been snubbed by the ‘Antihero’ songstress Taylor Swift.
'The singer declined through a representative'
According to a news report by The Telegraph, Taylor Swift rejected the personal invitation by Meghan Markle to appear on her now-axed show, ‘Archetypes’. The news agency said that the duchess sent a handwritten “personal letter” to the multiple Grammy-winning songstress only to be rejected by her representative. They noted, “The singer declined, through a representative."
Another blow that the royals received was the rejection of their filing to trademark the podcast title ‘Archetypes’ by the US Patent and Trademark Office, as per The Mirror. The Sussexes wanted to obtain exclusive rights for using the term 'Archetypes’ for "downloadable audio recordings and podcasts" along with anything associated with "cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women." Their filing was rejected on the grounds of "likelihood of confusion" with a brand already in existence.
What's next for Harry and Meghan?
Not only has Spotify axed their deal with the Sussexes, but it has also been reported that Netflix is also not keen to extend their deal with the royals after its expiry in 2025, as per the Wall Street Journal. However, before the expiry, it is confirmed that Harry and Meghan have been creating a show named ‘Bad Manners’ based on Charles Dickens’s ‘The Great Expectations’. Pegged as a prequel to the novel, the show will be narrating the tale of Miss Havisham as a lone female in a patriarchal society.
Another show, ‘Heart of Invictus’ is still on cards for the royals. The idea came up almost immediately after the deal was made by Netflix and the Sussexes in 2020. The show documents the lives of the competitors training for the Games at The Hague as per Daily Mail.
The other ideas of Harry and Meghan were rejected by Netflix officials for being similar to their existing shows.
