Signs Meghan Markle's New Podcast Will Flop Harder Than Archetypes

Meghan Markle is rejoining the world of podcasting. In February 2024, it was announced that Lemonada Media would be taking the reins from Spotify and distributing Meghan's podcast "Archetypes" to all major podcast platforms. It was also announced that the company was working with Meghan on a brand-new podcast, one that the Duchess of Sussex would also host.

In a statement shared to her website, Meghan expressed excitement about the new venture. "Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024," she said. Meghan also called her new project "a dynamic new podcast," but nothing else has been shared on the genre of the new podcast or what it will entail. 

As exciting as the new podcast may be, there are signs that it could flop. For one thing, many comments on Lemonada's Instagram post about the collaboration are very negative. "She is the worst podcaster ever. Snore!" one person said. Another sign that the new podcast won't do well is how everything went down with "Archetypes."

Despite her best intentions, Meghan Markle doesn't have a great track record with podcast projects. Through the Archewell Audio branch of her and Prince Harry's Archewell Productions company, Meghan hosted the interview-based show "Archetypes" — but she split from Spotify after just one season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a statement from both parties said they had "mutually agreed to part ways." However, a source told the outlet that Archewell wasn't creating enough content for Spotify.

Things didn't get better from there. Amid the podcast drama, a Spotify exec used two brutal words to describe Harry and Meghan: "f***ing grifters." There was more trouble when Harry and Meghan tried to register the trademark for "Archetypes" but were denied the opportunity. After the Lemonada Media announcement, it still seems like they don't own that trademark.

After the announcement of Archewell's split from Spotify, Jeremy Zimmer, the CEO of the United Talent Agency, criticized Meghan's podcasting abilities while at the Cannes Lions advertising festival. "Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent," he said. "And, you know, just because you're famous doesn't make you great at something" (via Semafor). Meghan's not giving up, however — but will her new podcast be any better?

Another sign that Meghan Markle's new podcast could fail to take off is that another royal released a podcast in 2024. Queen Camilla has a book club and charity called The Queen's Reading Room, and it was announced in December 2023 that the organization would be launching "The Queen's Reading Room Podcast" in January 2024. "Our brand new podcast is a place for book lovers — and those who wish they loved literature a little more — to be inspired by the bookish confessions of global literary heroes," the announcement on Instagram said. "This brand new series delves into the homes and hearts of the authors that we love the most." 

The show is hosted by Vicki Perrin, the CEO of The Queen's Reading Room although the audio is mostly the podcast guests answering questions the listeners don't hear. However, Camilla has a brief appearance in each episode.

There is room for more than one podcast from a royal in the world (for instance, Princess Eugenie co-hosts "Floodlight" from The Anti-Slavery Collective). There's been no announcement on what Meghan's new podcast will be about, so it's unclear if there will be any competition with "The Queen's Reading Room Podcast" on a content basis. However, royal fans who love Camilla or don't think too highly of Meghan and Prince Harry may avoid streaming Meghan's new venture in favor of the queen's.

Another sign that Meghan Markle's new podcast may crash and burn is that her and Prince Harry's new website immediately caused a stir and made many people upset. Their official website is now Sussex.com, and it includes Meghan's coat of arms. The site also has biographies of Meghan and Harry and links to the Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation charity websites.

Although their royal titles were not removed when Harry and Meghan stepped away from official royal duties, Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II did not want them to continue using "Sussex Royal" branding after they left. Some have critiqued them for doing so. An insider fired back and told the Daily Mail, "Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name."

However, another source told the outlet the new website could cause trouble for Harry and Meghan. They added, "It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It's just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is." If even a website change is enough to draw negative attention toward the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it doesn't spell good things for Meghan's new podcast.