<p><i>This article is part of </i><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Upstream,</i></a><i> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</i></p>
<p><i>***</i></p>
<p>When Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla would visit the United States to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, I knew I had to call Mark Helprin.</p>
<p>The bestselling author’s fifth novel, 2005’s “Freddy and Fredericka,” is a thinly veiled sendup of Charles and Princess Diana — who, in this case, must travel to America and recapture “the colonies” in order to be blessed by an immortal, magical falcon who selects the true kings of England.</p>
<p>If you’ve never read one of Helprin’s novels, that summary is a pretty good glimpse into the experience: discursive and funny with a healthy shake of magical realism.</p>
<p>“Freddy and Fredericka” is a darkly comic romp across the United States that finds our heroes falling in love with the country they were sent to recapture, urging Americans to “let everything in the nation flow through you” and to return to “your original principles … immaterial and bright, ever enduring.”</p>
<p>It’s been more than a decade since I first read “Freddy and Fredericka,” and I’ve returned again and again to this book, essentially “Democracy In America” in novel form. So I was excited to ask Helprin how much Tocqueville was on his mind while he wrote the novel.</p>
<p>“He wasn’t,” Helprin said, for one simple reason: He had never read Tocqueville.</p>
<p>He was, however, in the process of reading “Democracy in America” in French, along with &#8220;The Wealth of Nations,&#8221; another classic he’s never gotten to. Shakespeare and Dante are in heavy rotation, however, as is fiction until the Lost Generation. Nothing after Fitzgerald and Hemingway holds much interest for Helprin, which, he stresses, has everything to do with his personal taste and nothing to do with snobbery.</p>
<p>There’s nothing about Helprin’s oeuvre or demeanor that would suggest he is anything other than well-read. But if yielding at Dos Passos for some reason stirs up doubts about Helprin’s literacy, the thousands of volumes that line the shelves of Helprin&#8217;s Charlottesville home should put them to rest. I once heard that Helprin has every paper he’s ever written, going back to his undergraduate career at Harvard, if not high school.</p>
<p>I didn’t ask him about this because I didn’t want it to not be true. After our conversation, I’m certain it is.</p>
<p>Helprin is everything you want him to be. Smartly dressed in a light check blazer, occasionally self-effacing and always captivating, he’s like a character from one of his novels — the latest of which, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elegy-Blue-Novel-Mark-Helprin/dp/1419786083"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Elegy In Blue,”</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> hits shelves this week. All told, he’s written nine novels, three collections of short stories, and three children&#8217;s books illustrated by “Jumanji” author Chris Van Allsburg.</span></p>
<p>In addition, Helprin maintains a steady stream of political commentary, weighing in on everything from copyright law to foreign policy. Helprin’s fans, myself included, say he’s one of the greatest living American novelists. Helprin almost certainly wouldn’t say that about himself, which is likely why, despite a half-century in the public eye, he manages to fly somewhat under the radar.</p>
<p>Helprin’s relative anonymity is especially ironic considering his downright cinematic backstory. <span style="font-weight: 400;">His mother was an actress in the Golden Age of Hollywood who left the Silver Screen to join the Group Theatre, a famous Method acting collective. His father, an American commando who worked for Winston Churchill during the Second World War, later became the head of London Films. It was there, in an office in Mayfair, that the first seeds for “Freddy and Fredericka” were planted by the king and queen themselves.</span></p>
<p>“Part of his job was, when the Queen and Prince Philip wanted to see a film, they would come in one Rolls Royce, no security or anything like that,” Helprin recalls. “He would greet them on the sidewalk and then escort them upstairs and into the screening room, where there was a buffet laid out with caviar and shrimp and everything, champagne, whatever.”</p>
<p>“And they would sit down, and then he would introduce the film, tell them about how it was made, what the subject was, whatever screen the film,” he continues. “And then afterwards, he would take questions from them, if they had any, and then escort them down to the street and see them off and say, thank you very much for coming.”</p>
<p>“They never thanked him, ever,” Helprin notes.</p>
<p>Helprin never forgot that. Not as he did his graduate work, which kept him at Harvard before taking him to Oxford; not during his time in the Israel Defense Forces, a tour of duty he embarked on after he was asked — and declined — to move to Cairo and serve as the Middle East editor for the New York Times.</p>
<p>Somewhere toward the end of his itinerant youth, he began a career as a writer. His first novel, “Refiner’s Fire,” was published in 1977. He achieved mainstream success with 1983’s “Winter’s Tale” and 1991’s “A Soldier Of The Great War.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1086299" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086299" class="size-medium wp-image-1086299" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-50466632-300x192.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="192" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-50466632-300x192.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-50466632-900x576.jpg 900w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-50466632-768x491.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-50466632.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1086299" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Mario Ruiz/Getty Images</p></div>
<p>It was during a three-month book tour for the latter novel that the seeds planted by his family’s royal connection finally began to sprout. It was the &#8217;90s, and Charles and Di were all over the news. Seeing a man and a woman washing dishes at a restaurant kitchen one night, one of his daughters asked if the scullions were the duke and duchess.</p>
<p>Helprin saw an opportunity for “misapprehension,” which he calls “the funniest part of all humor.”</p>
<p>“If you think about the royals in Britain, they have so much opportunity for that because they live in a completely different world,” Helprin says. “But there&#8217;s even greater opportunity if they&#8217;re here amongst the colonials incognito.”</p>
<p>“Freddy and Fredericka” was a success in the United States. It was not published in Britain, where audiences were less receptive to Helprin’s take on the monarchy. Helprin has no regrets.</p>
<p>“I mocked the royals because they&#8217;re mockable,” he says. “They&#8217;re insanely mockable. They&#8217;re freaks, right? And they live in a freakish world.”</p>
<p>But Helprin appreciates that by separating their head of state and the head of government, the British monarchy “allows a really stable, decent government.” That attitude didn’t fly with “the loony Left” across the pond.</p>
<p>At least one person in Great Britain received a copy, however.</p>
<p>“Just by chance, I was invited to dinner that Prince Charles was supposed to attend in Washington, D.C.,” Helprin recalls. “And I said, &#8216;Well, you know what I better do? I better send Freddy and Fredericka to the palace,’ because, you know, to give them advance warning you don&#8217;t want to sandbag people.”</p>
<p>“So I sent it to the palace,” he explains, “and then without any word whatsoever, I was just disinvited to the dinner.”</p>
<p>Had he met Charles, Helprin says, he would have “approached him as an American.”</p>
<p>“We don&#8217;t believe that people are born with privilege, that, in other words, that privilege is legitimate, that they&#8217;re entitled to it, and we see them eye to eye,” Helprin adds. “That&#8217;s what America is about, and that there&#8217;s a very, very powerful force behind that, our history, our power, our ethos and the founding, which was, I think, divinely inspired.”</p>
<p>“If I&#8217;m sitting across from the King of England,” Helprin says, “I don&#8217;t feel lesser in any way.”</p>
<p>It’s a line that could have been spoken by most of Helprin’s protagonists. The typical Helprin hero is a kind of Aristotelian great-souled man with a Brooklyn accent. <span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of Helprin’s novels take place in and around New York City, where Helprin was born and lived the first five years of his life, and a city that still captivates him and feels like home, despite the oppressive scale of “way too tall” buildings and the scourge of bike messengers zipping around with food, &#8220;because everybody has to have instant gratification.”</span></p>
<p>Of all Helprin’s New York novels, “Winter’s Tale” stands alone. Set simultaneously at the turns of the 20th and 21st centuries, the novel has at least 100 characters, a lengthy subplot about rival 19th-century newspaper barons, a magical realist upstate New York town with its own magic language, and a flying white horse.</p>
<p>That barely scratches the surface of what “Winter’s Tale” is about, and I’m not sure I could accurately describe it if I tried. The book has stuck with me, almost haunted me, for years. Whenever I’ve read another of Helprin’s books, I hope to find within it the key to understanding it. I never have.</p>
<p>Helprin, it seems, is in the same boat.</p>
<p>“I can&#8217;t explain it, but it possessed me day and night,” he says. “I would spend days in the New York Historical Society … and I&#8217;d walk the streets, looking at things and getting very, very obsessed and emotional about it.”</p>
<p>“So in a sense, I&#8217;m not the one to explain it, because it seizes me as much as other people who report that it did the same to them,” Helprin adds. “I felt as if I was just a medium of something that was speaking through me.”</p>
<p>To the extent that the book is about one thing, Helprin says, it’s about justice. Divine justice.</p>
<p>“People say God works in mysterious ways. Well, they&#8217;re not necessarily mysterious,” he says — they just come “from the past.”</p>
<p>“Who said that everything has to be made right in the timeline that we can perceive? Maybe it&#8217;s different, maybe from the divine perspective, the timeline is infinitely long, and the balances are affected and affect justice over a long period of time, so that after an injustice, maybe 20 years later, there&#8217;s some sort of a compromise,” Helprin adds.</p>
<p>“If you look at the whole of humanity and the whole of the universe as being one construct, if you think that from the divine perspective, that&#8217;s what it is, because you see from very far away, and it&#8217;s as one thing actually, without time.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1086301" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086301" class="size-medium wp-image-1086301" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-502546985-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-502546985-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-502546985-773x576.jpg 773w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-502546985-768x572.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-502546985.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1086301" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by John Mahler/Toronto Star via Getty Images</p></div>
<p>We mortals, of course, cannot see as God sees. But this is what Helprin aims to do in his novels. More than that, it’s how he sees the world, day in and day out.</p>
<p>“If you ask my wife, she would tell you, it&#8217;s very difficult to be married to me,” he says. “Very, very difficult.”</p>
<p>To stay grounded while thinking these lofty thoughts, Helprin works. He has <span style="font-weight: 400;">been an agricultural worker, a surveyor, a dishwasher, and a stevedore.</span></p>
<p>“I spend so much time working, doing hard, physical, exhausting labor, that while I&#8217;m doing that often I think of things and think of what I&#8217;m going to do about the book, and when I get the chance to actually write the book, I’m so grateful for it because it&#8217;s different from, you know, spending hours on a tractor in the hot sun or getting rid of trees that fall,” he says. <span style="font-weight: 400;">“So you come in from the heat and the dust and the dirt and the blood — if you work on a farm, you&#8217;re gonna have a lot of blood, and you&#8217;ll be lucky if you keep your fingers when you come in — then you have a refuge. And it&#8217;s a great privilege.”</span></p>
<p>“It&#8217;s almost like — to return to where we started — almost like being a royal,” he adds.</p>
<p>Helprin is on the cusp of turning 80, and while he says nothing to suggest that he wants to give up the punishing labor that’s driven so much of his life (and allowed him never to take a publisher’s advance), mortality is at least a little on his mind.</p>
<p>“Elegy In Blue,” he notes, “is probably not going to be my last book, as I&#8217;m working on another one. But, who knows, I may not be able to finish the other one. I might die before I do.”</p>
<p>Like his novels, Helprin feels neither outdated nor contemporary. He is a man out of time, a bridge between this century and the last who would likely feel equally at home in both. He speaks as he writes, and he lives like the characters he creates, a true American original.</p>
<p>But, unsurprisingly, the anti-monarchist with Tory sensibilities does miss the world he grew up in.</p>
<p>“I have to say, I do miss it, I really do,” he says. “When you&#8217;re going to be 80, then you&#8217;ll probably miss it, too. You know, that&#8217;s the way it is. And it&#8217;s okay.”</p>


Untitled design – 2026-04-29T101512.647

He Turned The Royals Into A Joke. His Take On America Is Anything But.

Books

King Charles III

Literature

Novel

Royal Family

Upstream

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a show of tradition and diplomatic goodwill, President Donald Trump and King Charles III exchanged symbolic gifts on Tuesday during the British monarch’s state visit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">King Charles gave Trump a historically significant, high-quality reproduction of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk, which sits in the Oval Office. The 1,300-pound desk was crafted from salvaged timbers from the British ship H.M.S. Resolute, as The New York Times </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/us/trump-king-charles-visit-gifts.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original design plans are housed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In return, Trump gifted the British Monarch a framed copy of a 1785 letter from then-U.S. ambassador to Britain John Adams to John Jay, who was serving as U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adams, who would later become the nation’s second president, described in the letter a meeting with </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">King George III in which both sides agreed to move forward amicably despite lingering bad feelings from the Revolutionary War. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The exchange was widely seen as a symbolic nod to the enduring relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First lady Melania Trump and Queen Camilla also exchanged gifts. Melania Trump presented the queen with a set of six engraved silver spoons from Tiffany &amp; Co., while Queen Camilla gifted the first lady a designer brooch.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was also revealed this week that Trump and King Charles share a distant familial connection, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-kings-trump-is-related-to-british-monarch-charles-iii">reported</a>. Research cited by The Daily Mail traces both men&#8217;s lineage back to the 3rd Earl of Lennox, a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland, making them 15th cousins.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The official White House X account highlighted the discovery, sharing a chart tracing back the ancestry research along with a screenshot of Trump&#8217;s reaction on Truth Social: “Wow, that’s nice. I always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">King Charles and Queen Camilla are visiting the United States as the country approaches the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain, a milestone both sides are marking as a sign of the continued strength of the transatlantic alliance. The royal couple arrived in the United States on Monday and is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., New York, and Virginia.</span></p>


Trump King state visit

King Charles, Camilla Brought Gifts To The White House. Here’s What They Got In Return.

Donald Trump

King Charles

Monarchy

United Kingdom

United States

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe he’s a king after all? According to a newly published </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15770263/Mail-traced-Trumps-family-tree-Kings-cousin.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">report</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from The Daily Mail, President Trump shares a common ancestor with the British monarch King Charles III.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news broke the day after Charles and his wife arrived in the United States for an official state visit. Their research shows that the connection starts with the 3rd Earl of Lennox, a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland. This ultimately makes Trump and Charles III 15th cousins. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The official White House X account posted about the findings, including a chart tracing back the ancestry research. They also included a screenshot of the president’s Truth Social post about it, which said, “Wow, that’s nice. I always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!!”</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="qme">👀 <a href="https://t.co/DP7jAYh7Qj">pic.twitter.com/DP7jAYh7Qj</a></p>
<p>— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2049115763777085519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump and King Charles have another thing in common, namely remaining calm in the face of would-be assassins. Trump has been remarkably brave when confronted with someone trying to murder him not once, not twice, but three times — first in Butler, Pennsylvania when a bullet grazed his ear after he miraculously turned his head at the precise right moment, and again on Saturday night when a gunman crashed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner armed with multiple weapons and the intent to kill the president.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More than three decades ago in 1994, King Charles (then Prince Charles) was targeted by a crazed activist himself while giving a speech in Australia. David Kang, 23, fired off two blanks and tripped onto the stage where Charles was speaking before being tackled by the future monarch’s security detail.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The whole time, the Prince of Wales can be seen looking on with a mildly sour look on his face, without cowering in fear or ducking for cover.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">King Charles and Queen Camilla are visiting the United States as the country approaches the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain as a signal of the strong relationship between the two countries. The royal couple will visit Washington DC, New York, and Virginia between April 27 and 30.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Sunday evening following the assassination attempt, saying the event did not change their plans.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the Visit getting underway tomorrow,&#8221; the statement said.</span></p>


King Charles and Donald Trump

Is Trump In Line For The British Throne? The Connection To The Royal Family

<p>The British government is considering removing former Prince Andrew from the line of succession following his recent arrest.</p>
<p>The legislation would prevent Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from ever becoming king, the BBC reported.</p>
<p>Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles last year, but is still eighth in line to the throne. He would only be next in line following the deaths of Prince William, William’s three children, Prince Harry, and Harry’s two children.</p>
<p>Removing Mountbatten-Windsor from succession would be the “right thing to do,” Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC.</p>
<p>The government would not take steps to remove Mountbatten-Windsor until after the police investigation concludes, Pollard said. He added that he hoped the move would “enjoy cross-party support.”</p>
<p>Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated support for such legislation, The Times <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/will-andrew-be-removed-from-line-of-succession-ksgdd3jhx?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdNWa15Dk7Exka6IcXf8U20YrZrUc5VGCDfw81RF_a47qLSP6R9Y8Nw&amp;gaa_ts=6999e484&amp;gaa_sig=dX5zcawzbCxM4QsAaSTq_4CYPGVdFBY18JBbpurubugbk9GtepHlSMJ0iVJhVtB6rJeNOdGpzD8jnpZOkNZ-DA%3D%3D">reported</a>. Buckingham Palace has said it will not interfere should Parliament proceed.</p>
<p>Still, James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, told the BBC that “any questions in that sphere would be quite complicated.”</p>
<p>Thames Valley Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor on his 66th birthday on Thursday, The Daily Wire previously reported. He was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office but released later that day, according to the BBC.</p>
<p>His was the first arrest of a member of the British royal family since Charles I was arrested almost 400 years ago.</p>
<p>Law enforcement said Mountbatten-Windsor was being investigated over concerns that he shared “confidential material,” reportedly including trade documents, with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.</p>
<p>Mountbatten-Windsor could face life in prison if convicted.</p>
<p>“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said at the time.</p>
<p>The Metropolitan Police expanded the investigation Friday and is contacting all of Andrew’s former protection officers, The Times reported.</p>
<p>King Charles III called for a fair investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor.</p>
<p>“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” he said in a statement following Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by apparent suicide last year, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-prince-andrew-arrested-over-epstein-files-faces-life-in-prison">alleged</a> that Mountbatten-Windsor sexually abused her when she was 17. He previously <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60667111">settled</a> a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He knows what he’s done and he can attest to that,” Giuffre said in 2019. “He knows exactly what he’s done and I hope he comes clean about it.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Giuffre&#8217;s family welcomed the arrest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,&#8221; they said. &#8220;He was never a prince.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you,” they added.</span></p>
<p><em>Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.</em></p>


Former Prince Andrew

Arrest Of Former Prince Andrew Prompts Potential Succession Shake-Up

Epstein Files

Jeffrey Epstein

Keir Starmer

Prince Andrew

U.K.

World

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, ex-wife of the U.K.’s Prince Andrew, has been dropped from multiple charities after it was revealed that she sent an apologetic email to convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leaked emails show that the Duchess of York called Epstein a “steadfast, generous, and supreme friend” even after publicly distancing herself from him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Epstein had pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges in 2008 and agreed to register as a sex offender. Ferguson gave an interview to The Evening Standard in 2011, stating that she would never speak to him again. However, weeks later, she reportedly sent an email to Epstein apologizing for her previous comments and insisting that he was still her friend. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf,” Fergie said during the interview about accepting a $15,000 payment from the sex offender. “Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In her email to Epstein, she denied linking his name to pedophilia.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As you know I did not, absolutely not, say the P (pedophile) word about you,” Fergie’s email reportedly said. &#8220;I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that.&#8221; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At least five charities have </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">severed ties with Fergie since The Sun <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15224768/sarah-ferguson-jeffrey-epstein-apology-email/">reported</a> the leaked email over the weekend</span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein,” Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, the founders of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said in a statement, per </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/23/uk/epstein-email-duchess-of-york-intl"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CNN</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“She was a patron but, in the light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duchess of York was also dropped by the children’s hospice organization, Julia’s House. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York&#8217;s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia&#8217;s House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity,&#8221; a spokesperson </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sarah-ferguson-dropped-multiple-charities-after-calling-jeffrey-epstein-generous-supreme-friend"><span style="font-weight: 400;">told</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Fox News Digital. &#8220;We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other charities to cut ties include The British Heart Foundation and The Children’s Literacy Charity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A representative for Ferguson blamed the email on threats she had allegedly received from Epstein after the interview with The Evening Standard.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Like many people, she was taken in by [Epstein’s] lies. As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with pedophilia,&#8221; the statement </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/21/sarah-ferguson-apologised-to-jeffrey-epstein-after-disowning-him-leaked-emails-suggest"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. &#8220;She does not resile from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for multiple crimes, including sex trafficking of women and minors as young as 14.</span></p>


Sarah Ferguson

Charities Sever Ties With Prince Andrew’s Ex After Jeffrey Epstein Comments Surface

Charities Sever Links With Sarah Ferguson After Epstein Comments Surface

Celebrities

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not have their multi-year deal with Netflix renewed when it expires in September, according to a <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/royals/35969847/prince-harry-meghan-netflix-deal-axed/">report</a> from The Sun.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The royal couple has launched several projects with the streaming giant since the announcement of their $100 million deal in 2020. These specials and shows have had varying degrees of success, with the 2022 docuseries “Harry &amp; Meghan” remaining the most popular among them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, other projects, such as Prince Harry’s “Polo” and Markle’s lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan,” have failed to capture the attention of Netflix’s audience. In a recent </span><a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-first-half-of-2025"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Engagement Report</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> put out by the streamer, the “Polo” documentary was listed as number 3,436 on the list of shows ranked by most-watched, while Markle’s new series came in at number 383.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A second season of “With Love, Meghan” has already been filmed and is set to debut in September. Her first </span><a href="https://people.com/chrissy-teigen-appear-season-2-meghan-markle-netflix-series-with-love-meghan-11736557"><span style="font-weight: 400;">confirmed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> guest star is Chrissy Teigen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s no animosity from either side,” an unnamed source told The Sun of Netflix’s decision not to renew the contract. “Things have just run their course.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The insider also discussed why “Harry &amp; Meghan” was the most successful project so far. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Netflix were clever in that they got a hell of a lot of viewers for the first documentary series, and knew, realistically, it would prove the zenith of content from the Montecito pair,&#8221; the source said, noting that the partnership ending represents a &#8220;huge loss of revenue.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They’re not unhappy with how things turned out — they got those initial hits, and produced one of the most talked-about shows of all time,&#8221; the insider added. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince Harry and Markle have had a hard time achieving fame and success in the United States after quitting their full-time working royal roles in 2020 and moving to California permanently. Critics have been vocal in their distaste, as reflected on social media after news of the Netflix partnership&#8217;s end came to light.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Good. The grifters are out of business,” one person </span><a href="https://x.com/TerryinSoCalif/status/1948052133389213733"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, echoing what many others were saying.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am only surprised that Netflix thought this was a good business decision in the first place,” another commenter </span><a href="https://x.com/julie_mcbane/status/1947997610658128182"><span style="font-weight: 400;">observed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Thank goodness. Insufferable fools,” a third agreed.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Harry and Meghan

Netflix Pulls Plug On $100M Deal With Prince Harry And Meghan Markle

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's $100M Netflix Deal Not Getting Renewed

Entertainment

Meghan Markle

Netflix

Prince Harry

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince Harry sat down for an interview in California with the BBC one day after losing an appeal to reinstate his security detail in the United Kingdom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former working British royal, who quit his official duties and fled to California with his actress wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, said he was very upset at the outcome.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I&#8217;m devastated &#8211; not so much as devastated with the loss that I am about the people behind the decision, feeling as though this is okay. Is it a win for them?&#8221; Prince Harry said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I&#8217;m sure there are some people out there, probably most likely the people that wish me harm, [who] consider this a huge win,” he added.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harry, 40, said his father, King Charles, &#8220;won&#8217;t speak to me because of this security stuff.” He also alluded to the king’s current cancer battle, saying he did &#8220;not know how much longer my father has,” per </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8074n5z597o"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I can&#8217;t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point,&#8221; the Duke of Sussex said during the interview. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,&#8221; he continued, saying that he has &#8220;forgiven&#8221; them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I would love reconciliation with my family. There&#8217;s no point continuing to fight anymore, life is precious,&#8221; Prince Harry said, insisting that the security argument has &#8220;always been the sticking point.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Markle and Harry share two children: Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4. The Duchess of Sussex did not address the interview, but did share a black and white photo on Instagram of her husband and the children facing away from the camera. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for losing the court battle to reinstate security, Prince Harry said, “The things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything. I love my country &#8230; Despite what some people in that country have done.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harry added, “I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do … I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”</span></p>


Prince Harry Loses Court Battle, Says He Would ‘Love A Reconciliation’ With His Family

Prince Harry Loses Court Battle, Says He Would 'Love A Reconciliation' With His Family

Courts

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan Markle is getting dragged for her over-the-top arrival to a Broadway show, with critics calling her four-car motorcade through Manhattan “ridiculous.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duchess of Sussex attended a showing of the revival of “Gypsy” last week escorted by three other vehicles, both to hold her security personnel and to serve as decoys. Page Six </span><a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/04/11/royal-family/meghan-markle-hires-over-the-top-motorcade-for-broadway-night/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that Markle hired former Secret Service agents as part of her private security detail and that the unmarked vehicle, which belonged to the New York Police Department, carried two intel detectives.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One paparazzi photographer described Markle’s measures as total overkill. The unnamed source said her motorcade stunt was “absolutely abnormal.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Taylor [Swift] usually has two cars — her car that she’s in and a security car with her team,” the source added. “And if she’s going somewhere, she has a separate car on-site with her team already there, but they don’t travel together.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The paparazzo mentioned other A-list celebrities and noted that “no one gets police escorts.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Meghan is out of control and over-the-top, and it’s ridiculous if the city is paying for this,” the source told the outlet. “And if NYPD was not on duty, then they shouldn’t be allowed to run lights. Somebody’s got to be paying for it.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The outlet also noted that Prince Harry was not in attendance at the event.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Social media users also shared their reactions to the motorcade. “She’s completely ridiculous. The future Queen goes shopping in London and drives herself with no fuss. They really are a narcissistic pair of attention seekers!” one person </span><a href="https://x.com/according2_taz/status/1910752558819213488?s=43&amp;t=BDz6oekueqrSVJ50bM62xw"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Of course she did — when your ego won’t fit in one car, a four-car motorcade is absolutely essential for a night at the theater!” another </span><a href="https://x.com/CandidCoverage/status/1911052666010304755"><span style="font-weight: 400;">agreed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Markle later posted about the show, sharing photos of herself backstage meeting the cast. “If you get a chance to see @gypsybway, you absolutely must. Congratulations to the tremendously talented cast and crew for creating magic on that stage,” the Duchess of Sussex wrote in the caption. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8216;[Audra McDonald’s] performance will leave you absolutely speechless. Full body chills. I don&#8217;t think there was a dry eye in the house, and if the theater didn&#8217;t have to close for the night, the standing ovation would still be happening,” she continued.</span></p>


Meghan Markle Mocked For Taking 4-Car Motorcade To Broadway Show: ‘Absolutely Abnormal’

Meghan Markle Mocked For Taking 4-Car Motorcade To Broadway Show: 'Absolutely Abnormal'

Broadway

New York

New York City

U.S.

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first episode of Meghan Markle’s new podcast just dropped, and it’s already getting obliterated by critics.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Confessions of a Female Founder” is meant to highlight successful businesswomen and “inspire anyone who’s interested in turning their own entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.” But multiple reviews say the first episode, which focuses on Bumble dating app founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, is plagued by multiple issues.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Herd is a longtime friend of the Duchess of Sussex. Several critics note that the conversation is surface-level and too focused on Markle. The Times of London reviewer </span><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/meghan-podcast-review-confessions-female-founder-075z0m0sp"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the episode contained nothing but “vapid lessons in self-love.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Predictably, she has nothing to say about real business problems such as logistics, management techniques or supply chain issues. Equally predictably, there is lots of guff about how to love yourself and spread positive energy through the world,” the reviewer added.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I suspect that this is not the sort of thing most small business people spend much time fretting over. But then Meghan’s business isn’t really a business. It’s a bit like the corporate equivalent of Marie Antoinette’s dairy farm — a pleasant game of make-believe for an idle rich woman.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Times reviewer also mocked Wolfe Herd for claiming to be on a “journey of self-love and self-discovery.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m going to foundationally re-architect the way people date and the way people love,” Wolfe Herd said during the episode.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“By this point I was seized by an urge to beat my head against the wall and foundationally re-architect my skull,” the reviewer wrote of that moment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Telegraph reviewer had similar </span><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2025/04/08/confessions-of-a-female-founder-podcast-meghan-review/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">feedback</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, saying the “Confessions” included an “inane stream of mindless aphorisms” and “no confessions or secrets.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The frustrating thing is that Wolfe Herd, who is just 35, presumably does have wisdom to impart, having been part of the team that created Tinder before she created Bumble,” the reviewer noted. “Imagine the drive, the talent, the decisions and sheer bloody ruthlessness it must take to achieve what she has. We get none of it.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reviewer from <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/2038917/meghan-markle-podcast-review">Express</a> said Markle steamrolled the whole thing. “Meghan takes control of the narrative early on in the episode. She bluntly directs the podcast by informing her friend of how she wants the conversation to be ‘relaxed and easy’ — which is normally a chat you would have with a guest behind-the-scenes instead of on-air for broadcast,” the reviewer noted. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the criticism, “Confessions” debuted in the top 10 chart in all categories on Apple Podcasts on its first day of release Tuesday. It sits at </span><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/charts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">number four</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on the Apple Podcast Top Charts list.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Markle’s previous Spotify podcast, “Archetypes,” was canceled after one season. The former working royal also got mixed reviews for her new lifestyle series on Netflix, “With Love, Meghan,” and her product line called As Ever. </span></p>


Meghan Markle’s New Podcast Trashed By Critics: ‘Vapid Lessons In Self-Love’

Meghan Markle's New Podcast Trashed By Critics: 'Vapid Lessons In Self-Love'

Podcast

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince Harry and his friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho have announced that they’re resigning as patrons of their beloved charity Sentebale, a decision they both describe as “devastating.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso established Sentebale in 2006 in memory of their late mothers. The charity </span><a href="https://sentebale.org/what-we-do/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">provided</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “comprehensive support for children and young people, including those living with HIV/AIDS, covering healthcare, critical life skills, education, advocacy, and climate resistance” in Lesotho and other areas of Africa.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince Harry established the charity to honor his mother, the late Princess Diana, who was also known for her efforts in helping the AIDS community in Africa.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said, &#8220;What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor of our mothers. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we&#8217;ve served through this charity. Today is no different,&#8221; the statement continued, per </span><a href="https://people.com/prince-harry-devastated-as-he-quits-african-charity-sentebale-founded-princess-diana-honor-11703464"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same,&#8221; it said. &#8220;It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The princes said in a statement, “These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down while keeping the well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harry and Prince Seeiso thanked the trustees for their “service over the years” and said they’re “truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care,&#8221; the statement concluded.</span></p>


Prince Harry Quits African Charity He Founded: ‘What’s Transpired Is Unthinkable’

Prince Harry Quits African Charity He Founded: 'What’s Transpired Is Unthinkable'

Africa

Charity

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A trailer for Meghan Markle’s new podcast dropped on Tuesday, and with it comes more details about the Duchess of Sussex’s latest business venture.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The wife of Prince Harry, who quit her job as a full-time working royal in 2020, shared some information about her new podcast, &#8220;Confessions of a Female Founder,&#8221; which is being produced by Lemonada Media. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I&#8217;m Meghan, and this is ‘Confessions of a Female Founder,’ a show where I chat with female entrepreneurs and friends about the sleepless nights, the lessons learned, and the laser focus that got them to where they are today,&#8221; Markle says in the </span><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confessions-of-a-female-founder-with-meghan/id1803670198"><span style="font-weight: 400;">trailer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;We&#8217;re diving into the highs – and the lows – and the kind of advice that turns small ideas into billion-dollar businesses,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And of course, we&#8217;re going to get some girl talk!&#8221; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One guest chimed in, &#8220;It just started climbing and climbing, and there was 5,000, 10,000 people on our website.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I&#8217;m broke, and no one is calling me,&#8221; another person said. Another unidentified participant said, &#8220;I knew in that moment that I&#8217;d rather stand for something than sell a whole ton of product and stand for nothing.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Are you saying you&#8217;re not single now? Have I missed something in the past couple weeks? What&#8217;s happening?&#8221; Meghan asked one of the guests as the two giggled.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;And through it all, I&#8217;m building a business of my own, and getting all sorts of practical advice along the way that I&#8217;m very excited to share with you. So join me for ‘Confessions of a Female Founder’ from Lemonada Media, which by the way, is also female-founded. Launching April 8, wherever you get your podcasts,&#8221; Markle added. &#8220;Let&#8217;s do this, ladies.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;This is not ‘Shark Tank,’ think of this as &#8216;dolphin tank.&#8217; These are very friendly waters, it&#8217;s all going to be good,&#8221; she concluded. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duchess of Sussex announced the podcast was coming earlier this month. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I’m so excited to share with you something else I’ve been working on: ‘Confessions of a Female Founder,’ my new podcast with @lemonadamedia!&#8221; Markle <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meghan-markle-announces-another-podcast-after-losing-spotify-show">shared</a> on Instagram.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As ever. It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring… and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her announcement inspired a lot of mockery online, especially considering how her last podcast, “Archetypes,” failed to be renewed for a second season. Most of Markle’s business ventures have been underwhelming, including a recently launched cooking and lifestyle show on Netflix that’s been absolutely skewered and parodied online for weeks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many users also pointed out that her new podcast sounds very similar to the existing podcast “Confessions of a CEO.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Tell me you don’t have a single original thought without telling me you don’t have a single original thought,&#8221; one person </span><a href="https://x.com/BiroNower/status/1900216832969052383"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on X alongside a screenshot depicting that podcast.</span></p>


Meghan Markle Promises ‘Billion Dollar’ Business Advice On New Podcast After Spotify Show Bombed

Meghan Markle Promises 'Girl Talk' And 'Billion Dollar' Business Advice On New Podcast

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan Markle announced she’s launching another podcast in April after losing her “Archetypes” show on Spotify when the streaming site announced </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">that it would not be renewing it for a second season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m so excited to share with you something else I’ve been working on: “Confessions of a Female Founder,” my new podcast with</span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lemonadamedia/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> @lemonadamedia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">!” the Duchess of Sussex wrote in a post on Thursday on </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHJN9BrJtwG/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses,” she added. “They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As ever.”</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)” Markle continued. “First episode is April 8th!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The “Suits” actress signed a deal with Lemonada Media in 2024 after </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spotify opted out of a second season of the podcast with the royal couple. In 2020, Prince Harry and Markle signed an agreement with the streaming site for $20 million, the </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/13/entertainment/meghan-markle-lands-podcast-confessions-of-a-female-founder-after-spotify-disaster/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York Post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> noted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duke and Duchess of Sussex&#8217;s company, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archewell Audio, produced 12 episodes of the Spotify podcast, which aired from August to November 2022.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The streaming site and the royal couple’s company released a joint statement in 2023 that they “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series [they] made together.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An insider, at the time, told the </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/15/prince-harry-meghan-markle-split-from-spotify/?_gl=1*1rdu6jn*_ga*MTY5ODgwMzA2MS4xNjgwNzE5MzY0*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*MTY4NzgwMzY1Mi42MC4wLjE2ODc4MDM2NTIuMC4wLjA.&amp;_ga=2.141075378.188947288.1687794380-1698803061.1680719364"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, that the royal couple had not produced enough content to justify the deal the royals made with the streaming site.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to launching a new podcast, Markle recently dropped a new lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” on Netflix. It has already been renewed for a second season, despite criticism and reviews that have panned the royal’s show as a disaster and pointless.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The duchess previously shared news that the eight-episode series, which debuted on Netflix March 4, was coming back. In the first week, the series placed in the top 10 on the streaming site, </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/07/markles-with-love-meghan-renewed-for-another-season-despite-low-review-ranking/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainTwitter&amp;utm_source=ForbesMainTwitter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Forbes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> noted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The series has scored dismal reviews from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and, unsurprisingly, did particularly poorly in the United Kingdom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One reviewer from The Guardian </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/04/with-love-meghan-netfix-deal-harry-royals"><span style="font-weight: 400;">called it</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “pointless” and predicted it would be the Sussexes’ last television show after several Netflix flops. The outlet also said the series was bound to fail “unless the broader public suddenly develops a hankering for long-form television programmes about a woman filling children’s party bags with seeds and manuka honey.”</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meghan-markle-says-her-netflix-lifestyle-series-renewed-for-second-season-after-brutal-reviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meghan Markle Says Her Netflix Lifestyle Series Renewed For Second Season After Brutal Reviews</a></strong></p>


Meghan Markle Announces Another Podcast After Losing Spotify Show

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