Meghan Markle’s recent announcement that her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, is going on hiatus has sparked criticism from royal expert Kinsey Schofield, who questioned the true reasons behind the decision.
The Duchess of Sussex recently appeared on the Aspire podcast hosted by Emma Grede, where she revealed her decision to pause the podcast to concentrate on building her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, now rebranded as As Ever.
During the interview, Meghan explained the move was strategic, saying, “As I knew I was in this building phase of my business, what an amazing opportunity to pull back the curtain and let people see what’s happening at the start… And to then take everyone’s advice, and mine included, and to say, ‘I love that there’s so much excitement and desire for another season, but I need to focus on my business.’”
Meghan described the podcast as a valuable platform that allowed her to “be really candid and vulnerable personally about my learns and stumbles along the way,” and called the experience of connecting with fellow female entrepreneurs a “privilege.”
However, royal commentator Kinsey Schofield offered a much less favorable interpretation during an appearance on Sky News with host Rita Panahi. “I think this is her being dishonest,” Schofield said bluntly. “Confessions of a Female Founder was not an analytical success.”
Schofield argued that the podcast’s underwhelming reception played a key role in the decision to shelve it. “Of course, she’s going to put it on the back burner, because if she doesn’t, we’re going to constantly remind her what a failure it is, along with a lot of her other projects.”
The critique adds to a growing chorus of skepticism surrounding Meghan’s media ventures since stepping back from royal duties in 2020. Her first podcast, Archetypes, launched with much fanfare under a multi-million-dollar Spotify deal, but it too ended after just one season.
The Duchess’s attention has now shifted to As Ever, her recently launched lifestyle brand, which she says will reflect her personal values and aesthetic. It marks her latest attempt to re-establish her identity outside the royal family through entrepreneurship and storytelling.
As she moves forward with her brand-building efforts, public opinion remains divided—some praising her for transparency and ambition, others echoing Schofield’s sentiment that the hiatus is less about creative focus and more about quietly stepping away from a struggling project.