Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were allegedly given biting nicknames by Spotify staff. The clandestine names for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to have been coined by disgruntled ex-employees who worked on their podcast Archetypes, which was axed in June 2023 after just one series despite a whopping £18 million deal with the streaming behemoth.
Despite the podcast, hosted by 43-year-old Meghan and aimed at exploring “labels that try to hold women back”, winning awards and featuring high-profile guests like Mariah Carey, Serena Williams and Paris Hilton, the decision was made not to produce a second series, dealing a blow to the former royals. UK Royal correspondent Neil Sean has now claimed that former Spotify staff members who worked with Meghan on the show have disclosed what they used to call Meghan as a “warning signal” that she was “arriving or on the warpath”.
He said: “Ex-staff members told me they decided to christen her ‘Eva.'” He elaborated to Fox News: “This wasn’t an engaging pet nickname. The nickname came from the 1955 camp classic ‘Queen Bee’ starring the ultimate diva herself – Joan Crawford…This is because, like the Joan character [Eva Phillips], she stung her victims to pieces. This is exactly how staff felt about working alongside [Meghan].”
The film’s synopsis describes it as a tale of “a socialite who manipulates everyone around her, only to ruin their lives”. A source revealed that Meghan was oblivious to the nickname she had been given during her time working on the podcast.
Neil also alleged that staff confided in him about the difficulties they faced with Meghan behind the scenes, citing her “mood swings” and describing her as “quite tough and bossy”. It was further suggested that Meghan preferred “to speak to the person at the top” while collaborating with the show’s team, reports the Mirror.
Initially “warm and effusive”, Meghan reportedly turned “cold and withholding towards the person she perceived to be responsible” when things went awry, often due to demands made by her and Harry, according to Neil’s informant. He was told: “At the beginning people were beguiled by Meghan’s presence. But it quickly wore off when she became demanding… clearly forgetting her struggling actress days.”
Not just Meghan, but Prince Harry too had a moniker; Neil claimed he was referred to as ‘Tim Nice-But-Dim’, echoing the 1990s British comedy character from Harry Enfield and Chums, known for his affable yet simple nature, epitomising ‘low achievers from wealthy backgrounds’ with the catchphrase ‘bloody nice bloke!’
The legendary character is portrayed by Harry Enfield, who also takes on the role of Prince Charles in Channel 4’s Royal parody series, The Windsors. The Daily Record has contacted representatives for Harry and Meghan as well as Spotify for their comments on this.