Meghan Markle has announced she’s returning to the airwaves with a brand-new podcast – together with a chic and ‘approachable’ new look.
The Duchess of Sussex yesterday announced her first podcast with Lemonada Media, ‘Confessions of a Female Founder’, after the cancellation of her Archetypes series with Spotify.
It is set to feature conversations with businesswomen and friends talking about starting a company.
Posting the announcement on her Instagram account, Meghan revealed the new cover work, posing in a smart blue shirt and looking pensively at the camera.
It’s a far cry from Meghan’s Hollywood glam from her Suits days, and even her more refined looks from her time in the royal family before quitting in 2020.
Wearing minimal makeup, no jewellery, and pulling her locks back into a simple low ponytail, Meghan seems to be signalling in a new era with her pared-back look.
Analysing her new look, make-up artist Sabrina Dubois told FEMAIL that the Duchess is going for a more ‘relaxed, approachable vibe’ with her minimal make-up and undone hair.
But branding expert Emily Austen cast doubt on whether Meghan is actually achieving her goal, saying it might not help criticisms that she’s ‘changing so often it feels inauthentic’.
Meghan Markle has announced she’s returning to the airwaves with a brand-new podcast – together with a chic and ‘approachable’ new look
Sabrina noted that Meghan was going for the effortless ‘female founder’ look, similar to Gwyneth Paltrow or Sophia Amoruso, where ‘less is more and confidence comes from authenticity rather than glam’.
To achieve this, she said Meghan’s fresh and glowing skin indicated a sheer foundation or tinted moisturiser, with soft bronzer and cream blush adding a healthy, natural flush.
Meanwhile her lips are a muted pink ‘just enough to enhance her features ‘without looking too “done”‘, while her eye makeup is minimal, with just a touch of mascara and neutral shadow for subtle definition.
Sabrina said the much more pared back look is a ‘definite pivot’, adding: ‘Back then, it was all about structure and elegance. Now she’s embracing a stripped-back aesthetic that signals she’s here for real conversations, not just curated perfection.
‘It’s a smart move that makes her feel more down-to-earth and in touch with her audience.’
Meghan had opted for a similarly natural look for her Archetypes podcast, which launched on Spotify in 2022, but the ‘warmer’ tone for her latest endeavour and ‘more relaxed styling’ now makes her seem ‘more open and inviting’.
However, not everyone was convinced, with Emily saying it will be difficult for the Duchess to completely transform her public perception.
Compared to criticisms of her ‘overstyled’ and ‘performative’ Netflix show, she said Meghan appears to be trying to establish a ‘separate business persona’ with her new aesthetic.
The new look is a far cry from her Hollywood glamour from her days starring in Suits
When she married Prince Harry in 2018 and joined the British royal family, Meghan still showed a fondness for her old glamour with a refined touch of elegance. Pictured attending the Christmas Day church service in 2017
Meghan had also chosen a more natural look for her Spotify Archetypes podcast in 2022
‘I imagine too that the paired back look is an attempt to reduce the chatter around her clothing, jewellery, make up etc, so that the focus is solely on the Podcast,’ Emily told FEMAIL.
‘In any branding context, it can be counter productive to focus too much on the way you package an item. Ultimately, the product has to be great.
‘The ongoing interest, growth and customer love is entirely based in the greatness of the product.
‘The issue Meghan is coming up against is that the easy bit is the rebrand. The problem still exists once you open the packaging – the product isn’t resonating.’
From 2011 to late 2017, Meghan starred as Rachel Zane on the USA Network show Suits, typically opting for Hollywood glam during episodes and for red carpet appearances.
The actress would often be seen with a smokey eye look and heavier make-up than she now typically adopts for daily life in Montecito.
When she married Prince Harry in 2018 and joined the British royal family, Meghan still showed a fondness for her old glamour with a refined touch of elegance.
More recently, such as for her Spotify Archetypes podcast and recent tours to Colombia and Nigeria, Meghan has enjoyed a more relaxed make-up look with natural touches – with Confessions Of A Female Founder marking her most subtle look yet.
The American mother-of-two (pictured) is known to often do her own hair and makeup
The Duchess is known to often do her own make-up – meaning her looks demonstrate her personal preferences.
Lemonada described the show as inviting listeners ‘to be a fly on the wall as Meghan sits down for candid conversations with female founders and friends about the success, the struggles, and the never-before-told stories of building a business’.
A trailer will be released on March 25 with the first episode on April 8, and it comes after her new lifestyle show ‘With Love, Meghan’ premiered on Netflix on March 4.
On her Instagram account, the Duchess said she was ‘so excited’ to share news of the podcast, describing the experience as ‘absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun!’
Meghan said: ‘I’m so excited to share with you something else I’ve been working on: ‘Confessions Of A Female Founder,’ my new podcast with @lemonadamedia!
‘I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses.
‘They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As Ever. It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)’
The Duchess also told Deadline in a statement: ‘I’m so proud of what we’re creating, and the candid conversations that I’m able to have with other female founders as we unpack the twists and turns of building a business.
The Duchess of Sussex’s new show ‘With Love, Meghan’ came out on Netflix on March 4
‘Through my friendships and relationships, we’re able to dive into the type of insights that everyone wants to know as they’re building a business, and that I’m able to tap into as I’m building my own business with As Ever.’
Jessica Cordova Kramer, Lemonada chief executive and co-founder, added: ‘As female founders ourselves, Steph and I are grateful to get a chance to build alongside Meghan the exact podcast we needed when we started Lemonada.’
Lemonada’s chief creative officer and co-founder, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, said: ‘Meghan is such a warm and welcoming person, and you feel that in her interviews.
‘She creates a comfortable space for her guests to bring fascinating personal stories to the table and open up in a way they likely haven’t before publicly. Listeners can expect conversations that are way more break room than boardroom.’
Lemonada also said: ‘As Meghan herself navigates the world of entrepreneurship with the upcoming launch of her brand As Ever, be inspired by the real, unfiltered stories and lessons learned from notable female founders-from knowing your worth, to trusting your gut, securing investors, and investing in yourself.’
It follows Meghan’s Archetypes podcast about female stereotypes which ran for just one series and was part of the Sussexes’ previous deal with Spotify which ended in 2023.
Her Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’ was released last week to poor critical reviews, but has been confirmed to return for a second series.
The series was panned by critics, with The Guardian describing it as a ‘gormless lifestyle filler’ and ‘so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show’, while The Telegraph branded it ‘insane’ and an ‘exercise in narcissism’.
Prince Harry makes just one appearance at the end of the first season’s final episode
In the eight-part show, the former Suits actress give hosting tips and cooks with celebrity friends including The Office star Mindy Kaling.
The Duke of Sussex makes just one appearance at the end of the first season’s final episode when he joins Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland and friends for an outdoor celebratory brunch.
Meghan said it ‘feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you’, in what is likely to be seen as a nod to the restrictions she felt within the royal family.
She told People magazine that her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, visited her on set, which she called ‘really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work’, and spoke about her and Harry having a daily ‘nightcap recap’, where they discussed their day.
‘My husband met me when I had (the former lifestyle website) The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,’ she said. ‘It’s almost like a honeymoon period again.’
The Duchess also last week launched her lifestyle brand As Ever, with her website revealing her first products: raspberry jam, and the flower sprinkles she promotes throughout the show.
With Love, Meghan launched on Netflix on March 4 – with a second season now on the way
The Sussexes, who signed a $100million (£80million) deal with Netflix in 2020, have previously put out the controversial Harry & Meghan documentary, which features accusations against the royal family, and sport show Polo.
The second season of With Love, Meghan is coming in the autumn, and has already finished filming, according to Netflix.
Meghan signed the podcast deal with Lemonada Media in February last year after she and Prince Harry parted ways with Spotify.
It was announced at the time that she would host a new podcast series for the female-founded company and have Archetypes distributed to all platforms.
‘I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting,’ Meghan said in a statement at the time.
Lemonada produces shows around sex, grief and LGBTQ issues to help ‘make life suck less’.
The company was launched in 2019 by co-founders Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs who bonded after both losing their brothers to overdoses.
The pair now work with a host of celebrities from Sarah Silverman to Julia Louis-Dreyfus and have big backers including Stephanie Hannon, who served as chief technology officer for Hillary Clinton ‘s 2016 presidential campaign.
Wittels Wachs said in a 2022 interview that they realised ‘people are struggling and feeling really alone. The mission for Lemonada was born. Our desire to make the hard things easier’.
One of Lemonada’s most popular shows is Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which spent 29 days in a row at the top of the Apple Podcast charts.
In the podcast she sits down with Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Amy Tan, Diane von Furstenberg, Isabel Allende and Fran Lebowitz ‘to get schooled in how to live a full and meaningful life’.
The Netflix show is being viewed as a make-or-break moment for the Duke and Duchess
Another podcast, BEING Trans, follows a group of transgender people navigating their daily lives. Also on Lemonada is Raised by Ricki which revisits the iconic 90s talk show, the Ricki Lake Show, hosted by Ricki herself.
Meanwhile Burnout, hosted by Connor Franta, looks at ‘how society reached a burning point and what we can do – really, actually do – to break the cycle.’
Before Lemonada, Cordova Kramer worked as a Wall Street lawyer and then Teach For America, while Wittels Wachs was working as a theatre director and writer.
The Duchess’s deal with Lemonada came a year after Meghan and Harry ended their $20million deal with Spotify, three years after it was signed.
Spotify and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together’.
A top Spotify podcast executive then called Harry and Meghan ‘f***ing grifters’ after they produced only one series for the company.
Archetypes, Meghan’s original Spotify show, had around one million listens per episode and debuted as Spotify’s No. 1 podcast in 47 countries around the world when it launched in August 2022.
The series explored the labels that try to hold women back and included guests such as Mariah Carey, Jameela Jamil and Pamela Adlon.
The series won a People’s Choice Award for The Pop Podcast of 2022 and Meghan won best entertainment podcast host at the Gracie Awards.
