Vlad and dads?
Meghan Markle only hosted one podcast, “Archetypes,” under her and Prince Harry’s failed $20 million Spotify deal — but that doesn’t mean the redheaded royal didn’t have podcast ideas of his own.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that unidentified insiders claim Harry, 38, met with several producers and production houses to brainstorm show concepts.
He was reportedly the biggest fan of his own ideas — including a podcast about childhood trauma with a slew of controversial, big-shot guests.
Per Bloomberg, Harry wanted to speak with Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump about their early years and how their experiences shaped their adulthoods.
Harry reportedly also pitched a podcast centered around fatherhood, as well as another that would explore societal conversations ranging from climate change to religion.
He allegedly envisioned Pope Francis as the perfect guest to dissect the latter topic.
“The practicality of these ideas struck some people in the Harry-podcast cosmos as questionable at best, given that people like Putin and Zuckerberg rarely give wide-ranging interviews about the topics they’re passionate about — let alone about their upbringings and personal childhood traumas,” reporter Ashley Carman wrote in her Bloomberg newsletter.
The Post has contacted reps for Archewell Audio, Spotify, and Carman for comment.
The Duke of Sussex tragically lost his mom, Princess Diana, at just 12 years old when she was killed in a paparazzi car chase in 1997.
He admitted in January to using drugs and alcohol to cope with her death.
He became a father in 2019 with the birth of his son, Archie. He and Markle welcomed Lilibet in 2021.
In a joint statement to The Post last week, Spotify and Archewell Audio said they have “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
A source close to the situation told The Post at the time that Archewell didn’t produce enough content to receive the full payout of the hefty deal the couple signed in 2020.
“Archetypes,” which launched in August 2022 and lasted 12 episodes, was the only project the couple provided Spotify during their two-and-a-half-year partnership.
Speculation that Markle, 41, didn’t directly interview her guests resurfaced after the parting-ways announcement.
In August, writer Allison Yarrow expressed thanks to an “Archetypes” producer for being “an excellent interviewer.”
Sources claim that some of the show’s interviews were done by members of the duchess’s staff — and her voice asking the same questions was added in later.
Sportswriter and podcaster Bill Simmons slammed the couple in the wake of the fractured deal, calling them “f – – king grifters” on an episode of his namesake podcast.
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation,” said Simmons, the founder of the Ringer and the head of Spotify’s global sports strategy.
“… That’s a podcast we should’ve launched with them. I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of this Zoom I had with Harry to try to help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories,” he added.
On Monday, Page Six Style also confirmed that a previously-rumored “mega-bucks” deal between Markle and Dior will not happen.
But the former “Suits” star could have her eye on a future Cartier deal, the outlet reported.
