March 19, 2026

Harry and Meghan iced out of Hollywood? Is Netflix left holding $10M in Meghan goods?

Harry and Meghan iced out of Hollywood? Is Netflix left holding $10M in Meghan goods?
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconAmazon Music podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon

We continue our deep dive into Variety’s explosive report on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, focusing on what happened after the success of Harry & Meghan — and why momentum may have stalled.

The article details failed scripted projects, difficulty attracting collaborators, and claims that Netflix was left with more than $10 million worth of unsold As Ever products, some reportedly given away to staff.
We also examine reports of tension inside meetings, including claims about Meghan’s communication style, and the company’s evolving strategy to position her as a solo brand.

Then, a new controversy: Meghan is set to headline a high-priced women’s retreat in Australia, but questions are being raised about the finances behind the event after the organizer’s company reportedly went into liquidation.

Plus: King Charles hosts Nigeria’s president in a major state visit, and new calls emerge to reconsider a potential royal trip to the United States amid global tensions.

Get episodes of Palace Intrigue by becommming a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Click the button that says uninterrupted listening.  Just $5 a month, and that includes many ofther shows on the Caloroga Shark network.

Our royal newsletter written by Deep Crown is available for free.

Royal Books:

Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors by Tom Bower

William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:11.839
Calorogus Shark Media. All and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I

2
00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:15.439
am your host, Mark Francis. More from that explosive lead

3
00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:19.199
story in Variety titled Inside Meghan and Harry's Falling Out

4
00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:22.800
with Netflix, we covered a big chunk in Yesterday's afternoon episode,

5
00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.440
but picking up where we left off, Variety says that

6
00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:28.600
even after the big success of the Harry and Meghan Dock,

7
00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:33.399
the Sussexs struggled to attract creative collaborators. The article says

8
00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:37.320
scripted projects were often abandoned, including peerl, the animated series

9
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:40.439
about a goal meeting famous women from history. Development setbacks

10
00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:43.000
are common in Hollywood, the report notes, but it points

11
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.320
out that the Sussexes still have not produced a single

12
00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:49.159
scripted project for Netflix in nearly six years. When Meghan

13
00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:51.799
signed with WME in twenty twenty three, the goal was

14
00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.320
partly to strengthen her Hollywood standing, but Variety says her

15
00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:58.840
primary focus became building as ever rather than creating film

16
00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.600
and television projects. The article also claims that within three

17
00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:05.439
months of Megan joining WMY, major members of the team

18
00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:09.319
assembled around her had dropped off the account, though WME

19
00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:13.560
still represents her and Archwell. Variety then described period in

20
00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:17.000
twenty twenty four when Netflix tried to revive the relationship

21
00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:21.519
in a new way after Creative had Ben Browning left Archwell.

22
00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:25.640
In late twenty twenty three, Netflix reportedly showed renewed energy

23
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.079
and suggested it would support Archiwell acquisitions at Sundance as

24
00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:32.400
part of a strategy to build a stronger biplane, but

25
00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:35.239
according to the article, filmmakers and sales agents were not

26
00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:39.760
interested in involving Archwell. Variety says Archwell had expressed interest

27
00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:44.000
in Skywalker's Love Story and the Christopher Ree documentary Superman,

28
00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.719
but no deals happened. One of the people connected to Skywalkers,

29
00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:50.760
Jeff Zimbalist, said neither the couple nor Archwell was ever

30
00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:54.879
mentioned during the bidding. Netflix denied the broader suggestion that

31
00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:59.400
Archwell had been rejected at sun Dance, calling that categorically untrue.

32
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.079
Twenty twenty five, according to Variety, Netflix and Archwlle had

33
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.959
clearly changed direction. The article says that after repeated false

34
00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:11.240
starts in scripted development, it became time to reconsider the

35
00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.680
entire partnership. Prince Harry had already become less visible in

36
00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:18.599
projects after Polo, the unscripted series connected to his friend

37
00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:22.800
Nacho Figeris. At that point, Netflix began treating Megan less

38
00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.240
as part of a duo and more as an entrepreneur

39
00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:28.960
and solo figure. Ted Saranda's publicly backed that strategy in

40
00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:32.159
twenty twenty five, he said, I think Megan is underestimated

41
00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:35.199
in terms of her influence on culture. He added, when

42
00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.039
we dropped the trailer for the Harry and Meghan doc series,

43
00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.800
everything on screen was dissected in the press for days.

44
00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:44.280
The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world.

45
00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:46.759
The Herimez blanket that was on the chair behind her

46
00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.960
sold out everywhere in the world. Saranda's concluded that Megan

47
00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.560
and Harry were overly dismissed. At the same time, Netflix

48
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:56.520
began experimenting with something unusual for the company, becoming involved

49
00:02:56.520 --> 00:03:00.240
in a consumer brand. Sarandas described as Ever as a

50
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.159
big discovering model for us. That is where the article

51
00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:07.719
returns to the later breakdown. Variety says with Love Megan

52
00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:09.719
was designed to work hand in hand with as Ever,

53
00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:12.879
and that the series did reach Netflix's top ten, But

54
00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:15.159
the article says customer response to both the show and

55
00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:18.639
the products was mixed. Archibald said it sold out inventory,

56
00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.520
but the article notes that Newsweek later reported a website

57
00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.960
glitch appeared to reveal large volumes of unsold stock. Variety

58
00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.280
then makes one of its most striking claims that by

59
00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:31.199
last August, after the second batch of With Love Megan

60
00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:34.840
episodes underperformed, Netflix was sitting on more than ten million

61
00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.879
dollars worth of as Ever inventory, including tea and baking mixes.

62
00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:42.240
According to the report, the company started giving the products

63
00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:44.759
a way to employees, free, laying them out on card

64
00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:48.680
tables in office buildings. An Archibald spokesperson responded by saying

65
00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:53.400
such giveaways from sample closets are standard studio practice. A

66
00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.599
different Netflix source also said the original plan had always

67
00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.199
been to spin as Ever back into Megan's control, and

68
00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.639
that Netflix's row was only to help with a launch.

69
00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:05.680
A Sussex spokesman also insisted that With Love Meghan had

70
00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:09.159
not been abandoned completely, saying With Love Meghan will continue

71
00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:13.280
as seasonal specials. The article says that by last fall,

72
00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:17.279
Netflix's withdrawal from as Ever was already in motion, and

73
00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:21.040
that Meghan's hiring of independent brand consultant Devon ped's water

74
00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.480
was viewed by insiders as Asian. Netflix had thrown in

75
00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:27.480
the towel. Variety also includes a long section on what

76
00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:32.160
it describes as difficulties in the Sussex's bedside manner inside Netflix.

77
00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:36.000
The article says Meghan has often presented Hollywood as her territory,

78
00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.279
and that in meetings she tends to talk over Prince

79
00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:41.800
Harry or recast his thoughts, sometimes while he is mid sentence.

80
00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:46.319
There are more specific complaints too. Variety says Megan sometimes

81
00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:50.040
disappears during zoom calls. According to three sources. The article

82
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.199
says Netflix teams would later be told she had been

83
00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:55.759
offended by something said in the meeting. In response to

84
00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.879
claims about her behavior during the meetings, Megan's attorney, Michael J. Cump,

85
00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:02.439
defended her in a Lettertive Variety, emphasizing the realities of

86
00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.800
working from home. He said, Megan works from home, is

87
00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.079
the mother of young children aged four and six, and

88
00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:11.560
often encounters children who went to the space unexpectedly during

89
00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:15.560
a meeting. Compadded, independent of being a parent who works

90
00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:17.639
from home, Meghan is also conscious of shielding her team

91
00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:20.759
from the distraction of children. Nearly all professionals can attest

92
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.160
and needing to turn off the audio a camera during

93
00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.720
a virtual meeting at some point during many hours of

94
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:30.079
virtual business calls. The piece closes by asking whether Harry

95
00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:35.600
and Meghan are truly living the Hollywood dream they once imagined. Meanwhile,

96
00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:37.560
with Meghan set to headline a three day women only

97
00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:41.040
girls weekend retreat in Sydney from April seventeenth to nineteenth,

98
00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.959
where tickets range from roughly eighteen hundred to over twenty

99
00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.279
one hundred depending on VIP access, there is some discussion

100
00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:52.480
about the finances of the organizer, Australian media personality Jackie

101
00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.399
o Henderson and pr entrepreneur Jemma O'Neill, who had said

102
00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:59.480
on her podcast, I can't believe I'm even saying those words.

103
00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:01.839
There's no way more shocked than me. How has Meghan

104
00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.920
Duchess of Sussex gone from OPRAH to talking on stage

105
00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:07.720
with just little old me? Jemma in Sydney is now

106
00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.879
in the newspapers over her finances. Her company, Jemmy Agency,

107
00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.079
went into liquidation in November with debts totally more than

108
00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:17.800
three hundred and eighty six thousand dollars, most of it

109
00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:21.279
owed to the Australian Taxation Office. According to filings only,

110
00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:24.759
all told administrators she has no personal savings, limited income

111
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.120
and cannot repay the debt. Despite that she has been

112
00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:32.079
heavily promoting that Meghan led retreat, raising obvious questions about

113
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.639
how the event is being funded. O'Neill herself addressed speculation

114
00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:38.639
about Meghan's fee, saying I'm going to answer probably something

115
00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:41.079
that I think would feel fairly obvious. It must be

116
00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:44.240
costing you a fortune to have Meghan come to your event. No, guys,

117
00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:48.040
I don't have that kind of money. That disconnects fueled skepticism,

118
00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.240
with one source putting it bluntly, the question rights itself,

119
00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:55.079
who's actually financing this event and where does the money go?

120
00:06:55.959 --> 00:07:02.720
More palace In just a moment, King Charles has welcomed

121
00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:06.879
Nigerian President Bolla Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom for

122
00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.959
a historic state visit, the first by a Nigerian leader

123
00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:13.920
in thirty seven years, marking a significant diplomatic moment for

124
00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:17.040
both nations. The two day visit began with full royal

125
00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:21.160
ceremony at Windsor, including a carriage procession, military parade and

126
00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:24.040
formal greeting by senior members of the royal family. The

127
00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.360
Prince and Princess of Wales played a key early role,

128
00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.720
meeting the President and First Lady at the Fairmont Windsor

129
00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:33.680
Park Hotel before escorting them into Windsor for the official

130
00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.199
welcome at Windsor Castle. The King and Queen, alongside William

131
00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:40.839
and Catherine, greeted the presidential couple with traditional pomp and pageantry.

132
00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:43.480
A Guard of Honor and the Band of the Grenadier

133
00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:47.879
Guards performed both national anthems, while President Tanubu inspected the

134
00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:51.680
troops with King Charles walking just behind him. The visit

135
00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:54.120
is being framed as more than ceremony, it's a strategic

136
00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:58.079
effort to deepen economic and diplomatic ties. Nigeria, with a

137
00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.639
population of roughly two hundred and twenty million people, represents

138
00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:05.240
Africa's largest consumer market and a key partner for the UK.

139
00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:10.639
There are also notable cultural and religious considerations shaping the visit.

140
00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:15.279
President Tenubu is Muslim and observing Ramadan, meaning the traditional

141
00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:18.680
state visit lunch at Windsor has been removed from the schedule. Instead,

142
00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.680
engagements have been adjusted, with the President breaking his fast

143
00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:25.800
privately before attending the evening state banquet. The visit includes

144
00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:28.360
a number of symbolic and diplomatic moments, a private audience

145
00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:31.120
with the King, a viewing of Nigerian related items from

146
00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.600
the Royal collection, and a reflaying at the tomb of

147
00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:37.919
Queen Elizabeth in Saint George's Chapel. An interfaith event reflects

148
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.639
Nigeria's religious diversity, with its population roughly split between Muslims

149
00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:47.200
and Christians. Kate also made a subtle diplomatic gesture through fashion,

150
00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.840
wearing a design by a British Nigerian designer, Taulu Koka,

151
00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:56.480
reinforcing cultural size between the two nations. Writing for ITV,

152
00:08:56.679 --> 00:08:59.679
Chris Ship wonders if Charles should postpone any trip to

153
00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.720
a Marria. He writes, it's a problem that someone is

154
00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.320
soon going to have to address, and as much as

155
00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:08.320
many think it's the King's problem, it's not. It's actually

156
00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:11.879
an issue for Downing Street. That's because state visits both

157
00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:15.399
incoming ones I think USA, France, Germany last year and

158
00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:18.440
external ones. The King most recently visited Italy in the

159
00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.240
Vatican are decided by the Foreign Office. Therefore the monarch

160
00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:25.799
carried them out on government advice. The Labour Chair of

161
00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.759
the influential Foreign Affairs Committee. Dame Emily Thornberry has become

162
00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.440
the latest high profile politician to call for the visit

163
00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:36.279
to be delayed or even canceled. She said, the last

164
00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:38.919
thing we want to do is have their majesties embarrassed.

165
00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.080
The MP told BBC Radio four. I think it needs

166
00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:44.279
to be thought through very carefully as to whether or

167
00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:47.039
not it's appropriate to go ahead now or maybe have

168
00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.799
a limited program or delay it. But we can't just

169
00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:53.559
pretend there isn't a background of war. Ship adds that

170
00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:56.919
ITV News understands the provisional dates are the end of April,

171
00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.799
and no one knows, not even senior White House staff,

172
00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.720
what will be happening in the Middle East at that time,

173
00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.879
and they have it. If once email us or addresses

174
00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:08.879
the Palace Intrigue at a gmail dot com, please fast

175
00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:10.799
at Spotify, Apple or the Apple with a choice, I

176
00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:13.919
Mark Francis my things to John McDermott, this is Palace

177
00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.559
Intrigue and good terms