New episodes of Meghan Markle's Archetypes podcast on hold due to death of the Queen

12 September 2022, 15:45 | Updated: 12 September 2022, 16:22

The Duchess of Sussex has paused new releases of her Spotify podcast, Archetypes, for the duration of the mourning period for the Queen.

Three full episodes of the audio series have been released since its launch on August 23, featuring conversations with veteran tennis player Serena Williams, pop star Mariah Carey and actress and producer Mindy Kaling.

Meghan and Harry signed a lucrative deal with the audio streaming giant to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around 25 million US dollars (£18 million), in late 2020.

A message on the podcast's Spotify page said: "New episodes of Archetypes will be paused during the official mourning period for Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II."

A period of "royal mourning" will continue until seven days after the Queen's funeral on Monday September 19.

Buckingham Palace said royal mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, Royal Household staff and representatives of the Royal Household on official duties, together with troops committed to ceremonial duties.

National mourning, meanwhile, continues until the end of the day of the Queen's funeral.

Archetypes was launched with the aim of investigating "labels that try to hold women back" through conversations between Meghan and historians, experts and women who have experienced being typecast.

So far episodes have featured titles such as The Duality Of Diva and The Misconception Of Ambition.

It comes after Harry paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother on Monday, thanking the Queen for her "sound advice" and "infectious smile".

In a statement, he also described her as a "guiding compass" through her commitment to service and duty.

The statement came two days after the duke and Meghan joined the new Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle on Saturday.