Even though As Ever still hasn’t sent me a free apricot spread (?!!?!), I’m still getting As Ever’s promotional emails. On Wednesday, the Duchess of Sussex and her team made a big new announcement: MOAR WINE! Their first-ever wine drop happened on July 1st, and they sold out of the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé within a few hours. Everyone thought that Meghan would wait several months before doing another wine line. We were wrong! Those unnamed sources were wrong. Next week, As Ever’s 2024 Napa Valley Rosé is going on sale. My first thought was… Meg and her team ran the numbers and they were like, holy sh-t, we need to go all-in on the wine, because we’re minting money. You know what a new wine line means, right? Those royal reporters are going to have to organize another round of blind taste-tests.
Speaking of Meghan minting money, it’s looking more and more likely that Archewell’s team did make some calls in the past week, because there’s been a steady reeling in of the “Harry and Meghan are going to be broke-ass because Netflix hates them” narrative. Even the Daily Mail’s columnists have begun walking back some of their crazier claims. On Wednesday, the Mail’s Alison Boshoff wrote a piece about how Harry and Meghan are going to get a different deal from Netflix and they’re still going to be rich as hell. Boshoff still throws in a million other insults, but the broad strokes are positive. Some highlights:
The Netflix deal: “Many have reported that [the Netflix contract] will be allowed to run out in September because Netflix has ‘lost interest’ in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex… but that isn’t right. At all! As reported, the current deal will come to an end in September. But the couple are still firmly attached to the Netflix money hose. Netflix boss Ted Sarandos remains a huge fan, of Meghan’s in particular, and his support is a powerful secret weapon. There will be a third series of the Duchess’s lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, if she wants to make one. And I hear she does. Multiple sources say the couple are getting a new ‘first look’ deal with the streamer, which will be in line with the $65million deal Barack and Michelle Obama now have – and it doesn’t get bigger than that.
We might get holiday specials: “I also hear there are options on the table for other lifestyle shows from the Duchess, tied to hosting gatherings at Thanksgiving or Christmas. The idea is to announce those in September when the second series (already shot) of With Love, Meghan drops.
More money in 2026: “In fact…. one well-placed source believes the Sussexes are going to make MORE money next year from Netflix and Meghan’s Netflix–backed brand, As Ever, than they did this year.”
Some Archewell projects are being put on ice: “But it’s bad news for their own large team at Archewell Productions, which has been funded up to now by the Netflix exclusive deal. Insiders suggest that running the team and the office costs around $3million (£2.25m) a year. Although their team won’t comment, some belt–tightening on the production side looks inevitable. The fate of projects in development – including a rom–com film based on the book Meet Me At The Lake and a retelling of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations – is not known. Many believe they will just go on ice – forever – as the Sussex team has not yet come up with a script which appeals enough to Netflix bosses Ted Sarandos and Bela Bajaria to get the green light. However, sources close to the couple themselves say we can expect more projects from them BOTH for Netflix.
Harry’s got more projects in the pipeline: “Despite truly poor ratings for his documentaries Polo and Heart of Invictus, Harry will also be a part of the first–look deal. He is said to be intending to make more documentary shows for Netflix, most likely in the areas of mental health and the environment – which are twin passions.
Meghan’s focused on growing As Ever: “Meanwhile, Meghan is busy focusing on the best ways to grow her lifestyle brand, As Ever. That was launched in partnership with Netflix this spring, with Meghan registering the trademark and Netflix managing it and providing some staff. I’m told she is mulling the best ways to ‘evolve’ her brand, which she wants to keep affordable. She also wants to make sure that it maintains quality as it grows.
I also think they’ll put some projects on ice, but it’s nice to hear that Harry is interested in doing more documentaries or docu-series. For me, the problem with Harry’s solo(ish) Netflix projects has never been the projects themselves, but the lack of promotion and the lack of energy he seems to have for “selling” what he’s doing. Maybe if he’s planning on doing more personal projects involving mental health (akin to The Me You Can’t See, which is an excellent series), he’ll actually go outside and promote the stuff and really talk about it.
Anyway, I’m excited for everything Meghan has in the pipeline. I hope the situation is like this, that it’s a first-look contract and that Netflix is super-committed to With Love, Meghan and As Ever. A holiday special! If she does a Christmas special, y’all know Harry will make an appearance to decorate a massive Christmas tree. He’ll probably stop by to spike the ‘nog as well. As Ever Eggnog? As Evernog? Meghan should do cutesy sh-t like that too.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, As Ever’s IG.
