Prince Harry, Meghan Markle held 'peace talks' with King Charles aide for 'handouts' after dead Netflix deal
Harry's chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, and UK-based PR representative Liam Maguire were photographed earlier this month with the King's top aide, Communications Secretary Tobyn Andreae, at the Royal Over-Seas League, just around the corner from Clarence House.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, gave his "blessing" for the summit between aides, marking a major development in the royal family estrangement.
Journalist and author Robert Jobson spoke to The Sun's latest Royal Exclusive show on Wednesday after Netflix scrapped the Sussexes' $100 million deal, saying the cancelled contract spurred the meeting to occur.
'Well, the deal was always set about $100 million, wasn't it?" he said.
'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.'
Mr Jobson said he thought "maybe that's why" Harry and Meghan's aides were over in the UK having discussions with the King's representatives.
He said in reality, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received support from the King and the late Queen Elizabeth II before leaving the firm in 2020.
However, going their own way ultimately led to them losing their multi-million-dollar Spotify contract in 2023, and now their income with Netflix.
'They can't rely on the Spare money forever, can they?' Mr Jobson said in apparent reference to proceeds from Harry's 2023 memoir.
Netflix decided not to renew the Sussexes' lucrative deal when it expires in September following a series of flops, The Sun reported on Tuesday.
According to the publication, the streamer's executives quietly agreed to part ways with the renegade royals.
An official announcement from Netflix and the Sussexes about the details of the partnership demise was reportedly canned.
It comes after new figures released by Netflix found the Duchess's new cooking show With Love Meghan failed to break into the top 300 shows.
Meanwhile, just 500,000 people watched Harry's Polo project, which one reviewer described as an "unintentionally hilarious profile of the world's stupidest sport".
It's understood Netflix bosses were meanwhile irritated Meghan prioritised her As Ever brand, which she launched in February.
Then the streaming giant last month signed the dotted line with King Charles and English actor Idris Elba for a documentary exploring the impact of the King's Trust, in celebration of the charity's 50th anniversary.
Retaining any deal with the Sussex could have reportedly hindered the currently untitled project, set to launch on Netflix in Autumn 2026.
Nevertheless, a source told The Sun rival streamer Paramount+ was open to working with the couple, who could be on board for the right project.
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