The Duchess of Sussex has announced that her first Spotify podcast will finally be released this summer after she and Prince Harry challenged the streaming platform over hosting coronavirus disinformation.
The duke and duchess this year said they had relayed their “concerns” to Spotify, with whom they have a $25 million deal, amid anger at the American podcast host Joe Rogan and his interviews with vaccine sceptics. Rogan, who drew heavy criticism, apologised but remains on the streaming site.
In a statement released last night from their Archewell foundation, the couple said: “As we all continue to tackle the misinformation era, Archewell Audio has found it important to work with our partners at Spotify to ensure that the digital technologies so many of us use every day are rooted in strong principles of trust and safety.
“We are encouraged by ongoing conversations we’ve had with Spotify on this shared goal and have been working closely with their team — as well as their senior leadership — towards policies, practices, and strategies meant to raise creator awareness, minimise the spread of misinformation, and support transparency.
“As we move forward at Archewell Audio, we too are eager to be responsible stewards of an audio landscape that is well resourced with quality, fact-based information — particularly when it comes to public health.”
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Rogan was signed up by Spotify in a 2020 deal said to be worth more than $200 million. The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify’s biggest podcast in the United States and 92 other markets. It was the most popular podcast on the platform last year despite the criticism.
The Sussexes have faced questions over the sparsity of material they have produced since signing two huge deals.
They appeared in a holiday podcast shortly after signing their Spotify deal, and critics have noted that their $110 million Netflix deal has not given way to many projects, although production on an inspirational cartoon produced by the duchess is now under way.
Little is known about the duchess’s upcoming podcast. It will be produced by Archewell Audio, an offshoot of the foundation set up by the Sussexes.
Rogan, a 54-year-old stand-up comedian, sparked fury when he suggested that young and healthy people should not get vaccinated.
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Spotify has previously said that it re-evaluated – and ultimately changed – its policies as a result of the pressure it received over the Rogan podcast. It said that it would not “take on the position of a content censor” but that it would enforce the rules.
Harry had blamed “mass-scale misinformation” for vaccine hesitancy and accused news and social media platforms of “peddling lies” about vaccines. He described online misinformation as a “global humanitarian issue”.
The couple contacted Spotify last year to express concerns about Rogan’s podcast.
They said that they had faced pressure to walk away from their deal after the musicians Joni Mitchell and Neil Young demanded that their songs be removed from the platform because they were angry at the alleged spread of Covid vaccine misinformation on the podcast. They said that false claims over the jabs could put lives at risk.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall has been made royal patron of the National Theatre by the Queen. It is the first of the Duchess of Sussex’s former patronages to be taken over. The role was stripped away as part of the “post-Megxit” review.
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The theatre said that it was delighted that Camilla had been given the role, describing her as a devoted fan of theatre and champion of literature and drama.
Rufus Norris, director and joint chief executive of the National Theatre, said: “The duchess shares our belief that theatre enriches our lives in so many ways and that everyone should have access to the arts and creativity no matter where they are in the world.
“The duchess has shown great support to our industry throughout the pandemic, and I look forward to working with Her Royal Highness for many years to come.
“I would also like to express my thanks to the Queen for Her Majesty’s long and unwavering support and service to the National Theatre.”
