Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have "gone for the money" over "principles" by sticking by their multi-million dollar podcast deal with Spotify, a royal expert has claimed.
Spotify is in the eye of a storm after a flagship podcast by Joe Rogan interviewed guests who gave misinformation on Covid and the host didn't contest them.
It has led to musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to speak out against Rogan and ask for their music to be removed from Spotify.
Harry and Meghan, who have been supporting vaccine equity, signed a lucrative deal with the streaming giant to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around 25 million US dollars (£18 million), in late 2020.
Following the outcry over Rogan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex expressed concerns” to Spotify over the Covid misinformation but said they will continue to work with them.
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Royal expert Richard Eden says they have been stuck between principles or money, reports the Daily Star.
He said on Mail+ Palace Confidential that the situation was a “nightmare” for the Sussexes, pointing out that while they campaigned against misinformation their decision on Spotify showed that money came first for them
The royal commentator said: “For years they've gone on about the dangers of misinformation, it’s become a real pet cause of theirs.
"And then here they are with Spotify, accused of spreading misinformation through Joe Rogan's very popular podcast.
“But Harry and Meghan have signed a very lucrative deal with Spotify that’s meant to be worth £18million.
"So between the principles and money, it's always a question of which will they go for and it seems they've gone for the money.
"They put out a rather sort of mealy-mouthed statement about the dangers of misinformation, but they've made clear they're sticking with Spotify. So it looks like sort of Joe Rogan's won really."
Eden, meanwhile, pointed out that Rogan was a hard worker and created hundreds of podcasts every year, whereas the Sussexes had only produced one.
He added: "My goodness, we've only had one from Harry and Meghan for £18million so they're hardly providing value for money."
Royal expert Neil Sean claimed the Sussexes may have to continue working for Spotify or be ordered to return their $25 million (£18 million) fee, reports the Express.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mr Sean claimed: "Legendary singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have decided to pull their product from the platform simply because they said they don't agree with a certain element of it.
"It's interesting because you can only really do things like that when you are an international success when you're worth millions of pounds so you can make these grandiose statements.
"What is interesting is there are certain people that truly rely on the income that Spotify does deliver for their brand.
"Harry and Meghan have released a statement claiming they are staying with Spotify but what is the reason why.
"So far Spotify has paid Harry and Meghan an installment for these podcasts.
"If they decide to go out against Spotify, it makes it very difficult for Harry and Meghan because they would have to return that installment."
Last week, an Archewell spokesperson said the couple are "committed to continuing" their work with the streaming platform.
"Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day," the spokesperson said.
"Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of Covid-19 misinformation on its platform.
"We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.
"We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does."
