Harry and Meghan handed new blow as Spotify calls quits on £18m podcast deal

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's podcast deal with Spotify has been pulled in a fresh blow to the couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's brand, Archewell, and the streaming giant put out a joint statement saying they had "mutually agreed to part ways" two and a half years into their partnership.

Spotify also said it was "proud" of Meghan's 12-part podcast, Archetypes, but confirmed it wouldn't be renewed for a second series despite soaring to the top of the podcast chart when it debuted in August 2022.

READ MORE: Meghan and Harry's relationship 'will end in tragedy as she no longer sees his purpose'

Reports suggest the royal duo didn't meet the productivity benchmark required by Spotify before the deal was pulled.

The couple first signed a contract with the platform, worth an estimated $25m (£18m), in December 2020.

It was one of a number of media deals the couple signed after sensationally stepping down from the royal family and relocating to the US.

The agreement was initially supposed to see the couple produce a number of podcasts, with Harry saying shortly after the signing with Spotify that their work would "bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven't heard before".

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However, the first series of Archetypes, which saw Meghan chat with celebrity pals such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton, is the only ongoing series to have made it onto the platform.

The pair also put out an introductory soundbite announcing their partnership with Spotify, which received mixed reviews.

Writing for news.com.au, Daniela Elser said of the half-hour episode: "Back in December 2020, two weeks after Harry and Meghan announced their Spotify marriage, the couple put out a roughly half-hour episode featuring a few starry chums offering their profound thoughts on the first year of the pandemic.

"It was predictable and anaemic and seemed exactly what I figured Harry and Meghan would start pumping out: podcasts where they nattered to their A-list mates, in between serving up some self help-lite pap.

"Except that then came… nothing… and more nothing… and a bit more nothing."

The couple's most lucrative deal to date with Netflix, reported by Forbes to be worth an eye-watering $100m, seems to have produced similarly mixed results.

The pair's documentary, Harry & Meghan, became the platform's most-streamed documentary to have debuted on the platform after the three-part series saw them launch accusations against their royal relatives and reiterate their desire for privacy.

But so far it's the only output from the couple to have made a splash on the streaming site.

Harry was set to produce a show about the Invictus games, entitled Heart of Invictus, in time for this summer, but it is unclear whether the show will be airing on time.

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