Meghan Markle slammed as ‘lazy’ over new podcast drama
The Duchess of Sussex stands accused of taking shortcuts to “conquer everything” and her latest podcast controversy could be a case in point.
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Meghan Markle has been blasted as being “lazy” over the latest drama in her $27 million Spotify podcast deal.
Ms Markle and husband Prince Harry’s podcast deal with the online audio giant has been the subject of much controversy and even ridicule after the pair quit England to protect their privacy, they claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex failed to produce any content for Spotify throughout all of 2021, amid speculation both sides of the deal were reconsidering the arrangement.
Now, The Sun reports on rumours that Meghan never spoke to her guests on her podcast Archeytpes after one guest thanked a producer for being an “excellent interviewer” not the Duchess.
“It shows how determined she is to conquer everything”, royal expert Angela Levin told The Sun
“She wants all these famous women to talk to her to prove to us she has all these connections, I don’t think she is particularly interested. You can tell she has got the producers to interview [and then] the cheek of her to just tell us about herself.
“Everything is about her. With Meghan it’s about how much more of herself she can reveal despite wanting privacy. It’s an amazing contradiction.”
The drama over Meghan’s interviews, or lack of them, was sparked when journalist and author Allison Yarrow appeared on the podast.
Afterwards she took to social media to thank a producer of the show for being an “excellent interviewer” rather than Meghan herself.
”Excited to be included in the visionary series #Archetypes hosted by Meghan the Duchess of Sussex that aims to dissect and subvert the archetypes that hold women back,” Yarrow wrote.
“Cheers to producer @farrahsafari (an excellent interviewer) and the folks at @Gimlet @spotify who get it done!
The post led to accusations Meghan was “lazy” and didn’t value her guests and that the show’s producers simply “spliced opinions together” with Markle acting as an overarching host of the podcast series.
Meghan launched the first episode of the series in August, a chat with tennis superstar Serena Williams.
Ms Markle Markle describes the interview series as aiming to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back”.
DIRECTOR QUIT ROYALS NETFLIX SERIES OVER ‘DIFFERENCES’
The original director lined up to helm Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix series quit the project over “creative differences”, according the several sources.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first choice to direct the series was Oscar-nominated Garrett Bradley, who previously helmed the highly acclaimed Netflix series “Naomi Osaka”, about the tennis champion’s battle with mental illness.
Quoting sources on “both sides”, The New York Post, reported that neither could agree on the tone of the Sussex series.
“Garrett wanted Harry and Meghan to film at home and they were not comfortable doing that,” an industry insider told the outlet.
“There were a few sticky moments between them, and Garrett left the project. Harry and Meghan’s own production company captured as much footage as they could before Liz Garbus was hired.”
While Garbus has remained director, she has also clashed the royals over their last-minute attempts to change the content in the wake of the Queen’s death.
The House of Sussex reportedly clashed with their own production team in the attempt to “walk back” allegations against the royal family, according to Netflix sources.
“Harry and Meghan are having second thoughts on their own story, on their own project,” the Netflix source told NYP.
“They’ve made significant requests to walk back content they themselves have provided — to the extent that some Netflix staff believe, if granted, it will effectively shelve the project indefinitely.”
Another source at Netflix added to Page Six that the couple wants large chunks removed from the documentary, which has been in production over the final year of the Queen’s life.
But Netflix is “standing by the filmmakers”, led by Oscar-nominated Garbus, and is said to be standing firm on keeping the content “from their own mouths”.
“Harry and Meghan are panicked about trying to tone down even the most basic language. But it’s their story,” the source said, adding that they started rethinking the show before the former monarch died on September 8.
The documentary is said to include revelations about Prince Harry’s father, then-Prince Charles, who has since become King, and Camilla, now the Queen Consort. Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, are also reportedly in the crosshairs.
“Netflix has made it clear that the project is going forward,” the source said.
NEW DETAILS OF NETFLIX AIR DATE
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s controversial Netflix docuseries is set to air “within weeks”, according to reports.
It comes despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly requesting a delay to the $156 million series – putting them at loggerheads with Netflix bosses.
According to The Sun, the couple are understood to have wanted to push the controversial documentary series – set to tell their “love story” – back to 2023 after the death of the Queen and amid backlash over the new series of The Crown, which critics – including former British PM Tony Blair – have called “utter rubbish”.
But is it now being reported the highly-anticipated show will not be postponed and will hit our screens next month even though Netflix has yet to confirm an official release date.
“As far as I am aware, the docuseries is still going ahead later this year,” a source reportedly told the New York Post.
“A lot in the show contradicted what Harry has written (in his book), so that was an issue.
“Then Harry and Meghan made significant requests to walk back content they themselves have provided for their own project.”
The Sussexes will reportedly discuss other members of the royal family – including King Charles, Camilla and Prince William – in the series, which is directed by acclaimed US documentary maker Liz Garbus.
The show is expected to cause new turmoil for the royal family with royal experts claiming the series and Prince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir Spare will end any real reconciliation between the Sussexes and King Charles and Prince William.
After the Queen’s death, the Sussexes were said to have wanted to “downplay much of what they have said about Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales” in their documentary series, according to a previous report.
Markle even appeared to distance herself and Prince Harry from the documentary in the wake of the Queen’s death.
The Duchess of Sussex suggested that its direction was now completely in the hands of Garbus “even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it”.
“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens,” she said in a recent interview.
“It’s interesting. My husband has never worked in this industry before. For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”
The show’s launch comes amid reports that Prince Harry and Markle had secretly planned a “year of reconciliation” with the royal family, but only after Prince Harry’s controversial memoir and Netflix series have come out.
They have been called “arrogant” and “deluded” for thinking they can fall back into favour after they told Oprah Winfrey unnamed members of the royals were racist, while Prince Harry attacked his father’s parenting skills.
The Sussexes have always avoided criticising the Queen but now want to make changes to Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, and to the series because both are allegedly too critical of King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort.
The Sun reported that the book and series would be Prince Harry’s chance to have a final say at his complex relationship with his family before attempting a reconciliation.
“Next year 2023 was to be their reconciliation year,” a Sussex source reportedly told The Sun.
It is thought the couple never looked to criticise the Queen out of respect for the monarch.
But if any of their so-called truth bombs are dropped on the new King and Queen they could thwart any reconciliation plans, it is said.
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