Meghan Markle and Harry 'upstaged' by Kate and William in battle for spotlight
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s big moment over the weekend appeared to be ‘upstaged’ by Kate and William, who seem to be taking a leaf...Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s big moment over the weekend appeared to be ‘upstaged’ by Kate and William, who seem to be taking a leaf out of their book.
The royal drama continues. Meghan Markle and Harry are enjoying the incredible battles in the Invictus Games after they launched the weekend. However, as Prince Harry has been seen grinning ear-to-ear over the intense sports, other royals have captured the spotlight. It joins the long list of awkward occasions where timing has caused a stir within The Firm.
Kate and William ‘upstaged’ Meghan Markle and Harry
The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, joined her husband and other royal family members on a recent podcast. Prince William sat down with his aunt and the Princess Royal – Princess Ann – and Kate for his cousin’s Mike Tindall’s podcast.
The former athlete invited the royals to chat on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
In the candid conversation, Mike joked Kate wasn’t “uber competitive” in spirit and teased he’s seen her “play beer pong” which would say otherwise.
The mom-of-three then admitted she and Wills often go head-to-head in sports.
She said: “I don’t think we’ve managed to finish a game of tennis, the two of us.
“It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us.”
William then agreed it becomes a game of “who can out-mental each other”.
The next Queen Consort then admitted she loves cold swimming, to the point where William is concerned, calling her “crazy”.
Royals and podcasts
Royals and podcasts isn’t exactly new. Harry and Meghan launched their own with Spotify, a deal reportedly worth millions, after leaving the palace. In 2020, the same year they moved from the UK to a mansion based in Montecito, California, the deal was announced.
The reported $20 million deal to produce “uplifting” projects, under their company Archewell Audio, eventually collapsed.
Less than a year after Archetypes, Meghan’s debut podcast, launched, the deal was over. At the time it was announced, it came to an end via mutual agreement. Meghan would interview famous women and some episodes would peak to the top of the charts.
Spotify exec Bill Simmons spoke about the ordeal earlier this year, though, and it wasn’t all good things.
He called the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “f*****g grifters”. The head of podcast innovation and monetization at the tech giant didn’t hold back on his thoughts.
He claimed that’s the name of the podcast they should have launched, and teased he had a story about Harry.
He added: “I gotta 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.”
But, Simmons has made it clear he’s not a fan of the duo, who are reportedly eyeing up a new Miami mansion. Last January, he slammed the 38-year-old prince for “giving interviews” and ‘selling documentaries’.
Poor timing for Harry and Meghan
As Kate and William’s upcoming plans could spark trouble for Harry and Meghan, in terms of media, timing wasn’t their friend this weekend.
The podcast came on the first day of the Invictus Games. It holds a special place in the Duke’s heart. His recent Netflix documentary filmed himself and athletes preparing for the 2022 games.
The recent docu-series, and speaking out about mental health in the past, this year’s games were to be a highlight in his schedule. But Wills and Kate’s recent chat caught the spotlight, especially being released on the same day.
But it’s not the first time timing has become a problem for the former Fab Four.
Stealing the limelight – a timeline
Here are some other times when some of the royals, like Meghan Markle, Harry, William and Kate may have felt upstaged.
In March 2020, Queen Consort Camilla was claimed to be “furious” after she spoke about domestic violence at the Women of the World Festival in London. But images of Meghan’s unknown visit to the National Theatre were released shortly after.
The Duke admitted himself in his memoir that the couple announced their pregnancy at cousin Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
Harry then spoke about life as a royal and relationship with his brother on James Corden’s The Late Late Show. It came as Queen Elizabeth II sat down to make a rare appearance and speech about Covid-19 in February 2021.
The Sussexes’ series on the streaming giant, Harry & Meghan, launched in December. But the Prince and Princess of Wales released a video on their Instagram. It highlighted the work of the Earthshot Prize, founded by Wills, and was reportedly uploaded minutes beforehand.
The second instalment of the Netflix doc aired on December 15. This is also when Kate organized the carol service at Westminster Abbey.
To promote his memoir, Spare, Harry sat down with Tom Bradby on primetime TV. The interview was to discuss bombshell allegations in his book, and it aired the eve of Kate’s 41st birthday.
