
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.”
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 whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family. In addition to serving as the royal editor at Marie Claire, she has worked with publications like Vogue, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, and more. She cohosts Podcast Royal, a show that provides candid commentary on the biggest royal family headlines and offers segments on fashion, beauty, health and wellness, and lifestyle.
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