PRINCE Harry has been mocked for his podcast ideas by a Spotify executive who labelled him and his wife Meghan as “f***ing grifters”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just had their multi-million-pound contract with the streaming giant cancelled after a slump in listeners.
And now they have been hauled over the coals by one of the company’s most senior figures.
Spotify’s head of global sports content Bill Simmons has publicly insulted the pair, who quit frontline royal duties in 2020 when moving to California in the United States.
Simmons labelled the couple “f**ing grifters” on the latest episode of his own show, The Bill Simmons Podcast.
And he also revealed details of an encounter with Harry who was brainstorming podcast ideas – only to be met with ridicule.
The couple’s £18m Archetypes podcast project was scrapped by Spotify last week following reports they did not meet “productivity requirements“.
Meghan’s show, where she discussed “labels that try to hold women back”, was axed after only producing 13 episodes in 31 months.
Both Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, have now been blasted for signing the multi-million pound deal and ditching it after only one series.
Spotify and the couple’s company Archewell released a joint statement on Thursday claiming that the deal was ended by “mutual agreement”.
But Simmons has gone public with his anger towards them pair he labelled “f***ing grifters”.
And he threatened to “get drunk one night” and tell all about his meeting with Harry.
Simmons said of the duke and duchess: “The f***ing grifters – that’s the podcast we should’ve launched with them.
“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.”
‘Re-branding’ of Meghan
Meanwhile, Meghan has been tipped to launch an attempted “rebrand” while signing up with French fashion house Dior.
The mooted move – which would put her alongside fellow celebrity Dior ambassadors Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence– has been suggested as a way to cushion the blow of losing her £18m Spotify contract.
A source from her agency William Morris Endeavour was quoted by the Mail On Sunday as saying: “We knew the Spotify announcement was coming.
“It might be a shock to everyone else but we’ve been working on the re-branding of Meghan for weeks.”
Yet the rumoured link-up with Dior has also been denied by sources close to the duchess.
Meghan revealed she had signed the Spotify podcast deal in December 2020 following the pair’s departure from the Firm.
It took a further 18 months before the Archetypes series was launched in August 2022.
The podcast sparked controversy after Meghan claimed baby Archie had to be saved from a fire when they were on a royal tour of Africa during one episode.
She also appeared to take a swipe at claims by Palace insiders that she was “Duchess Difficult”, as she told listeners that setting boundaries doesn’t make her “difficult”.
Meghan also said she quit an $800-per-episode job as a briefcase model on game show “Deal Or No Deal” because she felt “objectified”.
Another episode slammed the Austin Powers comedy films and action movie “Kill Bill” for their representation of Asian women.
Harry has also launched attacks on his family with his book “Spare”, published in January this year – though he did briefly come back to Britain for his father Charles‘s coronation as King last month.
