The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, faced plenty scrutiny over their post-royal careers. They attempted to establish a successful brand in Hollywood but made some alleged missteps. Along the way, they also strained agency relationships. Is there a way forward? Do they have any wonderful strategies to turn it all around? Read on to find out.
Meghan Should Have Taken The Queen’s Advice
During his By Royal Appointment segment on his Daily News Headlines vlog on Thursday, Neil Sean, a royal commentator, suggested that Meghan Markle should have stayed with her acting career. If she had done that, he suggested, then possibly most of their problems would never have happened. After all, she literally found herself needing to try and break back into Hollywood, which can be very unforgiving.
Meghan and Harry Made Mistakes – MAYCON Daily Headline News – YouTube
According to Sean, Queen Elizabeth II “was 100% correct” in her understanding that “nobody was truly going to be interested in Meghan Markle” in the long term, particularly if she abandoned her established career.
However, Sean claimed Meghan chose a different path. In his opinion, she could have kept her career and done some charitable work on the side. Then, the “whole disaster of Megan, Spotify, Netflix, Lemonada, you name it,” might have been avoided.
Hollywood’s Retreat and Agency Silence
Sean believes that Hollywood has “truly quit on Megan and Harry,” leaving them in a precarious position. He pointed to the silence from their agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME), as a telling sign.
Neil notes the Sussex couple had plenty of opportunity – YouTube
Sean explained that WME, a major agency with client success, initially “wanted Harry” but “got Megan.” Despite rolling “a few dices” to see if a deal could work, “it didn’t.” He noted that WME kept a “very healthy distance” from Meghan’s personal projects, such as the American Riviera Orchard.
Sean claimed that, based on a “very good source,” the only “true deal” WME secured for Meghan was with Lemonada, a female-backed podcast company. Sean alleged Meghan “never put the boot or the effort in” for this venture, and the failure of Lemonada to gain traction with Archetypes, something “nobody wanted to rewatch,” should have been “the first red flag.”
The Blame Game and Brand Tarnish
Sean believes that Archewell Productions became “tainted,” tracing this back to Netflix’s decision to cancel projects. According to sources Sean spoke with “behind the scenes at Netflix,” the one major problem was “Meghan Markle herself.” The sources suggested Meghan “liked the sort of element of the business side of it… but didn’t really want to execute the work.”
Sean also claimed that Meghan “thoroughly blamed” two unnamed individuals for the “killing of her brand and her career.”
Error After Error
Sean further dissed the couple’s dedication to charitable causes. He referred to Meghan’s statement at the Invictus Games in Canada, where she implied Prince Harry solely focused on Invictus, and countered that this was “a little bit debatable.” Sean noted that while Invictus was “very good for him as his brand,” other charitable endeavors “just seemed very, very sketchy.”
A major point for Sean was Meghan’s alleged inability to accept personal responsibility. He cited her Instagram posts of crepes, describing them as “absolutely disgusting.” However, Meghan “thinks there’s nothing wrong with it.” Sean suggested this stemmed from her having “got rid of a social media manager” due to financial worries.
Additionally, he questioned why, given the substantial funds and a team of “80 people working on the Netflix show,” Meghan seemingly failed to take any advice or guidance.
Sean opined that the couple’s professional decline related to the way they come across. Harshly, he noted that “They both seem like wingers and full of toxicity.”
Dissing The Monarchy Was A Bad Move
Furthermore, the royal family commentator claimed that Hollywood abandoned them due to “their lack of dedication and hard work.” But more importantly, they erred badly with their continued “attacks on the British monarchy.”
In his opinion, they definitely underestimated the importance of the monarchy’s influence in the celebrity world. He said, “Do not underestimate the power of the monarchy within the celebrity world.”
Future Direction?
Looking ahead, Sean suggested Meghan’s “big plan” is to “buy back or retain ownership of As Ever with Love Megan.” This was a sensible move, he argued, contrasting it with her Oprah Winfrey interview, where she “did not keep the tapes.”
Sean also proposed that the “Polo” project could revert to Archewell’s ownership, potentially for sale to another channel or as a “cinema release.” The Sussex couple initially hoped that Polo “would be a long-running series.”
Possibly, their biggest challenge, according to Sean, was the lack of “major brands” willing to associate with “Love Megan.” Despite Meghan’s desire to sell various products, from jams and wine to spatulas, “it was very difficult to get brand association for this.”
Harry Is Still Marketable
Sean concluded that while “Prince Harry’s name” on a TV show is “still sellable,” Meghan’s is “at this point, a turnoff.” He believed she might have found better success in the “beauty and hair and makeup route.”
Sean also emphasized that despite having a “huge following” and “acres of global free press,” the couple had failed to use them effectively. He claimed Netflix’s “final straw” was Meghan’s “twerking video.” It was as if she didn’t do any market research and simply “tossed it out.”
Meghan’s current strategy, Sean suggested, involves bypassing major media companies to launch independently, “directly maybe through Instagram, through YouTube or even TikTok.” Sean viewed this as starting “at rock bottom,” despite her three million Instagram followers. After all, how many of them are genuinely fond of her, compared to how many folks just enjoy “hate watching.”
Haters tended to lead to comments being limited or stopped, and nothing annoys social media users more than that. It seems self-defeating because people tend to go elsewhere for their discussions.
At the end of the day, Sean feels that the only “saving grace” for Meghan is in how far Prince Harry is willing to go for her.
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