Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have finally found the secret to Hollywood success — staying out of the way.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield exclusively spoke with Page Six about how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are teaming up with the producers behind “Gossip Girl” for their new scripted drama after several failed projects.
“Of everything Harry and Meghan have teased in recent years, I actually think their collaboration with Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s [production company] Fake Empire has the most potential,” Schofield said.
“And that has far more to do with my confidence in Fake Empire than my confidence in the premise.”
This past March, Deadline revealedthat Markle and Harry have signed on as executive producers via their Archewell Productions for the scripted drama. The show follows a rivalry between two polo teams amid the wealth, romance, family drama and social politics of Wellington, Florida’s elite equestrian scene.
The “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered” podcast host pointed to Schwartz and Savage’s “extraordinary track record,” with other successes under their belts, like Fox’s “The O.C.,” The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and their most recent commercial hit, Amazon Prime’s “Sterling Point.”
“They’re still proving they understand what audiences want,” Schofield said.
Schofield believes audiences will gravitate more toward the sexy new series versus Harry’s widely panned 2024 Netflix doc, “Polo.”
“Do I think an upstairs-downstairs drama about rival polo families in Wellington, Florida, naturally screams mass appeal? Not particularly,” Schofield said, referring to the doc. “But wealthy families, beautiful people, status, rivalry, romance, money, and scandal? Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have built careers out of making those worlds irresistible.”
But Schofield warned that Harry and Markle should leave it to the professionals and take a back seat to any calls on creative direction.
“Harry and Meghan’s best move might actually be to surrender control,” Schofield said, urging them to “let Fake Empire do the heavy lifting.”
“Don’t turn it into a vehicle for Harry, don’t use it as an advertisement for polo, and don’t burden it with messaging,” she added. “Give the experienced television producers the keys and get out of their way.”
Markle and Harry may have a shot at breaking into the biz if the upcoming drama earns “Gossip Girl”-level praise.
“If Fake Empire can turn this into ‘Gossip Girl’ on horseback, Harry and Meghan could finally have the mainstream entertainment hit they desperately need,” she said. “And perhaps the greatest irony would be that their most successful Hollywood project could be the one that succeeds because audiences forget Harry and Meghan are involved.”
Harry, 41, and Markle, 45, have notoriously had a rough time making it in the entertainment industry since they quit their jobs as working royals and moved to California in 2020.
Just last week, Harry and Markle’s latest documentary, “Cookie Queens,” crumbled at the box office.
The former “Suits” alum cut ties with Netflix in March after several projects flopped, including her cooking show, “With Love, Meghan.”
In 2023, Spotify cancelled Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast after just one season — effectively ending her and Harry’s promising $20 million deal with the streamer.
Meanwhile, Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, has faced several blowssince its launch in 2024.
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