Harry and Meghan lambasted by Spotify boss as ‘grifters’ amid podcast deal collapse

A Spotify executive who had the task of trying to get the Sussex couple to do some work for their $42m podcast deal has unloaded on their work ethic.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lost their $42m podcast deal. Picture: AFP

After a weekend of deep intrigue, Meghan Markle has been seen looking harried after losing a $US29m ($42m) podcast deal, and along with her husband Prince Harry, has been labelled as: “f.....g grifters”.

A Spotify executive who had the task of trying to get the Sussex couple to do some work for their multi million dollar deal has unloaded on their work ethic after the company decided to rip up its lucrative contract.

All the while, the Princess of Wales was serenaded to the British public at Saturday’s Trooping the Colour in vibrant green, a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth’s final balcony appearance last year and wearing the spectacular diamond and sapphire earrings of her mother in law Princess Diana.

While we won’t hear whining or public unloading from Catherine, her dress is one of the most obvious forms of her communication. Was the vibrant colour a none too subtle hint about envy?

Catherine, Princess of Wales, wears green during the Trooping the Colour parade. Picture: Getty

In any case, across the Atlantic it appears Americans are coming around to the Sussexes’ perplexing concept of “my truth”.

First there was the vicious dig by South Park producers about the worldwide privacy tour, the couple’s own hysteria about the near-catastrophic-car-chase-that-wasn’t, the various humanitarian

awards gifted to them by their friends, and Harry’s many legal complaints about privacy, all the while invading the privacy of those closest to him, including former girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

Now Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetisation, has voiced his own deep suspicions.

On his own popular podcast on Saturday, Simmons, known as the Sports Guy, dropped a morsel of gossip that the Archetype podcast, in his view, should have been called “the f***ing grifters.

He added: “That’s the podcast we should have launched with them. I’ve got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”

Spotify have now dumped the Sussexes and we suspect there are many reasons for this. The A grade celebrity status of the couple has collapsed after repeated and unedifying attacks on the royal family; the initial podcast from Meghan was worthy but tedious; and the Hollywood Reporter said the couple was let go because of the low output content of their production company Archewell.

On this, there is evidence. After signing the mega bucks deal in 2020; the taster, a Christmas special was produced the end of the year, yet the 12 part Archtypes series took another two years.

And who on earth would be the star power friends willing to stump up for a second series?

Simmons has been critical of Harry before, saying back in January that he was “embarrassing”, so it’s a measure of Spotify’s desperation they had scouted around to recast Harry into a sports role.

Earlier this year Simmons said of Harry: “Shoot this guy to the sun, I‘m so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about shit and keeps giving interviews.

‘Who gives a shit? Who cares about your life? ’You weren’t even the favourite son. The other guy was the king.’’ He then went on: “You live in f.....g Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them. “I can’t stand him. So tired. I’m so embarrassed I fucking have to share Spotify with him, the guy sucks.’’

On the weekend Meghan, 41, was photographed walking to a beauty appointment talking intensely on her phone.

She could have been working out what to have for dinner, but she does have space for a new big idea hustle.