Prince Harry and Meghan Markle complain they’ve been ‘unlucky’ since quitting royal duties

Amid significant public backlash and the crumbling of lucrative deals, the couple’s excuse for how it all went wrong has reportedly been revealed.

Harry and Meghan believe they’ve been “unlucky” since quitting royal life.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly believe they’ve been “repeatedly unlucky” in their attempts to relaunch themselves since quitting royal duties.

It’s hard to argue against the notion that the couple’s grand post-UK plans haven’t exactly panned out how they – and many others – predicted they would.

And Harry and Meghan reportedly believe the blame for their struggling relaunch lies with a series of external factors beyond their control.

In the months after leaving the royal family in early 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed several high-profile deals in quick succession worth tens of millions of dollars, seemingly laying the groundwork for an empire to follow.

Fast-forward three years, amid the recent collapse of their Spotify deal and reports that Netflix is unlikely to renew their whopping $150 million contract, and it appears that building Brand Sussex is going to require a lot more work.

The couple has also experienced significant public backlash for their decisions to publicly air a series of criticisms at the royal family, particularly within their Netflix docu-series and Harry’s memoir, Spare.

Their docu-series was a ratings sensation – but generated a very mixed reaction among viewers. Picture: Netflix

“The word is that they think they’ve been really unlucky,” an LA source told The Daily Mail, adding that they believe Covid-19, economic downturns and the deaths of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II have significantly hampered their efforts.

Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back from royal life in January 2020, just months before the world went into a series of lockdowns due to the pandemic.

In March 2021, they made global headlines with their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview, which featured a number of damaging claims against the royal family.

Just one month later, Prince Philip died at the age of 99.

Their post-royal life has been an even bumpier ride than first expected. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP

Last August, Meghan launched her first podcast series, Archetypes, as part of her and Harry’s huge Spotify deal, but was forced to briefly postpone it following Queen Elizabeth II’s death the following month.

Amid a major overhaul of its structure and staff lay-offs, it was announced recently that Spotify would not be renewing the couple’s deal, with an insider telling the New York Post they simply hadn’t produced enough content.

An executive at the streaming giant, Bill Simmons, even sent shockwaves through the industry by publicly calling them “f**king grifters” on his own podcast.

The same streaming economic overcorrection is reportedly said to be impacting the future of their deal with Netflix, with neither service able to splash the kind of cash that was on offer when they signed Harry and Meghan.

The Queen’s death sparked an emotional outpouring of support for the royal family last September. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the couple had the last of their permanent ties with the UK cut just days ago, when it was confirmed they had removed their final boxes of belongings from Frogmore Cottage, six months after being evicted by King Charles.

“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage,” Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said in a statement.

“The Duke and Duchess have repaid the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset.”

Frogmore Cottage was gifted to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen when they got married in 2018. It underwent significant renovations – costing taxpayers a reported £2.4 million ($A4.29 million) – before they eventually moved in. They have since repaid the cost of the upgrades.

Harry’s most recent stay at Frogmore was earlier this month, when he appeared as a witness in a London court in the phone-hacking trial. But according to The Sun, should he want to use it as his UK base in the future, it’ll need to be through a “private agreement” with his father – with whom his relationship is reportedly still quite frosty.

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle complain they’ve been ‘unlucky’ since quitting royal duties