Harry and Meghan need to 'stop cashing in and drop Royal titles', commentator says

16 December 2020, 11:38

Harry and Meghan need to 'stop cashing in and drop Royal titles' 

By EJ Ward

As Harry and Meghan launch a new podcast venture one Royal commentator has said the pair need to stop "cashing in" on their titles.

With the news the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed a lucrative deal with Spotify to host and produce podcasts, LBC's Nick Ferrari spoke to Royal commentator Phil Dampier.

Harry and Meghan's production company Archewell Audio has gone into partnership with the streaming service for an undisclosed sum, estimated to be worth around 25 million dollars (£18 million) for their charitable body Archewell.

Nick and Phil discussed the move by the couple with the LBC host saying he thought the idea was that Harry and Meghan wanted to move to relative solitude in LA.

"The money is starting to roll in now," Phil said, listing the various commercial deals the couple had done.

When Nick asked what the Palace might think about this, the Royal commentator said the couple's new podcast move looked like "commercial exploitation."

"I think if they want to carry on, really they ought to drop the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles."

He said it would be "very very difficult to carry on cashing in" on the titles if they were going to do things like this.

Phil pointed out it was like the couple were "invading their own privacy."

Meghan Markle opens up about the struggles of being in the public eye

Speaking about the new project, Meghan says in the trailer: "This is also a moment to celebrate kindness and compassion, something we saw in so many places this year, and which will underlie everything you hear from Archewell Audio."

She said about their first podcast, due for release during the Christmas period: "We're talking to some amazing people, they're going to share their memories that have really helped shape this past year which has been, as we know, a difficult one for everyone."

Harry added: "So many people have been through so much pain this year, experiencing loss, a huge amount of uncertainty, but it feels worth acknowledging that 2020 has connected us in ways we could have never imagined, through endless acts of compassion and kindness."