Meghan Markle Will Release First Spotify Podcast Series This Summer
It’s been a long wait for news on Archewell Audio.
It’s a question many royal followers—including us—have had on their minds for over a year: Whatever happened to Archewell Audio?
After 15 months of silence on the Archewell Audio feed, there is, it seems, finally an answer—Meghan Markle will release her first Spotify podcast this summer, confirming that she and husband Prince Harry will stick with the platform after previously expressed concerns over COVID-19 misinformation.
Though details are sparse, an Archewell Audio spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that more details about Meghan’s podcast series would be shared soon.
Harry and Meghan inked a massive, multi-year partnership with Spotify in late 2020, announcing it mid-December with an aim to “build community through shared experience, narratives, and values.” By the end of the year, Archewell Audio’s debut podcast, a holiday special, was released, with Harry and Meghan both on the mic, a glittery lineup of celebrity guests, and even a cameo from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s then-19-month-old son, Archie.
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the couple said in a joint statement at the time. “With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”
Then—silence.
In 2021, Archewell Audio landed a big hire in podcast producer Rebecca Sananes, whose previous work includes New York Magazine’s “Pivot” podcast with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. Then, in January 2022, the Sussexes released a statement possibly explaining the delay in content—COVID-19 misinformation, including that spread by fellow Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan (though the Sussexes never mentioned Rogan directly). The statement said that the Sussexes had expressed their concerns to Spotify as early as April 2021 and were looking “to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
The Archewell Audio spokesperson told PEOPLE that Meghan and her team have worked closely with Spotify and the company’s senior leadership “to ensure that the digital technologies so many of us use every day are rooted in strong principles of trust and safety.” Meghan’s show—and any of Archewell Audio’s future offerings—will be “well-resourced with quality, fact-based information—particularly when it comes to public health,” the spokesperson added.
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.