Meghan Markle is Reportedly “Thrilled” to Be on the Cusp of Inking a Major New Deal

After parting ways with Spotify earlier this year, it appears Meghan Markle is on the verge of landing her next major deal—and it could be with one of Spotify’s biggest competitors.

In June, Meghan and husband Prince Harry ended their multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify, a deal brokered in 2020 to produce “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” (per language at the time); a statement explained that “Spotify and Archewell Audio [Harry and Meghan’s company] have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.” That series was “Archetypes,” a 12-episode podcast hosted by Meghan that saw her sit down with artists, athletes, and experts to discuss the history of stereotypes against women.

Now, it seems, Meghan (and maybe “Archetypes”?) has a new deal being flushed out with Audible, a competitor of Spotify’s that is owned by Amazon. “Word of mouth is spreading that it will lead to a huge payout—even bigger than the millions Spotify splashed out—and Meghan is thrilled that she’ll be in the company of Michelle and Barack Obama, who signed a multi-year contract with Audible last year,” a source said, per The Mirror.

Meghan, who they said “seems very confident at the moment” in the potential deal, “knows her new deal with Audible could be make or break for her Hollywood dream,” they said. “She feels ready, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t seriously daunting.” They added “The stakes are extremely high.”

Marie Claire reported on the potential move to Audible a couple of weeks ago, and she is no doubt being assisted on the deal by William Morris Endeavor (WME), the talent agency she signed with in April. Whether any potential move to Audible will mean the resurgence of “Archetypes” or brand-new content is unclear—but we’re excited for Meghan to have a return to this space, if true.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.