Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘total system restart’: Couple reconsiders their career direction after being surprised Spotify ‘rejects so many of their ideas’, sources claim

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not expect Spotify to “reject so many of their ideas,” Omid Scobie says in his new book.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘cheerleader-in-chief’ said the couple have learned a ‘mountain of lessons’ about ‘the business side of things’ after they ‘rushed’ to strike commercial deals after leaving their roles in the royal family.

In his book Endgame, published in Britain on Tuesday, Scobie said the Sussexes “might have thought twice” about signing some lucrative deals “had they not been under so much financial pressure.”

The couple’s multi-million pound Spotify deal was terminated in June following a ‘mutual’ decision between the streaming giant and the Duke and Duchess’ company Archewell Audio.

For their next chapter, Meghan, 42, and Harry, 39, are embarking on “a total system reboot,” a source said PEOPLEwhile an insider told Mr Scobie that the Duchess is ‘building something rooted in her love of detail, curation, hosting, the simple pleasures of life and family.’

Discussing the deal with Spotify, Scobie wrote: “Neither expected managers to reject so many of their ideas. The streamer, a company source said, was only interested in paying for juicy goods that could generate big headlines and bring in subscriptions.”

He added that only part of the ‘$20m’ (£15m) deal was ever paid out, with a source quoted in the book saying: ‘A lot of lessons have certainly been learned when it comes to the business side.’

Mr Scobie suggested Meghan’s next step is to build “something more approachable… something rooted in her love of detail, curation, hosting, the simple pleasures of life and family,” a source said.

A friend of the Duchess told the author: ‘Meghan is busy creating something safe and timeless. And something that won’t be accused of riding on the back of anything royal.”

Meanwhile, a source told PEOPLE magazine that the Duke and Duchess are “all about the future.”

They said: ‘What we’re seeing – and I think we’ll see more – is Heghan 2.0. Share Deux. They know their perceived failures and how they are viewed, but they have become almost more technological than Hollywood. Big failures and all that.

“They have swapped all kinds of projects and people and are doing a total system reboot.”

In October, Spotify’s CEO suggested that Harry and Meghan’s podcast deal fell through because consumers weren’t happy with it after the Sussexes produced just 12 episodes in two and a half years.

Daniel Ek, who made a rare media appearance nearly four months after it was announced that the Archetypes podcast would not be renewed for a second season, admitted that some of Spotify’s innovative ideas haven’t gone to plan.

Sources close to the pair’s multi-million pound deal – which was signed by them in 2020 – said it was scrapped after the pair failed to produce enough content to justify the full payout.

Spotify boss Ek shed new light on the decision not to renew Harry and Meghan’s deal, telling the BBC: ‘We thought new innovation was needed here.

“We thought we could come in and provide a great experience that both makes consumers very happy and opens up new avenues for new creators.”

He added: “And the truth is some of it has worked, some of it hasn’t. We learn from that and move on. We wish everyone we didn’t renew the best success they can have in the future.”

Ek spoke to the BBC’s Zoe Kleinman, who had asked him whether twelve podcasts over two and a half years from the Sussexes would be worth £18 million. She said his response had been “very diplomatic.”

Meghan’s podcast was one of the most high-profile casualties at the time. It came after Spotify’s deal with Barack and Michell Obama’s production company also ended last year.

During a conference call with financial analysts earlier this year, Ek admitted mistakes were made during a $1 billion-plus run as the company tried to establish itself as the industry’s biggest competitor.

After it became known that Harry and Meghan’s podcast would not be renewed, Spotify CEO Bill Simmons described the couple as ‘f****** grifters’, an Americanism for scammers.

Simmons, head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, condemned the pair in an episode of his own podcast.

“The damn scammers. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” he said. “One night I have to get drunk and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.’

Mr Scobie today insisted that Harry and Meghan had not informed him about Endgame, but revealed that ‘people around them’ were happy to tell all about ‘the ins and outs’ of their feuds with the royal family.

The author appears to be in New York for a series of US TV interviews to promote his latest attack on the royal family, calling much of the criticism against it ‘nonsense’.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard, the Sussexes’ favorite royal reporter said he had met Meghan a number of times.

But he again denied he was close to the former Suits star and her royal husband, repeatedly insisting they had not helped him with the new book.

He said: “There are plenty of people around them and in their environment who know the ins and outs of things,” adding: “If there has ever been a private meeting with Meghan, I have talked about it.”

Mr Scobie has denied he was biased towards the Sussexes. He said he is attracted to “injustice” and wants to highlight what he sees as the hypocrisy of the Windsors trying to be a “perfect example of traditional family values.”

Scobie’s ‘depressingly toxic’ Endgame was today written off as yet another book by those working inside Buckingham Palace, MailOnline can reveal. Omid is particularly cruel to Prince William and his wife, who he says is called “Katie Keen.”

He also seems to blame them, especially Kate, for pushing Meghan out: “There was a coldness towards Meghan from the very beginning that I always found quite surprising.

‘I always found it interesting that when Meghan was going through the toughest days of her life and struggling with mental health issues… someone in the family who first experienced that look as a newcomer herself… failed to turn around and help a family member . I think that says a lot about someone’s character.’

He also told the Evening Standard that Meghan, as a “woman of colour”, becoming royal is a “very important moment in British history”.

He said the Windsors should have made more of an effort to keep her close, “regardless of whether she is nice.” By not keeping her at The Firm, she sends a “strong message about the institution’s attitude towards people from different backgrounds.”

He told the Standard that Prince William was now ‘very upset, very short-tempered, quick to react’ and that staff ‘need to check which way the wind is blowing before talking to him’.

Scobie told the Standard: “I wonder how happy he is in his role,” adding that he believes there is a “growing rift between father and son.”

Buckingham Palace has maintained a contemptuous silence, but a royal source has dismissed Scobie’s Endgame as yet another book about the Windsors not worthy of official comment.

The insider told MailOnline when asked if there was any truth to Mr Scobie’s claims: ‘Hundreds of books have been written about the royal family.’ Endgame was released today, but some reviews were bad.

Even the Sussex-sympathizing New York Times was withering, likening his writing to a single-section AI chatbot compared to a press release from Meghan and Harry.

The new book about the royal family was labeled ‘evil’ and ‘downright nasty’ last night. Well-placed sources described wild claims that Charles, Camilla and William were plotting to undermine Harry and Meghan as ‘depressingly toxic’.

Omid Scobie’s book also takes aim at the Princess of Wales, labeling her “cold” and castigating her for supporting mental health care while “ignoring Meghan’s cries for help.”