It has been more than six months since the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, and one report claims that Meghan Markle is feeling more and more bitter about the book as time goes on. Back in June, the Sussexes’ company Archewell mutually ended its $20 million deal with Spotify, and since then many reports have come out about discord within Archewell – though they have been disputed. One report by Heat World says that Markle sees Spare as the root of the company’s problems.
Spare became a bestseller on many book lists after it hit shelves in January, though the reviews from critics were mixed. The book’s impact on pop culture took shape more slowly, but anonymous insiders told Heat World that, in hindsight, Markle believes the Sussexes’ reputation has been damaged and that it can all be traced back to Spare. They said: “Meghan can now see that, whether it’s fair or not, they are being viewed as these professional whiners.”
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Spare came out only a few short weeks after the Netflix original series Harry & Meghan, so the market was saturated with headlines about the couple’s personal lives. It’s not hard to connect this to the reports of a “near catastrophic” car chase in New York City, which were mocked by some as a publicity stunt. Insiders said that Markle now fears she and Prince Harry have become a “laughing stock” in Hollywood – though it’s worth noting that, in addition to the dissolution of the Spotify deal, they referenced the possibility that Archewell’s deal with Netflix would dissolve as well. Archewell and Netflix have both denied those reports since this story came out.
Still, a source claimed: “It’s been one problem after another, and now – with the benefit of hindsight – it’s clear that Harry may have gone overboard with some of these criticisms of his family.” They added that Markle is “now regretting that she wasn’t more hands-on or involved when he was putting his book together. This theory that she micromanaged what he wrote or had any say in the manuscript is totally wrong – it was Harry’s book and she let him get on with it. The same went for his interviews and promo tours – that was evidenced by the fact she let him do those by himself and made a point not to interfere.”
While Archewell and Spotify announced the end of their deal as mutual, an insider said that, in reality, Markle and Prince Harry didn’t “reach the productivity benchmark” written into their contract. This can’t be verified, but it’s worth noting that Spotify executive Bill Simmons criticized the couple on his own podcast at the time, calling them “grifters.” The couple is reportedly on the hunt for a new podcast partner while continuing to develop content for Netflix.
