Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s lives in the US might not have ended up exactly as they expected them to when they left the Royal Family. While they have tried their hands at several business ventures, not all of them have been successful, and the Sussexes were at one point even labeled “grifters.”
In recent months, Meghan Markle has focused on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, and now, a new podcast project has set sail. The Duchess has just launched the podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, and in the first episode, she dropped a bombshell about her health issues.
Prince Harry and Meghan jumped into many business ventures after their royal exit in 2020. After a short stint in Vancouver, the Sussexes moved to California, thereafter signing a massive deal with Netflix. They also made millions of dollars through a Spotify deal that later got canceled – after which they received quite the humiliating moniker.
The Spotify deal was canceled in June 2023, and Bill Simmons, the company’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, lashed out at the couple on his podcast.
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The Fucking Grifters, that’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” Simmons said on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I have got to 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… Fuck them. The grifters.”
Meghan Markle – new Netflix series
In addition to the Netflix deal, the couple has released their documentary series, Harry & Meghan, Live to Lead, The Heart of Invictus, and a new documentary about polo on Netflix. Not long ago, they aired their fifth Netflix release, though Meghan took center stage this time.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Duchess would appear in a new show titled With Love, Meghan. The cooking and lifestyle program was initially supposed to be filmed at Harry and Megan’s multimillion-dollar mansion in Montecito, California, or at least look like it. But, speaking to People Magazine, Meghan Markle revealed she decided to rent a place nearby instead.
“I wanted to protect that safe haven,” she told People. “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments— putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.”
She added: “Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!”
With Love, Meghan consists of eight episodes, in which Meghan cooks with guests and shares smart and creative lifestyle hacks. The show includes guests such as her former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, chef Roy Choi, actress-producer Mindy Kalin, and restauranteur Alice Waters.
“I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it. Wishing you all a fantastic new year! Thanks to our amazing crew and the team [at Netflix]. Beyond grateful for the support — and fun!” Markle wrote on Instagram as she published the trailer for the show.
Shares new podcast project
After initial reviews, it appeared as though Meghan Markle’s show was destined for disaster. Critics were harsh, savagely hitting out at how she portrayed herself, as well as the show’s content. However, viewers seemed to like it – it almost reached Netflix’s global top 10 list with 2.6 million views in early March, per the Mirror.
Moreover, in the UK, With Love, Meghan made it to number seven in early March’s top 10. In the United States, it has since been confirmed that With Love, Meghan will get a second season.
While Meghan is enjoying the success of her Netflix show, she has just launched another project. In early April, just days ago, Meghan revealed through her Instagram that she is launching a new podcast with her friend Whitney Wolfe Herd, the Founder and CEO of Bumble.
“Being an entrepreneur can start young. (By the way, all these years later and I’m still selling cookies!),” Meghan wrote in the caption, sharing pictures of a young self selling cookies in the streets.
“Tune in for the premiere episode of Confessions of a Female Founder featuring my dear friend, @whitney, now streaming wherever you get your podcasts!”
The show is produced together with Lemonada Media, which said in a statement: “As Meghan herself navigates the world of entrepreneurship with the upcoming launch of her brand As Ever, be inspired by the real, unfiltered stories and lessons learned from notable female founders—from knowing your worth to trusting your gut, securing investors, and investing in yourself.”
Meghan reveals she suffered from ‘potentially life-threatening’ condition after pregnancy
Meghan continued: “I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses. They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As ever. It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?) First episode is April 8th!”
On April 8, the first episode of Confessions of a Female Founder was released–and Meghan dropped a bombshell about her health. During a discussion about balancing motherhood with their professional career, Meghan revealed to Whitney that she had experienced postpartum preeclampsia.
As per the Mayo Clinic, it’s a rare and potentially life-threatening condition marked by high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine shortly after giving birth. On the podcast, Meghan Markle admitted it was terrifying, especially because she didn’t know anything about the condition.
“We both had very similar experiences — though we didn’t know each other at the time — with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia,” Meghan said.
The Duchess didn’t explain whether she got the condition after the birth of Prince Archie or Princess Lilibet.
“It’s so rare and so scary,” Meghan continued. “And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people – mostly for your children — but those things are huge medical scares.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way”
Wolfe Herd continued: “I mean life or death, truly,” adding that she recalled how Harry and Meghan introduced Archie in 2019 with a public photocall, just like the royal tradition says, which was also conducted by Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, among others.
“I mean, I’ll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut,” Whitney Wolfe Herd said on Confessions of a Female Founder. “I was either just becoming or about to become a new mom, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child in this, you know, beautiful outfit in front of the entire world? I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food in a robe.”
Meghan explained how balancing work and being at home was a significant change considering the pandemic.
“We became moms in the pandemic, post-pandemic culture, where there is so much working from home… I don’t leave the house to go to an office; my office is here,” the Duchess explained.
“Lili still naps, she gets picked up early and she naps. She only has a half day in preschool. If she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office. She’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives… I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t want to miss those moments. I don’t want to miss pickup if I don’t have to. I don’t want to miss drop-off.”
Meghan concluded: “What I do love the most about having young kids, in this chapter while I’m building [business], is the perspective that it brings because you’re building something while your child’s going through potty training…and both are just as important… It’s like, ‘Great, okay, where’s the Cheerios? Well done.’ And then you’re championing your team 10 minutes later about something that is really high value for the world. In your own world, that’s super high value. And in [Lili’s] world, that’s super high value.”
Meghan Markle suffered a miscarriage in 2020
Meghan’s terrifying health issue of postpartum preeclampsia is sadly not the only tragic thing she has gone through. She and Prince Harry experienced a traumatic experience in 2020 when Meghan lost a baby after falling pregnant.
Four months later, in an emotional article in the New York Times, titled The Losses We Share, Meghan bravely revealed how she had felt a sharp pain and was admitted to the hospital.
“After changing his (Archie’s) diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,” Meghan wrote. “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal. Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief,” Meghan added.
Five years later the scars remain. A source told OK! Magazine that Meghan is naturally feeling sadness this time of the year when the anniversary of her miscarriage approaches. However, love conquers all, and her family brings her immense joy.
“The date is very poignant for her”
“She feels so blessed to have Archie and Lili and the family she and Harry have created. But naturally, as the anniversary of her miscarriage approaches, she does have sadness. The date is very poignant for her,” the source told OK!.
“But Meghan is always looking towards the future and is just so grateful for the happiness she has in her life with Harry and the kids.”
Meghan Markle is so brave for speaking out about her health battles. Please share this article if you agree!
READ MORE
- Meghan Markle says she has changed her famous last name
- Prince Harry & Meghan criticized over latest picture of Lilibet
