With the new year just around the corner, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing for “a total system reboot.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been working on their own brand outside of the royal family ever since stepping down as working royals in 2020, the launch of their nonprofit, The Archewell Foundation. The work includes their business verticals Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio, bringing with it endeavors into everything from multimillion-dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify — resulting in three new series and a since-canceled podcast — to a bestselling memoir in Spare. But now, according to sources, the Sussexes are looking for a reset.
“What we’re seeing – and will see more of I think – is Heghan 2.0. Part Deux. They know of their supposed failures and how it’s viewed, but they have almost gone more tech than Hollywood. Fail big and all that,” a source told PEOPLE. “They have swapped in and out all sorts of projects and people and are embarking on a total system reboot. They have a constitutional inability to look in the rearview – why should they? They are all about the future.”
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Reports of their reset come amid challenges their endeavors in Hollywood faced. Over the summer, the Sussexes split from Spotify after just one season of Archetypes. They also faced some criticism for low content output on Netflix, where they released Harry and Meghan, Heart of Invictus, and Live to Lead.
Some of these hiccups can be attributed to various factors at play, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the writers and actors strikes, though a source previously told PEOPLE, “I think it’s been a rude awakening for everyone – it’s like they built a house with no foundation. The royal element, and the in some ways the drama around them, inflated the price, deals and expectations.” Author Omid Scobie told the outlet that when he “spoke to people in their orbit, they admit that it hadn’t quite gone to plan. They really need to establish what their purpose is.”
At this time, it remains unclear just exactly what the couple, who are said to be eyeing a move to Los Angeles, will do next. Making a surprise appearance at Variety‘s Power of Women gala earlier this month, Markle teased, “We have so many exciting things on the slate. I can’t wait until we can announce them. We’re just really proud of what we’re creating, and my husband is loving it too.” The duchess did not expand on those plans, with the teasing coming after it was announced in April that she signed with power agency William Morris Endeavor. Harry, meanwhile, continues to head Invictus Games, with the next games set for 2025 in Canada. The couple also remain focused on the Archewell Foundation.