Taylor Swift has ‘brutally rejected’ Meghan Markle‘s invite and has seemingly teamed up with royal rivals instead.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left royal duties behind in 2020 and now reside in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Their journey has been explored in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which covers their relationship from its beginning to life in the U.S.
Since stepping down as royals, the Duke and Duchess have taken on numerous ventures, with Markle’s podcast being one of them.
The Duchess ventured into the world of podcasting back in 2022 by announcing Archetypes.
It was described as a ‘podcast where we investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.’
Archetypes set out to interview influential women, including tennis sensation Serena Williams, music icon Mariah Carey, and media personality Paris Hilton.
However, Spotify called it quits on the podcast after just 12 episodes.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told the BBC the show hadn’t been renewed as there’s a need for ‘new innovation.’
He said: “We thought, ‘We can come in and offer a great experience that both makes consumers very happy and allows new creators new avenues.’”
But this wouldn’t be the only reason Markle’s podcast made headlines.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Duchess wrote a ‘personal letter’ to Swift asking her to appear on Archetypes ‘but the singer declined, through a representative.’
Swift is currently on The Eras Tour, the highest-grossing tour in history and it’s been a huge hit with fans.
It’s even been popular with celebrities, with stars such as Emma Stone, Drew Barrymore, and Shania Twain having been spotted.
And now, it’s not just A-listers attending but royals too!
Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday by attending the Wembley Stadium for The Eras Tour on June 21.
From images and videos online, it appears to have been a night to remember.
Videos of the Prince of Wales dancing at the performance went viral online, with one capturing him shimmying to ‘Shake it Off’ from the VIP balcony, alongside his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
But the fun didn’t stop there, the royals were whisked backstage for a private meet and greet with the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer.
Selfies of their meeting have been posted online and show the four beaming backstage, with Swift sharing one captioned: “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start.”
It’s been deemed a huge blow for Markle, with the ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ singer ‘declining’ to appear on her podcast.
Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi says: “If there’s one thing Meghan covets above all else is celebrity attention and the former actress probably isn’t going to be happy with Taylor Swift making time for William and his children.”
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield echoes this, adding: “If you recall, Meghan Markle handwrote a letter to Taylor Swift asking her to appear on her podcast and Taylor had her people reach back out to Meghan and decline that invitation.
“But Prince William and Taylor have a very good history, there’s a very funny video of them from 2013 rocking it out with Bon Jovi at a charity event… I do think this is Taylor saying, ‘I found a side, I’ve chosen a side.’”
PR expert Ryan McCormick has a similar sentiment, telling the Mirror that Swift’s relationship with Prince William may be ‘unnerving’ to Markle.
He adds that if Swift had ‘supported the Duchess in any way,’ it could have resulted in Swifties favoring Markle instead.
Since parting ways with Spotify, Markle has announced she’s preparing to launch a new podcast with the network Lemonada.
In a statement, the Duchess shared: “I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting.
“Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024.
“Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works. I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family.”
