Prince Harry and Meghan Hollywood crisis unravels as industry won't 'take them seriously'

Hollywood has reportedly turned its back on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as new claims emerged over the industry’s “genuine dislike and distrust” towards the couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were notably absent from last week’s WME’s star-studded Emmy bash in Beverly Hills, California, according to the Mail.

It is not known whether Harry and Meghan were not invited or declined to attend.

WME (William Morris Endeavor) is one of Hollywood’s leading talent agencies and includes Meghan as one of its clients.

In April last year, it was announced that Meghan had signed a representative deal with the talent agency, which stated that it would focus on “building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency and its broader ecosystem, including film and television production, brand partnerships, and more.”

Now the Mail claims that Hollywood insiders have suggested that the business is losing interest in the Montecito couple.

One senior figure said that Harry and Meghan “seem to be reaping the kind of ‘schadenfreude with extra venom’ at which the entertainment business excels”.

They added: “It was only a matter of time before the industry press started taking shots. It’s hard to find anyone with a good word to say for their film and television credibility.”

Meanwhile, a Hollywood producer said: “I don’t think mainstream Hollywood ever took them seriously. From day one Archewell felt to most industry onlookers more like a brand ­building exercise than a genuine production operation. Netflix were handing out vanity deals like candy at the time and so everybody just shrugged their shoulders and assumed their company wouldn’t get much done despite the generous backing.

“But even Harry and Meghan ­naysayers would have been shocked at how little they’ve ­actually achieved.

“And in the more austere climate of the industry in 2024 when thousands of people have lost jobs and the entertainment industry economy is struggling, there’s now a genuine dislike and distrust towards them by some.”

The party took place just days after The Hollywood Reporter’s scathing report labelling Meghan “Duchess Difficult” and claiming that her staff are allegedly “terrified” of her and her “belittling” behaviour towards them.

A Hollywood publicist said: “First of all, everyone industry-wide, EVERYONE reads The Hollywood Reporter. It’s really striking that WME did not stop this running.

“WME normally – you would think – would have been threatening and denying access to other stars. Was this done here?

“The only thing the Sussexes could rally with was ‘no comment at this time’ from a spokesman.”