Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s brand crisis and what’s next

After struggling to establish himself in Hollywood, prince harry and Meghan Markle It seems to finally be taking steps toward the end of 2025. Meghan made a splash when she debuted at Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Week in October fashion showSix months after launch, positioning itself as a strong player in the lifestyle space as always Jam and tea collection. She appeared on ” Harper’s Magazine market‘s winter issue, and announced in December that the couple’s Archewell Productions would produce a film adaptation of the best-selling book wedding date For Netflix.

Then the chips started falling. In January, multiple media reported that Meghan’s lifestyle series, With love, Meganwas not renewed for a third season in early March, US Weekly Confirmed that Netflix has Ended the partnership with her As Ever brand. At the time, an insider told us The anchor has “cut ties” with Meghan because her show was “underperforming”. (Harry and Meghan signed a $100 million deal with Netflix in 2020; the deal was downgraded to a priority deal in July 2025.)

In mid-March, type Published bombshell report Claims Harry and Meghan had a falling out with Netflix, with low ratings and miscommunication leading to the end of the partnership. spokesman for the couple Deny the accusationand Netflix execs bella bajaria Tell type Archewell “has been a thoughtful and collaborative partner.”

Now, Harry and Meghan appear to be back at square one, with several projects in the works (in addition to wedding datethey are adapting this romance novel meet me by the lake and a scripted series about polo) — but there’s no clear path forward. “The main problem is that they are not creative enough to make the right decisions,” one source said. “In Hollywood, the opportunity to make mistakes is limited.”

this type The article states that relationship and career issues have plagued the relationship between the Sussexes and Netflix. Sources claim Meghan often “discussed” or “rehashed” Harry’s ideas in meetings (a claim Harry called “absolutely false” in a statement) type) and would “disappear” for long periods of time during video conferences, with Netflix’s marketing team later told Meghan was “offended by what was said.” Meghan’s lawyer, Michael J. CampThe duchess, who has son Archie, 6, and daughter Lilibet, 4, with Harry, said she was a typical working-from-home parent and “often encountered children unexpectedly entering the room during meetings”.

The outlet also claimed that Harry and Meghan’s “bedside manner pissed people off” and that Netflix was not informed of the couple’s explosive interview planned ahead of its 2021 CBS broadcast. Harry’s behavior is also said to have caused tension. All revealed in 2023, freeeclipsing Netflix harry and meghan Documentary series. (A spokesperson for Sussex called the claims “absolutely false” and “untrue,” and when asked about it at a Netflix event on March 18, Bajaria said, “Don’t believe anything you read.” type story. )

David E. Johnson Strategy Vision PR said “reports of creative differences, high expectations and execution challenges continue to emerge” regarding Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal. former media executive Travis Pomposello Adding: “There’s a gap between expectation and delivery. Harry and Meghan will still attract attention,” he added, “but the bigger question is whether that attention will lead to a lasting show, not just launch day buzz.”

Harry and Meghan are trying to see the bright side. According to a source, the couple wants “more creative freedom… now they can work with various streamers and networks depending on who buys their project.” Another source close to the Sussexes stressed, First look at deals Streaming “remains very active” with various projects in development and With love, Meganwill return as a seasonal special. Netflix is ​​still providing office space to Archewell employees at the site, the source added.

The first source said it was “business as usual” for the Sussexes. “They focus on popular works like type article) as something incidental to the territory. They are used to it. ” However, a third source who has worked with the Sussexes revealed us Meghan was “disappointed” that her show didn’t really take off. “She’s put a lot of heart and soul into it and really believes in it,” the source said, adding that Netflix expects viewership to be “much higher.” A second source believes With love, Megan “On par” with other lifestyle shows on Netflix.

Experts agree that Harry and Meghan have a brand image problem. Johnson said they ran out of steam soon after arriving in Hollywood Exit in 2020 From royal life. “They are everywhere. It’s almost impossible to watch the news or browse online without seeing them. At the same time, their brand lacks (definition). Are they still royalty? Ordinary citizens? Activists? Media entrepreneurs? They never answer the question.”

public relations expert Mark Bokoski Said the public wanted clarification. “When a brand arrives and says, ‘We have a lot of stuff, and it all makes sense,’ the audience hears: ‘You figure it out for yourself.’ But they don’t,” he added. Brand and PR expert Natalie Telles It argued that while “the public remains very interested in what Meghan is doing”, her changing stance is problematic. “Is it jam? Is it fashion? Is it charity work? Yes, you can do it all – but the real passion needs to be clear.” However, a second source claims they have various types of projects that would suit their interests.

The first source said their projects so far had “too little traction”. also With love, MeganAlso on Netflix poloHarry’s 2024 docuseries about his friends Nacho Figuerasand 2023 undefeated spiritone around undefeated gamehis global sporting event for injured service members. Their next TV series will be about polo, which they just recently sold cookie Queens – a documentary about the Girl Scouts – which they executive produced.

Meghan has received multiple offers to write a memoir, but “it’s not something she wants to pursue,” the first source said, noting there’s a demand for content about their private lives and the royal family, “but these are the types of projects they don’t want to do.” Harry and Meghan’s lavish lifestyle — they have a $14 million fortune Montecito Building There’s a spa and 16 bathrooms – not cheap. The source added that the memoir is “an area where Meghan has huge financial influence. It will be very lucrative for her,” noting that it could be worth even more than Harry’s.

Harry’s relationship with the royal family remains a consideration. “Meghan and Harry are very careful about everything they say and do in order to uphold the standards of the monarchy,” the source said. (In November, the couple asked kris jenner and her daughter kim kardashian arrive Delete photo Among them from social media after attending Chris’s 70th anniversary event birthday partywhich coincides with Remembrance Day in the UK) “They went to great lengths not to upset the royal family,” the source said. “Everyone who does business with them knows there are restrictions, but this harms the creativity of the project. They insist on having creative control and final editing… and what they can’t say limits things.” Johnson added: “Their repeated public criticism of the royal family has undermined the association that once brought them value. They need to stay away from it.”

Christopher Anderson,author brother and wife,Tell us Harry prefers to remain a part-time royal. “Unfortunately, queen elizabeth ii “I’m a firm believer in either going all in or going all in,” he explained. Johnson believes Meghan’s role in Harry’s life away from the royal family may have left her feeling stressed personal brand. “Whether it’s fair or not, these perceptions are sticky,” he said. “In lifestyle and media brands, perception is everything.”

The first source noted that Harry and Meghan’s perceived job failure feels all the more obvious because they are such high-profile figures. “Producers don’t succeed on every project. (Harry and Meghan’s failures) are just magnified.” A third source said the brand still wants to work with the couple. “They get a lot of inquiries but are very selective.” However, that hasn’t stopped them feeling “being painted a bit unfairly,” a third source added. “They also have a genuine concern about how this will impact their brand and future transactions.”

According to the first source, Meghan has “no intention” of distancing herself from “business as usual”. “She’s expanding and will be doing more collaborations with existing brands.” In November, As Ever hosted a pop-up event at Soho House in West Hollywood, and on March 17 it announced a collaboration with luxury floral company High Camp Supply to launch a series of carefully arranged blooms. A second source said the brand will launch more “drops” in 2026. “These (collaboration types) are very popular. The Fell Asleep Here bookmark sold out in just 10 minutes, and her Valentine’s Day collaboration with (chocolatier) Compartes sold out in less than an hour.”

A third source said Meghan was “super focused on her familyher groundwork, and larger projects that feel purposeful, not just Hollywood roles. ” When Meghan launches As Ever in March 2025, she also launches a Shop My Instagram Pagewhich allows her to earn commissions through affiliate links featuring her outfits. But by September, she shut it down. “She thought she wanted to go the blogger/influencer route but realized it wasn’t for her,” a third source said of Meghan. Meghan ran her own lifestyle blog, The Tig, from 2014 to 2017. “It felt too transactional, too much promoting a product rather than creating meaningful content or impact. She wanted her work to reflect who she was and what she cared about, not just sell something.”

Borkoski believes Meghan can still create something real. “But it doesn’t mean grand; it means controlled,” he warns. Harry, however, “was holding on to something more flammable – the truth,” he noted. “Not the Netflix version, but the raw, slightly uncomfortable, occasionally uncomfortable truth. When he gets close to that, it works. When he gets into ‘content,’ he becomes another voice in a crowded room, seriously explaining things to us.” Pomposello believes Harry’s best approach is to focus on “purposeful documentaries, stories about veterans, mental health and causes that he’s really credible about.”

The more direct their next move is, the better. “The way to really break through now is almost very simple,” Borkoski said. “Fewer statements, more concreteness and projects that exist because they are good, not because they make sense.” Johnson added: “Harry and Meghan need a complete rebrand. They cannot continue to try to be all things to all people. They must move away from a narrative rooted in past grudges to one focused on the future – one that focuses on what they can contribute rather than what they leave behind.”

For more on Harry and Meghan, watch the exclusive video above and get the latest issue of US Weekly —on newsstands now.

Reporting by Andrea Simpson, Erin Strecker and amanda williams