Prince Harry And Meghan's 'Peace Talks' Have A Lot To Do With Their Expiring Netflix Deal, Expert Claims
Royal experts suggest financial pressures may be prompting the Montecito-based couple to reconnect with the monarchy.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan's underperforming Netflix projects and past loss of their Spotify deal raise questions about sustaining their lifestyle without royal support or new lucrative deals.
Royal Expert Links Prince Harry's Reunion Talks To Expiring Netflix Deal
A Royal expert has weighed in on the growing speculation surrounding potential reconciliation talks between Prince Harry and King Charles, offering a theory that ties the rumored peace efforts to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's fading Netflix deal.
Recent sightings of senior aides from both camps meeting in London have fueled rumors that discussions are underway to mend the strained relationship.
Speaking on The Sun's "Royal Exclusive" show, author and royal commentator Robert Jobson suggested that the timing may not be coincidental.
According to Jobson, with Harry and Meghan's multi-million-dollar Netflix contract reportedly approaching its end, the couple may be seeking renewed financial support from the monarchy.
"Well, the deal was always set at about $100 million, wasn't it?" he explained, noting that much of the money was tied to specific production obligations. "And the talk of that figure sort of blew a lot of people's minds, but I think that was for productions and things that they're supposed to have done."
He added, "Where does it leave them? Probably with a bit of a bowl out, looking for some handouts. Maybe that's why they were over with their staff, they were over here having discussions with the King. I don't know."
Royal Experts Question How Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Will Fund Lavish Lifestyle After Losing Major Deals
Jobson continued his commentary by highlighting the financial challenges the Sussexes may now be facing.
"The reality is in the past they got support from the King and the late Queen, and they said they were going to go and make their way," Jobson noted. "They've lost Spotify, they've lost Netflix. They can't rely on the spare money forever, can they?"
Also weighing in during the segment was Sky News' Royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills, who raised similar concerns about the couple's future income.
With their Netflix contract set to expire in September, Mills questioned how they plan to maintain their costly lifestyle.
"It's just fascinating," she remarked. "They have this very expensive lifestyle. They have to pay for their security and pay for that big mansion. How do you kind of keep the money coming in?"
Meghan Markle's Independence May Pave Way For Harry's Reconciliation With King Charles, Says Royal Expert
Meanwhile, one royal expert believes that any reunion between Harry and Charles is unlikely to fully reintegrate him into the royal fold.
According to royal historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop, it could be Meghan's focus on building her own independent career that's prompting Harry to revisit family ties.
In an interview with The Mirror, Dunlop suggested that Meghan appears content far from palace life, and that could be opening the door for Harry to reconnect.
"Love her or loathe her, Meghan has found her happy place and it has nothing to do with the Royal Family," Dunlop said. "As Ever, raspberry jam, beige ensembles, and over-emotive podcasts might not be your thing, but they are working for California's Princess."
She added that Meghan's self-sufficiency could actually help ease tensions between Harry and his father: "And before any bilious naysayers butt in, this is good news for a future rapprochement between Harry and the King. The two men have a chance to work things through. And surely everybody wants that?"
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's Netflix Deal To End Amid Poor Viewership
Recently, reports surfaced indicating that Netflix has opted not to renew its multi-year partnership with Harry and Meghan, which is set to expire in the coming months.
The original deal, signed in September 2020, was estimated to be worth around $100 million and aimed to produce a range of content for the streaming giant.
Throughout their collaboration, the Sussexes released three key projects: their docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Meghan's lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan," and a documentary centered on Harry's passion for polo, simply titled "Polo."
However, despite the high-profile nature of the partnership, the couple's projects reportedly underperformed.
"With Love, Meghan" placed 383rd in Netflix's viewership rankings, while "Polo" fell even further, landing in 3,436th place with only around 500,000 views.
Netflix Execs Feel 'They've Got All They Can' From The Sussexes, Source Claims
Harry and Meghan's decision to pursue deals with streaming platforms was addressed by the prince during the couple's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
At the time, he revealed that financial independence became urgent after the Royal Family cut them off, leaving them to cover their own security expenses.
That was "never part of the plan," Harry said of their commercial ventures. "That was suggested by somebody else by the point where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us."
Now sources claim Netflix is done with the couple as "they've got all they can" from the Montecito-based royals.
"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," a source told The Sun. "The content got weaker from there on, but, frankly, for £20million a year, anything was better than nothing."
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Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Meghan Markle Urged to Save Netflix Partnership
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Meghan Markle should strike up a different kind of deal with Netflix in the hope of saving her relationship with the streaming giant as a TV producer, a culture expert told Newsweek. Prince Harry and Meghan signed a five-year deal in September 2020 to make shows for Netflix and the contract is due to expire this September. It has not currently been renegotiated and The Sun and People both reported Netflix is planning to bring the partnership to an end. Meghan Markle collects honey from her beehives during filming for her Netflix show "With Love, Meghan" which broadcast in March 2025. Meghan Markle collects honey from her beehives during filming for her Netflix show "With Love, Meghan" which broadcast in March 2025. COURTESY OF NETFLIX Why It Matters That, however, might be more complicated than it sounds as Netflix is an equity partner in her online shop, As Ever, where she sells wine and produce including jam and flower sprinkles. Her latest Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, was designed to help market As Ever, meaning canning the series could damage the commercial success of her company, which Netflix makes money from. It is, of course, also possible that Netflix will renegotiate the deal after all when the time comes. What to Know Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Newsweek the upcoming second season of With Love, Meghan, expected in the fall, could be make or break for the couple's chances of keeping a Netflix deal of some kind. However, he also said there is another option available for both sides: "What a lot of studios do is something called a first look deal where she gets to come up with her ideas and they get the first look. "Which means they have that almost exclusivity and there's a little bit of a relationship between the two parties. "It's really important for her to get her brand across and with As Ever, it was the perfect way to have the two together but we know that social media can be really great too. "She might go and do a YouTube series and YouTube is the most watched thing on the planet. There are other avenues for her but from an optics point of view and a success point of view, I suspect she would want to be in a renewed relationship with Netflix because they have powered her and her husband in massive way over the last five years." If Meghan and Harry do part ways with Netflix, they could try to pitch to other networks, though a prime contact in the TV industry may be about to bow out of his current role. Deadline reports Brian Robbins, co-chief executive of Paramount Global, is due to leave his role after a merger with Skydance. It is, of course, entirely possible Robbins could still put in a good word for Meghan even after his departure but being Montecito neighbors with the co-CEO would have certainly been a helping hand. "There's an opportunity here for her to shop herself around to other networks," Ede said. "She could talk to Hulu or she could talk to Disney because she's obviously been tied down to this deal. "She has the next season of With Love, Meghan coming out so I think all eyes will be on that and whether it does well from a numbers point of view and a PR point of view. "So that may be where Netflix decide to either keep her and say look we're going to commission another season or they might decide we don't actually want to do anything with you at the moment." Netflix's Stake in As Ever As an equity partner, Netflix is entitled to a cut of As Ever's profits but past statements from chief executive Ted Sarandos suggest he is also planning to use the company as a test case for a wider expansion into merchandise. "I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture," he told Variety in March. "When we dropped the trailer for the Harry & Meghan doc series [their December 2022 biopic], everything on-screen was dissected in the press for days. "The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world. The Hermès blanket that was on the chair behind her sold out everywhere in the world." "People are fascinated with Meghan Markle," he said. "She and Harry are overly dismissed." And he hinted he had plans to use As Ever to learn lessons for Netflix's wider expansion when he said: "We're a passive partner in Meghan's company, and it's a big discovery model for us right now." Ede said: "They would probably keep the stake in the brand because they've actually developed that brand with her and its important to keep that relationship. "I don't think they would want to cut their noses off to spite their faces but if they don't renew their TV shows, they will just be getting revenue stream from her shop. "They've invested a lot into that so they will want to see a return, a massive return. My gut feeling is they will do a first look deal with her. "They will look at the numbers for the new season and see if that does relate to sales, because that's what this is really about. People aren't going to subscribe to Netflix to watch the next Meghan show so that's done for them from that point of view." What Happens Next Season 2 of With Love, Meghan has already been filmed, alongside Season 1, Netflix confirmed. According to People, it is due to be released in the fall. Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
How AI Is Finally Tackling America's Unclaimed Duty Crisis
In international trade, one of the best-kept secrets is also the most expensive: over $10 billion in refundable tariffs goes unclaimed each year. Despite being legally entitled to recover these funds, companies fail to file duty drawback claims on an estimated 78% to 85% of eligible transactions. Enter a new wave of AI-powered trade management companies that have collectively raised tens of millions in venture capital over the past eighteen months. The latest of these is Caspian, which just emerged from stealth with $5.4 million in seed funding led by Primary Venture Partners. The San Francisco-based company, founded by ex-Flexport engineers Justin Sherlock and Matt Ebeweber, focuses specifically on duty drawback—the process of reclaiming tariffs paid on imported goods that are later re-exported. Caspian founders: Justin Sherlock and Matt Ebeweber This follows a surge of venture-backed players in the broader supply chain space, suggesting investors see significant opportunity across the trade technology spectrum as tariffs dominate international headlines. London-based bagged $2.2 million in seed funding last year from Fuel Ventures and Plug and Play Ventures for its AI compliance platform. And Altana raised a splashy $200 million Series C to address global value chains. Market Forces Fueling Growth The numbers tell a compelling story about both opportunity and market growth. Estimates vary, but the global trade management software market is expected to exceed $2.2B by 2032, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of roughly 8.4%. Despite this expanding market, the duty drawback opportunity remains largely untapped. In 2017, the total amount claimed was about $838 million, but by 2023, this figure had increased to an estimated $3.9 billion. This trajectory suggests businesses are becoming more aware of drawback opportunities, but it also underscores how much money has historically been left on the table. The venture-backed players entering this space face an interesting dynamic: They're not just competing for market share in an existing software category, but essentially creating demand for a service many businesses don't realize they need. "After working for over a decade in trade with brands and manufacturers struggling to navigate this overly complex process, we thought there had to be a better solution for businesses to manage tariff exposure,' said Justin Sherlock, founder and CEO of Caspian. 'Over 90% of eligible businesses are leaving cash on the table because claiming duty refunds is so painful. We built Caspian to leverage AI alongside our expert staff to make organizations' trade data usable, making claims more compliant and refunds easier to recover.' Trade Technology Market Positioning The Hidden Cost of Complexity Billions of dollars are left unclaimed every year. Many businesses pay duties on imports without realizing they could get that money back. The reasons are telling: duty drawback involves navigating a maze of regulations, matching import and export records across years of transactions, and filing paperwork with U.S. Customs and Border Protection — a process that can take months using traditional methods. This complexity has created a peculiar market dynamic. Most existing solutions focus on compliance and risk management, rather than financial recovery. The established competitive landscape includes several categories of players. Software-centric companies like OCR Inc.'s EASE Enterprise Suite offer web-based automation with ERP integration, while full-service providers like J.M. Rodgers Co. (JMR) claim high recovery rates of up to 99% with their CBP-approved proprietary software. Logistics giants like DHL Global Forwarding and Flexport offer drawback services as part of broader trade solutions, while specialized consultants like TecEx and Tradewin focus on specific segments or geographic markets. Alliance Drawback Services and Livingston International represent the traditional consulting model, offering expertise-heavy approaches that promise high recovery rates but require significant manual oversight. Meanwhile, e-commerce focused players like Swap Commerce target high-volume returns using SKU and inventory tracking. The New Guard: AI-First Approaches to Trade Tech The current funding environment reflects broader investor enthusiasm for AI applications in traditionally manual sectors. AI startups received fifty-three percent of all global venture capital dollars invested in the first half of 2025, with trade technology representing a small but growing slice. The competitive dynamics are revealing. New entrants are targeting different stages of the trade process: Caspian focuses on financial recovery, on compliance, and others like Revenir AI on workflow automation. Together, they may challenge incumbents like OCR and J.M. Rodgers by offering faster, more streamlined alternatives to legacy systems.. This division of labor suggests the market is large enough to support multiple approaches, but also highlights the complexity of trade operations that no single solution can fully address. The duty drawback space has long been dominated by traditional customs brokers and consulting firms who charge hefty fees—often 30 to 40 percent of recovered duties—for manual, labor-intensive processes. Established players like Tradewin and larger customs brokerage firms have built businesses around this complexity, but their methods haven't fundamentally changed in decades. On the technology side, Oracle can help businesses check the eligibility of imports for duty drawback and help automate key processes such as document gathering, regulatory compliance, and filing duty drawback requests through its Global Trade Management suite. Similarly, OCR's duty drawback software solution allows for easy access to the data needed to recover duty paid to CBP, while MIC-CUST revolutionizes duty refund management by facilitating refunds of up to ninety-nine percent on duties, taxes, and fees. However, even established players like Flexport are doubling down on AI integration. In February 2025, the logistics giant rolled out a suite of new AI-powered tools, signaling that incumbents aren't ceding ground to startups without a fight. This creates an interesting dynamic where venture-backed specialists must compete not just with traditional brokers like DHL Global Forwarding and Alliance Drawback Services, but with well-funded incumbents rapidly deploying their own AI solutions. What sets the newcomers apart is their AI-first approach and, in e.g. Caspian's case, its rare distinction as both a licensed customs broker and CBP-approved technology vendor—a regulatory combination that allows it to file claims directly with customs authorities, similar to established players like J.M. Rodgers Co. but with modern automation capabilities. The Trump Factor: Tariffs as Business Reality The stakes have never been higher. President Trump's renewed focus on tariffs has dramatically increased the amounts businesses pay in duties, making recovery programs more valuable than ever. New reciprocal tariffs that went into effect earlier this year — with new deals rolling in — add an additional 10 percent ad valorem duty on most imported goods, creating fresh opportunities for drawback claims. This environment has forced businesses to reconsider their trade strategies. 'Centralizing this data and executing these cost savings so quickly is a game-changer for our margins and inventory planning,' said Jim Franz, President, North America at UltiMaker, a Netherlands-based manufacturer of 3D printers that uses Caspian. The AI Promise and Its Limits There is a broader trend toward using artificial intelligence to automate traditionally manual financial processes, while companies like focus on preventing compliance issues through better data classification and documentation, companies like Caspian lean towards AI. Both approaches promise significant time savings—Caspian claims to submit duty drawback claims in days rather than months, while automates customs clearance procedures that traditionally require extensive manual review. This tension between automation and expertise reflects a broader challenge facing the entire venture-backed trade tech sector. Yet they must navigate the same fundamental challenge that has allowed established players like J.M. Rodgers Co. and TecEx to maintain high recovery rates: trade regulations that require nuanced interpretation. The competitive benchmarks are daunting. Traditional providers like J.M. Rodgers and Alliance Drawback Services claim recovery rates of up to 99% of duties, with the ability to file retroactive claims up to three to five years prior. For venture-backed startups to succeed, they must not only match these recovery rates but do so while offering superior user experience and faster processing times. Market Dynamics and Consolidation Pressure The influx of venture capital into trade technology suggests investors believe the market is ripe for disruption. Primary Venture Partners' Emily Man frames it as creating an entirely new software vertical: "tariff management." However, the market faces natural consolidation pressures. Large enterprises often prefer working with established customs brokers who handle their full trade compliance needs rather than point solutions. Meanwhile, smaller businesses that could benefit most from automated duty drawback often lack the trade volume to justify the cost of any solution. This creates a challenging middle market opportunity that challenger companies must navigate carefully. Success will likely depend on demonstrating clear ROI while building the regulatory credibility that only comes with time and successful claim filings. The Regulatory Wild Card Perhaps the biggest unknown is how U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will adapt to increased automation in duty drawback filing. CBP completed sixty-seven audits in May that identified one hundred thirty-nine million dollars in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government, suggesting heightened scrutiny of all trade-related filings. While CBP has approved select technology vendors, the agency's capacity to handle a surge in automated claims remains untested. If AI-powered platforms dramatically increase filing volumes, it could create processing bottlenecks or trigger additional regulatory requirements. 'Long-term, we see ourselves as a strategic partner in modernizing U.S. trade infrastructure,' Sherlock says. 'We're helping businesses take advantage of export incentives to grow GDP and improve profitability for US-based inventory and manufacturing.' Looking Forward: Promise and Peril The emergence of AI-powered duty drawback solutions reflects a broader transformation in how businesses approach international trade costs. As tariffs become a more permanent feature of the economic landscape, tools that help companies optimize their trade expenses will likely see continued demand. Yet the industry faces fundamental questions about scalability, regulatory adaptation, and whether technology can truly solve problems rooted in policy complexity. Success will depend not just on technical capability, but on building trust with both customers and regulators in a field where mistakes can be costly. The billions of dollars in annual unclaimed duties represents a massive opportunity—but it also reflects the entrenched complexity that has kept money on the table for decades. Whether AI can finally unlock this value remains one of the most intriguing tests of automation's promise in financial services. For businesses struggling with rising tariff costs, the answer can't come soon enough. But in a field where regulatory compliance and financial recovery intersect, the path forward may prove more challenging than the technology alone suggests.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Food delivery service Calo scores $39 million in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK
Middle Eastern food delivery startup Calo said Tuesday it has raised $39 million in a Series B extension that was led by AlJazira Capital. The fundraise, which was more than 1.5x of its original $25 million raise in December, also saw participation from existing backers such as Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group. The company is using this funding to expand into territories like the UK and also explore different partnerships in physical space. Calo primarily offers ready-to-eat meals that customers can heat up later. The company delivers different plans to cater to various health goals. The company's founder, Ahmed Al Rawi, told TechCrunch the startup's revenue grew by 'close to 100%.' Calo delivered more than 10 million meals last year in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. While Al Rawi didn't provide a number for this year, he said the deliveries were growing in step with revenue. Those numbers, along with its brand, technology, and operational excellence, convinced AlJazira Capital to invest in the Saudi company. 'Calo represents a compelling opportunity at the intersection of healthtech, foodtech, and consumer subscription models,' Rawan AlRasheed, director of venture capital at AlJazira Capital told TechCrunch in a statement. The startup is also making moves to expand in the UK, where last year it acquired two meal delivery services, Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. While Fresh Fitness Food didn't raise any money, Detox Kitchen had raised just over $3.4 million via a mix of venture-backed and equity crowdfunding rounds, according to Crunchbase data. 'We spoke to over 50 meal subscription businesses worldwide, ranging from the U.S. to Asia, in 2023-24 to learn about what is an exciting market for us to expand to. We realized the UK was the right market for us to expand. We thought that both companies that we acquired had a great culture fit to work with Calo,' Al Rawi told TechCrunch over a call. He added that Calo acquired these businesses because they had their operational layer figured out, and the startup just wanted to upscale the tech and branding layer. Al Rawi said Calo spent most of this year integrating its technology and process with both UK platforms without laying off any of the existing personnel. The startup finished the integration work in July and has been slowly making a marketing push in the UK. Calo can currently deliver meals in London daily and in other parts of the UK two to three times a week. The founder said that Calo is targeting to get to 10x its revenue in the UK in the next three years. Those UK ambitions will be met with competition. Apart from traditional food delivery giants like Just Eat and Deliveroo, Calo will also compete with meal-box services such as Gusto and Wicked Kitchen. While Calo is focused on growing in the UK, the company is also looking to acquire different meal-kit services across the world. The company is also expanding physical locations, including retail stores and kiosks in other regions. The company has also partnered with a gym chain called Armah Sports Company in Saudi Arabia to offer a bundle of Calo and gym subscription. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
