logo
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have 'desperate' reason for royal reunion

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have 'desperate' reason for royal reunion

Daily Mirror24-07-2025
In the wake of their multimillion pound deal with Netflix being scrapped, a royal commentator has shared his thoughts on the timing of alleged peace talks between the Sussex camp and the royal family
A royal expert has weighed in on the reason he thinks are behind the alleged peace talks between Prince Harry and his father, King Charles. After senior aides to both the Duke of Sussex and the King were spotted having a meeting in London, rumours have emerged on the potential motive behind a royal reconciliation.

Now, royal expert Robert Jobson has claimed that the rumoured peace talks may be linked to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 's deal with Netflix drawing to a close. Speaking to The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, the royal author suggested that Harry and Meghan could be seeking 'handouts' from the King, hence the initiation of peace talks between the Sussex camp and the royal family.


Jobson said: 'Well, the deal was always set at about $100 million, wasn't it? 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.
'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, were over here having discussions with the King. I don't know.
'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. They've lost Spotify, they've lost Netflix. They can't rely on the spare money forever, can they?'

Also on the show was Sky News' royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills, who was also quick to speculate what Harry and Meghan would do financially when their lucrative deal with the streaming giant draws to a close in September.
She said: 'It's just fascinating. They have this very expensive lifestyle. They have to pay for their security, pay for that big mansion. How do you kind of keep the money coming in?'

Earlier this month, it was reported that Netflix has decided not to renew the contract it holds with the Sussexes once it runs out in a few months time. The Sussexes are believed to have signed a five-year deal worth around $100million in September 2020 with the streaming giant to produce a raft of content.
The Sussexes released three major projects during their time with Netflix, including their docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan, Meghan's lifestyle show called With Love, Meghan, and Harry's polo documentary titled Polo.
Despite the major projects, their programmes failed to draw in an audience, as With Love, Meghan, came in 383rd on the list of most watched programming, while Polo fell even further down the list in 3,436th place with just 500,000 views.

Speaking in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry memorably said he and Meghan signed lucrative deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify after being financially cut off from the royals - leaving them with hefty security bills.
Harry said deals with the streaming giants were "never part of the plan", but said they needed cash to pay for security. He said: "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."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How KPop Demon Hunters became the surprise Netflix smash of the summer
How KPop Demon Hunters became the surprise Netflix smash of the summer

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

How KPop Demon Hunters became the surprise Netflix smash of the summer

School is out, young audiences are available, and yet still, Hollywood animation is having a bad summer at the box office. In contrast to last year, when Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 occupied two of the season's top three (and combined for about $2.7bn worldwide), it seems entirely possible that not a single fully animated movie will crack the top 10. Adding insult to injury: the Disney-Pixar original Elio has been trounced by 'live-action' remakes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, which faithfully reproduce old cartoons with bland new actors and CG visual effects. With younger audiences steered toward those movies and seemingly also welcomed into big-tent hits like Superman and Jurassic World: Rebirth, it's all the more remarkable that Netflix has somehow managed to have its biggest animated movie ever. KPop Demon Hunters, about a trio of women who form a pop group while moonlighting as, yes, demon hunters, was released in June – on the same weekend as Elio, no less – and has become a soundtrack-selling, replay-friendly phenom. Netflix numbers can be opaque, but there's confirmation in Golden, a centerpiece song from the movie, hitting #2 on the Billboard charts. When was the last time a Disney movie made a play for song of the summer? Animation seems like a safe bet for budget-conscious streaming content. After all, the much-lamented cost of a movie ticket is tripled or quadrupled when bringing a family (and then maybe tripled again if they want snacks). On a per-person basis, streaming a new cartoon is the more affordable option. But even after poaching film-makers from major animation studios, the streamers have struggled with original material; Netflix's The Sea Beast isn't anywhere near as good as Moana, with which it shares a co-director, and its Over the Moon (the directorial debut of Glen Keane, a longtime Disney animator) is downright ghastly. Spellbound, from Skydance's attempt to start their own animation house led by the disgraced former Pixar honcho John Lasseter, arrived with barely a peep last Thanksgiving. Most of the time, the Netflix charts are dominated by older animated titles from established studios like DreamWorks and Illumination. So why did KPop Demon Hunters break through? Maybe it helps that it isn't an in-house Netflix production; the movie was actually produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the studio that worked such genre-bending magic with the Spider-Verse movies. KPop isn't quite as ambitiously style-forward as that series, but it shares the same basic visual approach of intentionally choppy but eye-catching, shapeshifting animation that imitates both comic-book splash pages and anime, splattered in purple and pink hues. It's not clear when Sony decided they would pursue a streaming release, but Netflix previously distributed the similarly manic (and original) The Mitchells vs the Machines when the pandemic delayed its planned theatrical release. The Netflix-Sony cartoons seem to indicate that maybe there's more cultural cachet in standing out from the animation crowd, rather than doing off-brand versions of Disney-style songs and Pixar-style secret worlds. In particular, KPop Demon Hunters seems freer to capitalize on a cultural trend than its mainstream competition. Disney has become so self-conscious about its own iconography that its last non-sequel in-house animated feature, Wish, was an extended 100th-anniversary celebration for its parent company, packed with references to their animated classics. Their big release for this fall is Zootopia 2, a stringing out from a great original idea they debuted almost a decade ago. The other big US animation houses are similarly sequel-fixated; the last big animated release of the summer is The Bad Guys 2, from DreamWorks. Not only is KPop Demon Hunters not a sequel, nor even a comics adaptation, it feels engaged with a world outside of its parent company, no matter how heightened its wild fantasy action becomes. By making the central characters a K-pop group, the movie finds something that breaks the princess/talking animal/scrappy kid hegemony. It's about young-adult characters with major responsibilities (even if those responsibilities involve the equally fantastical pop-girlie grind and Buffy-esque demon-fighting), carried out with an aspirational big-sister energy that younger kids can watch with wide-eyed admiration usually reserved for Disney princesses. American interest in K-pop may have even peaked; technically, the optimal time for this movie might have been circa 2021 – not coincidentally, the year the movie's production was announced. But though KPop Demon Hunters has some adult themes and scary monsters, it's also pitched young enough that it's almost better-equipped than if it had come at the height of the BTS craze. The movie very much repackages K-pop for an even-broader audience of native English speakers (something K-pop itself has been doing for years at this point) in a way that draws from the trend's fandom without relying exclusively on it. Demon Hunters also constructs a fantasy version of the pop machine, particularly the astonishing levels of training received by a lot of K-pop acts; here, all the girls' hard work is entirely at the behest of their own artistic vision, and they rise-and-grind off the couch voluntarily, not because a music label is forcing them. It's probably no accident that the lower reaches of the movie's audience are probably also discovering their own music for the first time – and making their preferences known on the charts, as a whopping nine songs from KPop Demon Hunter are currently on the Billboard Hot 100. That closeness to the pop world also allows the movie to make pop stars its dauntless heroines and devious villains all at once. (The demons disguised as a boy band sing an infectious ditty called Soda Pop that even the movie's demon-savvy characters can't really resist.) So much pop taste formation involves sussing out what you find irresistible versus what you find deeply annoying, two qualities that can reverse themselves with surprising ease. Even if KPop Demon Hunters is ultimately more about self-acceptance and friendship than the dynamics of pop music, it's letting a younger audience try out pop fandom. In that way, it welcomes those viewers into the kind of faux-grownup world that they often get from PG-13 live-action superhero movies. As with superheroes, the response to this movie's success will mostly be 'make sequels to this specific movie, forever' with a possible dash of 'streaming animation is really happening this time!' It shouldn't be, though. In the wake of so many sequels from Disney, Pixar, Illumination and DreamWorks, KPop Demon Hunters is a reminder that kids in particular hunger for novelty, probably more so than their nostalgia-drunk adult counterparts. Despite their ongoing enthusiasm for any number of cartoon franchises, family audiences aren't just waiting around for Despicable Me 5. They are hoping, conscious or not, for something with more pop.

'Panama Playlists' leak exposes JD Vance's favourite boy bands
'Panama Playlists' leak exposes JD Vance's favourite boy bands

Metro

time2 hours ago

  • Metro

'Panama Playlists' leak exposes JD Vance's favourite boy bands

Eight years after the Panama Papers leaked 11.5million financial documents of offshore bank accounts, the Panama Playlists have surfaced. The Panama Playlists, claiming to expose the favourite music of politicians, celebrities and other public figures on Spotify, may not be too damaging to the individuals. But it could be embarrassing. That is, embarrassing only if loving boy bands is something to be ashamed of. Everyone loves the Backstreet Boys, One Direction and Justin Bieber, right? US Vice President JD Vance seemingly does. Featured on Vance's playlists are 'I Want It That Way' by the 1990s band Backstreet Boys, 'What Makes You Beautiful' by the 2010s pop band One Direction and 'One Time' by Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, according to the Panama Playlists. Vance apparently also really likes 'Get Lucky' by the electronic music duo Daft Punk, 'You Are a Tourist' by '90s rock band Death Cab for Cutie, and 'San Francisco' by alternative rock band The Mowgli's, and has them in two of his playlists named 'Making Dinner' and 'Gold On The Ceiling'. The anonymous person behind the playlists claims to have been scraping the public figures' accounts since summer 2024, and know what songs they've played and how many times as well as their live listening feed. 'I found the real Spotify accounts of celebrities, politicians, and journalists. Many use their real names. With a little sleuthing, I could say with near-certainty: yep, this is them,' states the Panama Playlists website. 'Heard of the Panama Papers? That exposed offshore bank accounts. This is about onshore vibes.' The site, which went live on Wednesday, is not affiliated with Spotify or any of the individuals analysed. Spotify playlists in their default setting are public, for those who did not know, and only public information was gleaned for the Panama Playlists. Its eagle-eared researcher is convinced that the figures listed on the site are who they are, due to 'lots of signals', and provided the US attorney general and White House press secretary as cases in point. 'An example is Pam Bondi. Her longtime partner is John Wakefield, and her profile has an old playlist called 'john' and an old shared playlist with a user named 'John Wakefield,' so that gives me a lot of confidence it is her account,' the researcher told the New York Post. 'Karoline Leavitt's profile has a playlist called 'Baby Shower,' and she had a baby a month after the playlist was made.' Below are the Panama Playlists of a handful of individuals highlighted on the site – ranked somewhat in order of how interesting they are. US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the Justice Department, has a self-titled playlist filled with Top 40 hits including Nelly's 'Hot In Herre', Adele's 'Hello', Selena Gomez's 'Kill Em With Kindness', 'Hands To Myself', Black Eyed Peas' 'I Gotta Feeling', Mike Posner's 'Cooler Than Me', and USHER, Lil Jon and Ludacris' 'YEAH!' Trump's White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has a 'Baby Shower' poppy playlist that includes Beyoncé's 'Run the World (Girls)', Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)', Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance', Meghan Trainor's 'Mom' and Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's 'My Shazam Tracks' playlist is a mixed bag including Dixon Dallas' 'Good Lookin', RÜFÜS DU SOL's 'Until the Sun Needs To Rise', David Guetta and OneRepublic's 'I Don't Wanna Wait', and Missy Elliot's 'Get Ur Freak On'. Disgraced FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has a mix of R&B, electronic and indie music in his 'loud' and 'soft' playlists including The Weeknd's 'Save Your Tears', Sia's 'Unstoppable', Bon Iver's 'Blindsided' and Frank Ocean's 'Bad Religion'. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in his 'Hodge-podge mix' playlist has some classics including Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire', Billy Joel's 'Piano Man', and a-ha's 'Take On Me', and a curveball – Miley Cyrus' 'Party In the U.S.A.' New York Times privacy and technology reporter Kashmir Hill's 'writing music' playlist features a handful of respected European artists including Mogwai ('Wake Up and Go Berserk' and 'I Do Have Weapons'), Aphex Twin ('Avril 14th'), and Nils Frahm ('Some'). Comedian and TV host Seth Meyers' 'Porch Jams' playlist suggest he's partial to soft rock with Benji Hughes' 'Vibe so Hot', Jackson Browne's 'The Fuse', and Lucinda Williams' 'Can't Let Go'. Meta's chief AI officer Alexandr Wang is a fan of country and folk, with his top songs being Tyler Childers' 'Feathered Indians', Jack Van Cleaf and Zach Bryan's 'Rattlesnake', and Zach Bryan's 'Blue Jean Baby'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump tearing down parts of White House to build £150,000,000 ballroom MORE: Infant dies in hot car after being left by dad who 'forgot about him' MORE: Virginie Giuffre's family ask what Trump really knew about Epstein after his 'stolen' comment

Jenna Ortega channels her inner Wednesday Addams in an eery gothic dress as she attends Paris premiere for the Netflix hit's second season
Jenna Ortega channels her inner Wednesday Addams in an eery gothic dress as she attends Paris premiere for the Netflix hit's second season

Daily Mail​

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Jenna Ortega channels her inner Wednesday Addams in an eery gothic dress as she attends Paris premiere for the Netflix hit's second season

Jenna Ortega channeled her inner Wednesday Addams in a distressed gothic dress as attended the Paris premiere for the Netflix 's hit's second season in the French capital on Thursday. In the show, she plays the wily yet reserved protagonist who always manages to keep her cool under pressure. And Jenna channelled her starring character as she stepped out in a brown floor-length gown which featured a daringly high slit. Her gown featured a ruffled lining around the plunging neckline as she showcased her petite frame with a matching belt. She added inched to her statuesque frame as the actress slipped into a pair of towering brown platform heels. To accessorise, she kept in theme with her gothic ensemble as she wore an oversized cross necklace. The gothic comedy, which follows the antics of Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna), debuted on the streaming service in November 2022. It was quickly renewed for a second series in January 2023. It is one in a series of takes over the years on The Addams Family, the eccentric fictional old-money clan, famously macabre and gothic in manner and look. The second series of the Emmy-winning programme, executive produced and often directed by horror icon Tim Burton, 66, is set for release on 6 August 2025. And now, it has been announced that not only will Wednesday be back for a third series, but a spin-off programme is currently under discussion, according to Hollywood Reporter. Fans were delighted to hear the fate of the beloved show has been secured, taking to social media to express their excitement. Catherine Zeta-Jones posted on Instagram confirming the news: 'When Wednesday comes a better day. 'Wednesday season three. It's official... we shall return.' Her gown featured a ruffled lining around the plunging neckline as she showcased her petite frame with a matching belt One fan wrote in the comments section: 'And for many more seasons.'; 'I love this because then they can start filming soon and it won't be such a long pause between seasons! Or that's the hope!' The second series was announced in January 2023, but by the time it comes out later this year, it will have been more than two years in the making. The first series of Wednesday follows the titular troublemaker character after she is expelled and transferred to Nevermore Academy, a school for monstrous outcasts. Her cool, creepy manner and rebellious streak often see her in trouble and struggling to fit in. But after she discovers she is a psychic like her mother and applies her skills to solving a local murder case, she soon finds her stride. The programme boasts an impressive regular cast, with Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie and Narcos' Luis Guzman also starring. They feature as Nevermore headteacher Larissa Weems and Wednesday's father, Gomez Addams, respectively. The upcoming second series looks to be even more star-studded, with Lady Gaga, Joanna Lumley, Steve Buscemi, and Thandiwe Newton also joining the cast. Star Jenna and director Tim also worked together on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 2024 sequel to the original 1988 horror film starring Winona Ryder. And they have now told all about what fans can expect from the upcoming second series and the newly announced third instalment. Scream queen Jenna, who rose to fame in slashers Scream, X and Scream VI, was embroiled in controversy in recent months for comments she made during a podcast interview. She said she spent her time on the show 'changing lines' and 'had to put my foot down' because 'everything I had to play did not make sense for the character'. Jenna said she felt terrible about this and never meant it that way, simply meaning to say she improvised a lot and was permitted to. Tim sympathised with her, feeling the comments had been interpreted in a way she had not meant. But the pair revealed that after these events, Jenna is now a producer on the show. Co-creator Alfred Gough, who made the show with Miles Millar, said this made sense, as she is already so involved in every part of the show, as well as giving notes on the script, in a way he praised. Wednesday's first series pulled in a whopping 252million viewers globally, making it Netflix's biggest English-language series of all time. Alfred has now teased a spin-off: 'It's something we're definitely noodling; there are other characters we can look at.' Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria, meanwhile, added: 'There's a lot to explore in the Addams Family.' New cast member Joanna Lumley previously told Netflix news site Tudum: 'There's always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. 'His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they've created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating. 'It's wonderful. I get to wear many, many huge wigs, one on top of the other — and lots of quite constraining clothes, so I love it.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store