The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “thrashing like fish” after a series of projects and brand deals have failed to get over the line. Their camp is holding crisis talks due to their recent failures, according to a source close to the pair.
“The Sussexes are thrashing around like a fish out of water,” the source said. “The team doesn’t appear to know what to do at this point. The consensus now is to try and repair the damage done to the Royal Family and hope that link will help them out of the doldrums.”
The couple feels there is a “vendetta waged against them” by the Royal Family, with the firm blocking lucrative brand deals and pursuing them themselves.
A recent example is Harry and Meghan working towards a deal with Dior, both having been dressed by the fashion house. But then Queen Camilla wore Dior Haute Couture during the state visit to France in September and Meghan lost out on a campaign to Meg Bellamy, who plays Princess Kate, in the new series of The Crown.
The source said: “The focus shifted towards other members of the family. And the actress playing Princess Kate was announced as the new face of the brand. It was all very suspicious timing.”
The Duchess of Sussex also signed a deal with William Morris Endeavour in April but no projects have been announced, eight months after the initial signing.
The couple’s Netflix and Spotify deals, $100million and $20million respectively, were both short-lived, not very successful and collapsed this year. And this week, their foundation, Archewell, announced it had a donation drop of $11million from last year, leaving it in the red.
The source added: “They are in trouble and are struggling to find the best way forward. Harry has been trying to reach out to his family of late but doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. He appears to have well and truly burned those bridges.”
