Spotify takes charge of Harry and Meghan's podcast after seeing no content in over a year

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started a number of new ventures after quitting as working British royals and relocating to the United States, one of which was an £18million podcast deal with Spotify. However, the couple hasn't been able to submit new podcasts to Spotify, after which the audio streaming giant has decided to take the matter "into its own hands."

The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex released their first podcast with Spotify in December 2020 through their audio-first production company Archewell Audio. The podcast was a 35-minute holiday special featuring their celebrity pals such as Elton John and James Corden. They also hired high-flying podcast producer Rebecca Sanaes as their "head of audio" at Archewell last year, but they haven't been able to release another podcast since their debut.

Spotify, which has been waiting more than a year for them to produce material as part of their arrangement, is now planning to hire a host of in-house producers to finally air some new content, reports The Sun.

A source close to the project said: "Spotify has been waiting a long time for some content from Harry and Meghan and now it appears they have finally taken matters into their own hands. Hiring a raft of in-house talent on Spotify's side will ensure they finally squeeze something out of them as they bid to honour their contract."

The streaming giant said it was looking forward to a "full-scale" launch of shows in 2021, but not a single episode appeared, which pushed them to make the decision. The in-house staff being recruited by Spotify will now work with Harry and Meghan's Archewell Audio to help them produce a show that features "the voices of high profile women."

The jobs based in Los Angeles are being offered to applicants on short six-month contracts. One advert for the vacancy for a senior producer role at Gimlet Projects, Spotify's own production arm, read: "We're currently assembling a show team that will build and launch a new original show with Archewell featuring the voices of high profile women. The ideal candidate has experience working with high-profile talent, and an interest in the intersection of social activism and popular culture."