Prince Harry was hoping to interview Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg about their upbringing and childhood traumas on a Spotify podcast, it has emerged.
Harry discussed his ideas for possible shows with multiple producers and production companies, telling them how he wanted to speak to the controversial figures about their childhoods and how they became the men they are today.
He also reportedly wanted to speak to Pope Francis for a series on religion – with execs left scratching their heads, according to Bloomberg.
The revelations come after Harry – who didn’t end up producing any solo podcasts – and his wife Meghan had their £15 million Spotify deal axed.
Prince Harry (pictured with Meghan Markle in 2022) was reportedly hoping to interview Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg about their upbringing and childhood traumas
It’s understood Harry wanted to delve into the upbringings of Trump and Putin (pictured together in 2018) and how they became the men they are today
Harry was also understood to be keen on speaking to Mark Zuckerberg (pictured in 2020), leaving Spotify execs scratching their heads
The streaming giant and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement on last Thursday, announcing that they had ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together’.
Following a week of bombshells, in which Meghan Markle was accused of faking interviews and Spotify executive Bill Simmons’ called the Sussexes ‘f***ing grifters’, Prince Harry’s extraordinary podcast pitches have now emerged.
The Duke of Sussex, who insiders claimed earlier this month would stop tell-all interviews that bash the Royal Family as he and Meghan have ‘nothing left to say’, also had plans for a show centred on fatherhood.
Meanwhile, he is said to have pitched an idea to discuss societal conversations each episode, touching on climate change and religion. Harry wanted to interview Pope Francis for the latter, it is reported.
The practicality of interviewing these guests are said to have raised questions from those in Harry’s podcast team, especially considering that the likes of Putin and Zuckerberg aren’t ones to open about their childhood traumas.
Unfortunately for Harry, the Sussexes’ three-year deal with Soptify came crashing down without one of the duke’s ideas coming to fruition.
Meghan, who new polls suggest is more unpopular than ever, had her Archetypes podcast axed as Spotify begins to make changes and revamp its output.
Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a £15million ($20million) deal with Spotify for the project in late 2020 but insiders close to the audio giant claim the royal couple did not meet the productivity benchmark required to receive the full payout, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The move to ditch the Duchess of Sussex’s show, which explores the ‘labels that try to hold women back’, follows discussions months ago about renewing it for a second series.
The determined Duchess, however, is still planning to create more podcasts and find a new home for her series, that has previously featured her friend and tennis star Serena Williams, pop sensation Mariah Carey and South African comedian Trevor Noah.
The revelations come a week after Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast Archetypes (pictured) was axed
After the Sussexes company parted way with Spotify, Bill Simmons, one of the streaming giant’s top execs, called Harry and Meghan ‘f****** grifters’
In the days following the bombshell announcement, Bill Simmons, Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, condemned the pair in an episode of his own podcast last Friday.
‘The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,’ he said.
‘I’ve 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.’
Simmons, a sportswriter, founded sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer, and sold it to Spotify in 2020 for $200 million.
He then joined Spotify, and has long been critical of the couple, including when he blasted Harry last January, claiming it was ’embarrassing’ to be affiliated with the same company.
‘Shoot this guy to the sun,’ he said, according to sports website The Big Lead.
‘I’m so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews.
‘Who gives a s***? Who cares about your life?
Meghan Markle (pictured) was this week accused of faking some of the interviews that featured in her axed Spotify podcast Archetypes
Insiders claim that Harry and Meghan (pictured in 2018) are to stop tell-all interviews and step out of the public eye
The royal pair have raked in millions since moving to California. Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare was part of a $20million book deal
‘You weren’t even the favourite son. You live in f****** Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.’
Spotify has recently laid off staff and scaled back big-name talent in favour of emphasising the creator economy.
The streaming giant announced it would be laying off around 200 staff members – around two per cent of their workforce – who work within their podcast teams. It cited difficulties in making podcasts profitable, despite its popularity among listeners.
Meghan signed off her 13th and last Archetypes episode with a defiant piece of poetry about survival – but made no mention of a potential second series.
Since officially leaving the Royal Family and moving to California in 2020, the Duke and Duchess have pursued a number of different avenues to bring in revenue.
This includes Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare which he created as part of a $20 million deal with Penguin Books.
The couple also teamed up with Netflix to produce the docu-series called Harry And Meghan, with the streaming giant reportedly paying the pair $100 million for the six-episode series.
But more than three years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to ditch life in the Royal Family for pastures new in California, the pair will take a step back and remain behind the scenes of any future Netflix production.
Blistering attacks on members of the Royal Family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as the wider institution, will be put on hold as the couple plan to take on roles further away from the public eye, insiders told The Sun earlier this month.
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