Sophia Michaels
After stepping down as senior members of the British royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had a lot more freedom. Most importantly, they were able to create their own business opportunities, such as signing huge deals with global companies like Netflix and Spotify.
In September 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex entered into a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming service. In a statement released to The New York Times, the couple explained, “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” According to Forbes, Netflix paid the Sussexes $100 million to work with them over a five-year period, proving that Meghan and Harry had major earning potential after leaving their senior positions as royals.
In December 2020, Meghan and Harry made yet another mega-deal, this time with Spotify. Vanity Fair reported that the music and podcast streaming platform reportedly paid the couple $25 million to create original content for the service. As part of their Spotify deal, Markle released “Archetypes,” a podcast aimed at breaking down the labels and stereotypes that hold women back in their lives and careers. Clearly, leaving the royal family was extremely profitable for the Sussexes, and their deals with Netflix and Spotify gave them an unprecedented platform to release new content.
