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While Prince Harry did not launch a podcast of his own prior to the Sussexes parting ways with Spotify, the Duke of Sussex reportedly had ideas for different shows. According to Bloomberg , King Charles III’s youngest son wanted to interview “a procession of controversial guests, such as Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump, about their early formative years and how those experiences resulted in the adults they are today.”
Prince Harry is also said to have had an idea for a “show centered on fatherhood,” and reportedly hoped to have Pope Francis on as a guest for a show that would have “tackled major societal conversations episode by episode, ranging from climate change to religion.”
Bloomberg noted that the “practicality of these ideas struck some people in the Harry-podcast cosmos as questionable at best.” Bill Simmons, who sold The Ringer to Spotify in 2020, referred to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as “grifters” on his eponymous podcast.
“The f-cking grifters. That’s the podcast we shoulda launched with them,” Bill said (via Deadline ). “I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
It was confirmed last week that the Sussexes and Spotify had mutually agreed to part ways. Back in December of 2020, Archewell Audio, the Sussexes’ audio-first production company, announced a multi-year partnership with Spotify to produce podcasts and shows. In a press release at the time, it was said that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would produce and host podcasts in 2021 that “build community through shared experiences and values.”
The Duchess of Sussex launched her podcast Archetypes last August. The podcast won a People’s Choice Award for pop podcast of 2022. Meghan was also named top entertainment podcast host at the 48th annual Gracie Awards this year.