Meghan Markle, once the captivating Duchess of Sussex, finds herself grappling with mounting criticism and a strained relationship with Prince Harry amid tepid public reception to their latest ventures.
According to royal author Tom Quinn, Markle perceives her life veering off course, leading to tensions with Prince Harry. “There is a growing rift between Harry and Meghan caused by Meghan’s increasing concern that her life is not going in the direction she had planned,” Quinn disclosed to The Mirror. “She loves media attention and hates the fact that surveys suggest she and Harry are no longer of much interest to the American public.”
Since stepping down from their senior royal roles four years ago, Meghan Markle has embarked on several ventures, each met with varying degrees of success. Her podcast venture with Spotify, “Archetypes,” launched as part of a reported $20 million deal, faced mixed reviews and was not renewed for a second season. Criticism escalated when Spotify’s global sports strategy head disparaged Markle and Harry as “f–king grifters.”
Undeterred, Markle pivoted to signing with Lemonada to develop another podcast, which has purportedly been delayed until 2025. Meanwhile, the couple maintains a high-profile five-year Netflix deal set to conclude in 2025, with Markle recently wrapping up a cooking show for the platform, hoping for a favorable reception.
In addition to her media endeavors, Markle is gearing up to launch her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, featuring products like jam and dog biscuits. Yet, neither this nor her other recent projects have captured the public’s attention as dramatically as her initial post-royal pursuits did.
Quinn highlighted the mounting pressures on Markle: “With news that the couple’s Netflix contract may be under threat, along with the mockery that greeted the launch of her online brand, Meghan feels very much under siege.” He continued, “She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized. Like her husband, she feels that people are unfairly picking on her – she cannot understand why people don’t admire her work.”
Markle’s frustration comes amid a backdrop of public ambivalence towards her ventures, contrasting sharply with the initial public fascination post-Megxit. Critics argue that her forays into media lack substance, while her celebrity status fails to translate into sustained public interest.
As Markle navigates this critical juncture, questions loom over the future of her media projects and their alignment with public sentiment. The Duchess of Sussex, once celebrated for her advocacy and charisma, now faces a pivotal moment in reshaping her public image and the trajectory of her post-royal career.
