Nearly a year has passed since Meghan and Harry gave up their royal titles and moved to California. And now the couple has taken the final step in their transformation from non-royals to full-time famous people by doing what all celebrities who are worth their salt have done in 2020: They’ve started a podcast.
It was announced today that the couple is joining Spotify and the wonderful world of celebrity podcasting with Archewell Audio, their audio-first production company. Archewell — a play on their baby son’s name, Archie — is also the name of their charitable foundation, although it seems Archewell Audio will operate separately. We also must differentiate Archewell Audio from their yet-to-be-named production company, which was announced this fall in conjunction with a multiyear (and multimillion-dollar) deal with Netflix.
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a joint statement. “With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”
The trailer for Archewell Audio dropped today. It features Meghan and Harry introducing themselves on some really high-fidelity recording equipment and discussing the themes of their podcast (kindness, change, etc.) to a background of inspirational music. Their first episode will be a holiday special, coming soon, and their full first series is expected in January.
It’s unclear what exactly it will involve. Probably, it’ll be something like Michelle Obama’s podcast, which features conversations between the First Lady and her friends, family, and other famous people. That said, I would die for a serialized version of the Sussexes’ dramatic decampment from the royal family, but I suppose that’s asking for too much.