The past few years have been a tough time to be a former working member of the royal family, particularly if you are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. They left their royal duties behind in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, California, but have continued to deal with tons of criticism amid things like their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry’s revealing memoir Spare, and the many allegations in their joint Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. Now, a royal author claims that the Suits cast member feels “under siege,” and her Netflix contract is involved.
What Did A Royal Author Say About Meghan Markle Supposedly Feeling Under Siege Now?
Actually, considering the many allegations that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have made about their time as working royals (like someone in Harry’s family supposedly asking about their son Archie’s potential skin color) it would seem completely plausible that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have felt “under siege” way before now. However, according to an interview that royal author and expert Tom Quinn recently did with The Mirror US, Markle is feeling that pressure now, and the couple’s Netflix deal is a part of it. As he said:
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…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.
Obviously, while the duo’s docuseries for those with a Netflix subscription and the memoir were technically successful, they also became additional lighting rods for criticism, negativity and allegedly led to King Charles III asking Harry to stop speaking about his issues with his royal family in public. On top of all the internal controversy surrounding their choice to leave royal life and England behind, some of their once widely anticipated projects have faltered.
Their $20 million deal with Spotify notably ended after one 12-episode podcast failed to gain much traction, leading an exec at the company to call them “fucking grifters” and the couple to feel that people were “lining up to take cheap shots at them.” The deal with the streaming giant is also said to be worth a lot of money, but many of those projects have either been canceled or severely delayed, with rumors abounding that Netflix could be done with the couple when their contract is up in 2025.
As for Markle’s online brand, you can certainly be forgiven if you didn’t even know it existed. In mid-March, she launched American Riviera Orchard, which Harper's Bazaar noted is supposed to sell some specialty foods and home decor items, as well as home fragrances and bath and body products, among many other things. But, as of yet there are no products listed on the website, and there’s been no new info about what will be offered or when people can purchase items, so the brief excitement that accompanied the website and Instagram launch has died down and caused more criticism and “mockery.”
I think anyone who wants the best for the Sussexes just wants them to figure out their new place in the world as non-working royals so they can be happy. And, hopefully, that time will come sooner rather than later for the parents of two.
