Meghan Markle Is Looking to "Prove Herself" Through Her New Podcast, Royal Expert Says
She wants a project of her own.
According to one royal author and marketing expert, the British people have somewhat lost interest in the comings and goings of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For Pauline MacLaran, Meghan Markle's upcoming podcast Archetypes could be a great way for her to recapture people's attention in a significant way.
"Certainly on the U.K. side people have become rather disaffected with them," MacLaran, a professor of marketing consumer research at Royal Holloway University in London and author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture, told Express.
"There does seem to have been all this anticipation [for the podcast] and nothing produced yet, although Meghan's Archetypes series is supposed to be out soon," she added.
"But I think they definitely need something out in a more concrete way, to sort of prove themselves in a way. That they can be successful.
"I can't really speak for the American mood on this, because I hear different things, because they seem to be more popular there.
"Although again they don't seem to be classed as A-list celebrities. So the jury is out there."
MacLaran thinks the release of Archetypes is a smart next move for the duchess. "If this Archetypes series comes out, this could pack a punch," she said.
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She also explained it was great for Markle to be going solo on this project. "Meghan is an independent woman, so she would be anxious to prove herself on her own.
"Of course, she still has the connection with Harry that gives her more kudos. So she still has that even on her own.
"And it does appear that it's a programme much more suitable for her to do on her own and I think it would only look silly if Harry was involved.
"He would look very much to be tagging onto that which wouldn't be appropriate either."
Archetypes was teased back in March, although we don't yet have an official Spotify release date. It will aim to "dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back," which is very much one of the duchess' causes, so MacLaran has a point when she says this is a good project for her to be working on by herself.
Markle's Netflix animated series Pearl, which had girls' empowerment as its broader premise, has sadly been canceled.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.