Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is reportedly not in talks to sign a deal with Dior, according to sources who say there is no truth to claims she will partner with the French fashion house.
The Daily Telegraph’s royal correspondent, Victoria Ward, said on Monday the Duchess is not in talks to sign such a deal.
She tweeted: “The Duchess of Sussex is not in talks to sign a deal with Dior, sources insist.
“They say there is no truth to the claims that she will partner with the French fashion house.
“They [previously] denied that a deal between [Prince] Harry and Dior was in the offing after he wore the label.”
The ending of the deal raised questions about the popularity of the podcast hosted by Meghan and whether the agreement was value for money for Spotify, which earlier this month announced job cuts.
The Duke of Sussex wore a suit by Dior’s artistic director Kim Jones to the King Charles III’s Coronation last month.
Meghan wore Dior to the National Service of Thanksgiving during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last summer.
She also wore Dior to Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, her son Prince Archie’s christening and on a number of other royal occasions before the Sussexes stepped back as senior working royals in March 2020.
Harry and Meghan later moved to California for personal and financial freedom with the Spotify deal, alongside a more substantial tie-up with Netflix rumoured to be worth in excess of £100m, appearing to vindicate their decision.
But to maintain their lifestyle, which includes paying for security, they need to generate a large income which has always been problematic for members of the monarchy.
Public relations expert Mark Borkowsk had told the Daily Mail that the couple has “great power in fashion” and “are wanted by fashion houses”.
He said: “They are more comfortable in this world… It does seem to be a series of weird coincidences: Harry wears a Dior suit at the Coronation and Dior at the hacking case and now a deal may be in the offing.”
The Archetypes podcast ran for 12 episodes from August 2022 with Meghan chatting to celebrities, historians and experts about the history of stereotypes levelled against women.
Tennis star Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, influencer Paris Hilton and actors Mindy Kaling and Constance Wu were among the guests.
The joint statement from Archewell and Spotify said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
An Archewell Productions spokeswoman reportedly told the Wall Street Journal: “Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”
Mr Borkowski suggested the Sussexes needed to learn from the “setback” and attract a “top team” to help with creating content.
He said the couple needed to consider they are not getting their messaging right for their audience and maybe their followers were “not looking for great pronouncements on civil society… maybe what they want from Meghan is a lifestyle brand”.
While from Harry, whose controversial memoir Spare was heavily critical of the Royal Family, his content might focus more on a royal “soap opera”.
