If you follow the couple closely, then you’re probably aware that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have endured a great deal of turmoil in 2023, much of it having to do with their public image.
Multiple polls have now indicated that Meghan is less popular than ever in the US, and Harry isn’t faring much better.
The trouble began, it seems, with the mixed response to Harry’s memoir that hit stores in January.
The Sussexes have been dealing with one mini-PR crisis after another in the months since, and the barrage of bad press has begun to hit the couple in the pocketbook.
Already, Meghan’s Spotify podcast has been canceled, and there are rumors that other lucrative partnerships between the Sussexes and major media brands may be in danger.
The couple has embarked on a rebranding effort that began when Meghan signed with the famed WME talent agency back in April.
In the past month, the Sussexes attended the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf and hosted a mental health summit in New York City, but those events did little to restore their favorability among the general public.
So what’s their next step?
Well, there are rumors that Meghan plans to return to acting, but if such a comeback ever takes place, it probably won’t happen for quite some time.
In the meantime, it seems that the duchess might be hatching a plan to fight fire with fire — to combat the negative press garnered by Harry’s memoir with a new autobiographical tome.
This one, however, would be all about Meghan and would detail her rise from a lower-middle-class upbringing in Los Angeles to the very height of international fame.
The royals are almost certainly chagrinned at the reports of Meghan’s latest project — but Meghan almost certainly doesn’t care what her in-laws have to say.
“My information is that she is writing her memoirs and it will be a huge money-spinner,” royal expert Tom Bower said in a recent interview.
Bower didn’t offer much in the way of details, but according to a new report from Page Six, Meghan is on the verge of a multimillion-dollar deal with Audible.
Again, details of the deal are scarce, and it could be that Audible execs are more interested in reviving Meghan’s podcast than they are in publishing an audio version of her literary debut.
But either way, this could represent a turning point in the duchess’ career.
“Word of mouth is spreading that it will lead to a huge payout — even bigger than the millions Spotify splashed out,” a source tells the outlet.
“And Meghan is thrilled that she’ll be in the company of Michelle and Barack Obama [who signed a deal with Audible in 2022].”
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Regardless of what sort of content Meghan will be creating, you can be certain that she’s excited about the prospect of reentering the media world.
And you can be equally sure that the royals are not thrilled by the news that their least-favorite in-law will once again have the benefit of a major platform.
“Meghan seems very confident at the moment, but the reality is that she’s been in a pretty desperate spot,” the source claimed.
“Losing the Spotify deal was a massive blow to her, not to mention her ego. She’s been pretty lost since, but this deal could turn everything around.”
The insider added that the stakes couldn’t be higher for Meghan’s partnership with Audible.
“She hardly sleeps thanks to the pressure of it all but knows that the pressure will only get worse if she lands the deal — it will be make or break,” the source said.
“Hollywood’s power brokers will be aware of just how [Markle and Prince Harry] fumbled on the Spotify deal, so they fear that getting dropped twice would be the end of their brand, as nobody would trust they could deliver the content. The stakes are extremely high.”
And as if the situation weren’t nerve-racking enough, Meghan is surely aware that her rivals across the pond are watching this deal very closely and hoping that it will go awry.
We’ll have further details on this developing story as new information becomes available.
