Meghan Markle's ‘rebranding' is frustrating her ‘backers'
'To Di For' podcast host Kinsey Schofield says Meghan Markle's 'constant rebranding' is frustrating her 'backers'.
'I'm sure that there is a lot of frustration, I think that we saw it on full display with Spotify,' Ms Schofield told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo.
'It has to be exhausting for the people that have invested in them, to say, everything seems so aimless, can you just focus.
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News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Meghan Markle's huge billionaire plan wobbles
COMMENT Shipping. Building supplies. Petrol stations. Roofing. Online gambling. Take a moment to peruse the list of the world's top five self-made female billionaires and how they have accrued their wondrous fortunes through quite the selection of heavy-on-the-rivets industries. Can – or will – jam be added to that list? This week Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex gave a new interview and crucially not to a mag intent on unpacking her trauma while shooting her in haute couture worth about the same price as a mid-range Kia RIO. Instead she spoke to the business title Fast Company and made no bones (nor broth) about her intent to make her mark in the commercial world. Huzzah for ambition, truly, but … well, how's all that going exactly? In March, a 'well-placed source' told the Telegraph that the duchess 'thinks she's going to be a billionaire' but the signs are, so far, that her joining the likes of women who can buy themselves ports in Panama for funsies won't be happening in the next hot minute. 2025 has been the year of Meghan Pty Ltd. Within hours of the new year starting, she had returned to Instagram to provide the world with enough gardening and kitchen content to constitute an application for official tradwife membership. Then came her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which debuted in March to teach the world how to make a frittata, decant popcorn into decorative thingames and to scatter flower sprinkles on every known human comestible. On April 2, the duchess finally gave the world the chance to spend $23 on said same desiccated petals for our own strewing delight. (But wouldn't your morning Weetbix bring you more joy if they had a few bits of decorative, dried nasturtium scattered on the top, hmmm?) Still, the duchess' As Ever range of spreads (not jams), crepe and biscuit mixes, and herbal teas sold out in 45 minutes, guaranteeing a marketing win for the 43-year-old and her business partner, up and coming, bootstrapped enterprise Netflix. Less than a week later, on April 8, Meghan's new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder launched, giving rise to the spectral return of the girl boss trope. However, how far has all this industry and all this newmaking gone towards reaching billionaire territory? Nearly two months and even the most eager buyer with the sturdiest of platinum credit cards can't reorder any flower sprinkles with the As Ever range yet to be restocked. More products on the As Ever shelves might not come until next year, according to the Fast Company piece. It reports that the duchess now 'wants to take a step back, gather data from the launch, and figure out exactly what As Ever could be. She says she's planning to announce new products in the first quarter of 2026.' Which is clearly not good news if you had been a hankerin' to get your hands on some $43 limited edition honey with honeycomb and, I'm assuming, brunchy bragging rights. 'I want to really focus on the hospitality angle of As Ever, but as we take the learnings, we can understand what the customer's needs are seasonally,' Meghan has said, at which point we should all pause and consider how our spread and sprinkle 'needs' might change when winter officially hits next week. As it is, Fast Company has reported that the duchess and As Ever team 'spent a year preparing the line and forecasting demand'. Still, I'm sure there's a line here about hares and tortoises and so onwards we go, towards the Sussexes' most lucrative commercial ronde. By far the biggest wodge of cash that Meghan and husband Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex have received has come from Netflix. In 2020 they signed what was reportedly a $USD100 million, five year deal, meaning the current contract is set to expire soon. In February the Daily Mail 's Alison Boshoff raised the question of just how much of this massive sum the couple might have actually banked and she reported that, per 'well-placed sources with knowledge of the deal' the Sussexes ended up 'drawing a relatively meagre amount from the streamer — thought to amount to as little as $20 million ($AUD31 million) for them personally'. Of this, Boshoff reported, $15 million ($AUD23 million) went 'directly to the couple, the rest being spent on making the series.' While there has been much speculation that the steamer is getting set to delete the Sussexes' numbers and institute an official ban on anyone uttering the word 'polo', this week Boshoff provided a surprising update. Another 'well-placed source' told her that CEO Ted Sarandos is 'a massive, massive fan of Meghan personally' and that 'he is all in'. Which is spiffing news if you are the duke and duchess' bank manager but perhaps less so if considered in the cold light of an inflammatory- fighting ice bath. When the Sussexes' signed their current, back in 2020, it was at the absolute apex of the global obsessions slash fascination with them, when their stock could not have been higher and they had not uttered a syllable about their royal story. Oprah Winfrey was just a fellow Montecitan resident; 'unconscious bias' was still something that Harry couldn't quite spell and 'spare' was just how one described unused, junk-filled bedrooms. A Netflix deal in 2025 could look very different and Boshoff has reported that what will reportedly be on the table going forward will be 'a much-reduced offer … focused entirely on Meghan' and there will be no 'generous upfront payment.' At least the duchess has not been shy about experimenting, her work ethic and willingness to try her hand at new ventures a genuinely, straight-faced impressive thing. (Doff your cap everyone.) This year she has also launched a ShopMy account, which allows users to buy the chic things she wears, and stylish ambitions could stretch far beyond that. Speaking to Fast Company she said that 'fashion is something I will explore at a later date, because I do think that's an interesting space for me'. Last year the New York Times revealed she had gotten into the investing game, including putting money into handbag brand Cesta Collective, along with a previous investment in vegan latte business Clevr. There could also be a Meghany book in the works. She confirmed to friend Jamie Kern Lima, while appearing on the It Cosmetics founder's podcast, that she is open to turning author again after her children's title The Bench however it would be most likely connected to 'hospitality and home and entertaining and food and those sort of tips'. However, potentially hair-raisingly for Buckingham Palace, she also said, 'people are often curious if I'm going to write a memoir, but I've got a lot more life to live before I'm there'. It all sounds very promising – but can or will it be billionaire-making? At least we can say for certain that should the duchess arrive at having ten figures in the bank, she won't feel bad about it. While interviewing self-made billionaire Sara Blakely who founded Spanx on the final episode of Female Founder, Meghan said that women are 'taught to not even talk about money, and there's lots of guilt mentality surrounding having a lot'. The good news is for the time being, while she might have tens of millions to not feel guilty about at least she doesn't have to battle billionaire-level guilt – yet.
Sky News AU
15 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Meghan Markle reportedly earned paltry $40,000 from Confessions of a Female Founder podcast
Meghan Markle reportedly earned just $40,000 from her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast amid speculation the series will not return to the airwaves. Markle, 43, launched Confessions of a Female Founder in April as a weekly series in which the ex-working royal chats to high-profile businesswomen. The Duchess of Sussex spoke to the likes of Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd, Cassandra Thurswell of Kitsch and IT Cosmetics' Jamie Kern Lima for the project. Markle also used the podcast as a platform to interview the heads of companies she has a financial stake in, including Clevr Blends' Hannah Mendoza and Kadi Lee of Highbrow Hippie. Journalist and 'To Di For' podcast host Kinsey Schofield told Sky News Australia that Markle earned about $40,000 for the Lemonada podcast. 'Meghan's made approximately $40,000 for season one of Confessions of a Female Founder,' Ms Schofield told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo. 'Not exactly Spotify money, and if she's trying to be a billionaire, I think she's going to have to hustle a little harder.' By comparison, Markle and her husband Prince Harry reportedly pocketed a multi-million dollar payment from Spotify for a doomed partnership that crumbled two years ago. Reportedly, the Spotify deal collapsed after the Sussexes missed production benchmarks and complaints from inside the streaming giant that the couple were 'f***ing grifters'. The surprising figure comes after the ex-working royal "wrapped up" the Lemonada series on Tuesday after just eight episodes. Markle interviewed Spanx founder Sara Blakely and mused about her 'guilt' over her wealth in the "last" episode. "I think so many women especially, we're taught to not even talk about money, and there's lots of guilt mentality surrounding having a lot,' Markle said. At the end of the episode, Markle appeared to call time on the series and thanked her listeners for their support. "Well, that's a wrap," Markle said. "Thanks for your support as you heard my story, little bits of it.' The announcement coincided with a gushing new feature on the Duchess of Sussex published by business outlet Fast Company. 'There's interest in doing a second season of Confessions of a Female Founder, and many female founders have approached her to be a guest on the series,' the article said. 'But Meghan is now involved in such a wide range of projects, she's sure to find some way to tell her story.' In a twist, Markle made a major U-turn on Friday and opted to announce a surprise 'bonus' episode of the series featuring an unknown 'matriarch'. Instead of profiling another businesswoman, Markle returned to her showbiz routes by interviewing Tina Knowles Lawson – the mother of popstar Beyonce.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Royal fans point out awkward discrepancies in Meghan Markle's garden haul
Royal fans have been left baffled after spotting 'out of season' vegetables in Meghan Markle's homegrown haul. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, posted a sweet pic showing her rescue beagle Mia giving a good sniff to a basket full of vibrant veggies said to be plucked from the grounds of her $AUD23million Montecito mansion. Captioning the shot on Instagram, Meghan joked: 'The unofficial quality inspector of this morning's garden haul,' referring to her inquisitive pup, who joined the Sussexes in 2022. The wicker basket boasted a colourful collection of broccoli, carrots, corn, red peppers, squash, spring onions and a medley of fresh herbs. Mia could be seen burying her face in the collection – but eagle-eyed royal fans noticed something unusual about the 'garden haul'. Social media was soon flooded with sceptical takes, with some fans questioning whether the food was really grown in her garden. Others speculated whether it was more likely she scooped up the contents of the basket from the local farmers' market. 'Everything looks supermarket shelf ready,' one user wrote, pointing out the lack of a single speck of dirt. 'Not even a smudge on the carrots?' Another green-fingered fan joked: 'She must be a wizard to grow corn, squash and broccoli all at the same time.' 'Bit of a miracle garden she's got there.' Others weren't buying the timing either. 'Corn in May? That's a new one. Most of that stuff isn't even in season yet,' one critic said. According to the California Farmland Trust, sweet corn usually isn't ready until June at the earliest. And broccoli is picked earlier in the year, say experts. However, spring onions, bell peppers, carrots and certain types of squash may now be ripe for harvesting. It comes after Meghan shared a rare clip of Lilibet dressed in a beekeeping suit as the pair walk hand-in-hand to the hives. The Duchess of Sussex posted the video of her daughter on Instagram just days ago. It comes as the mum-of-two continues to reveal sneak peeks into her life at their Montecito mansion in California. The As Ever founder has been sharing more pictures of Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, but without showing their faces. In her latest video, the Duchess walked with her daughter towards the beehives, which also featured in her Netflix show With Love, Meghan. The pair hold hands as Lili toddles along in rainbow coloured wellie-boots and her beekeeping suit. Meghan shared her love for beekeeping in the first episode of her cooking and crafting docuseries, which dropped in March earlier this year.
