Meghan Markle could become one of the highest paid influencers in the world, receiving £200,000 in the mail to endorse brands, experts have suggested, as she is tipped to become the new face of French fashion house Dior.
The Duchess of Sussex took a beating from audio giant Spotify earlier this week after it was announced they would not renew her podcast Archetypes for a second season following a “mutual” decision – a move that could see Meghan and Prince Harry pay $10. lose million.
But Meghan is ready to weather the storm and reclaim her identity with an insider close to the California-based couple claiming she could be “worth hundreds of millions of dollars” if she accepts the brand deals reportedly thrown in her path.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline today that “Meghan could become one of the biggest influencers in the world” and “command millions” by becoming the face of Dior.
He added that if the deal goes through, it could even rival the revenue Kim Kardashian has brought in over the years through her partnership with Dolce & Gabanna — paying $47 million for simply wearing the designer on her wedding day.
As part of her makeover, the Duchess befriended marketing expert Victoria Jackson, who was behind one of the first TV “infomercial” makeup empires.
She is married to Bill Guthy, whose marketing company Guthy-Renker helped former supermodel Cindy Crawford convert her Meaningful Beauty Cosmetics line into an £80 million brand. She also represents Jenifer Lopez’s company, JLo Beauty.
Meghan Markle could become one of the highest paid influencers in the world, receiving up to £200,000 per post
The Duchess’ rumored deal with Dior could rival Kim Kardashian’s brand deal with Dolce & Gabbana
The Duchess is said to have befriended Victoria Guthy (pictured), who was behind one of TV’s first “infomercial” makeup empires
Meghan and Victoria are very close. If anyone can help Meghan develop a skincare or makeup brand, it’s Victoria and Bill,” a Montecito source told the Mail on Sunday.
It comes amid suggestions that Meghan could soon be looking to bring her wellness and lifestyle blog The Tig, in a bid to rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website, which is reportedly worth £200 million.
She recently renewed her trademark for the website she started in 2014 but closed in 2017 after getting engaged to Prince Harry.
Mr Ede added: ‘Meghan could become one of the biggest influencers in the world.
She is already one of the most talked about and photographed people, so maximizing her profits and joining these brands is a very lucrative move.
“The entire Kardashian family had a commercial relationship with Dolce and Gabbana, which proved huge for the sales of the brand and their family in fees.
“If a brand like Dior joins her, they could spend millions on her and make millions more. Meghan could therefore command millions by being a face of Dior and she could earn hundreds of thousands per post.”
Alison Bringe, of brand performance company Lauchmetrics, added: “She will be in line with the highest paid mega-influencers, if not the highest paid in the world.”
Those in Los Angeles think Meghan is about to sign a deal with Dior to become the face of the company alongside stars like Johnny Depp, Rihanna and Jenifer Lawrence.
Signing with the brand could put her on par with the £15 million handed to Depp to continue to be the face of men’s fragrance Sauvage.
It wouldn’t be a complete shock if Meghan signed on with the designer. She’s been a fan of the fashion for years and wore it from head to toe at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee service.
Two years ago, she wore a monogrammed version of the iconic Lady Dior bag to a Global Citizen concert in New York.
Guthy-Renker, helped former supermodel Cindy Crawford turn her Meaningful Beauty Cosmetics line into a £80 million brand
Guthy-Renker also represents Jenifer Lopez’s company, JLo Beauty
It comes amid rumors that Meghan will relaunch her health and wellness blog The Tig – which would rival Gwynth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop
Meghan Markle leaves after a thanksgiving service for Queen Elizabeth II’s reign at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3
And last month, Prince Harry made the bold decision to pair with the French designer for the king’s coronation in lieu of military garments.
The Duchess’s rebranding is being spearheaded by her new talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), which heads some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Oprah Winfrey – one of the couple’s best friends, who had their first amazing interview organized in 2021 after leaving the royal family. family for California.
Ari Emanuel is the chief of the talent agency and is said to be “the best in the business” when it comes to “business deals and making money.”
Insiders at the agency claim “offers are pouring in” since the Duchess signed with WME – including offers to take her Spotify podcast elsewhere.
Jeremy Murphy, who runs New York’s bespoke PR agency 360, added that Meghan is reclaiming her identity.
“She and Harry seem to be on different tracks, which could be a problem,” he said.
“I don’t think most people know what Harry believes in, except his wife and children.
“More and more people see Harry as a deer caught in the headlights and she drives the car. Ari Emanuel is going to fix that. There’s finally an adult in the room.’
Earlier this week, Spotify announced that it would not be renewing Meghan’s podcast Archetype for a second season
However, insiders claimed that Meghan and Prince Harry would not receive the full $20 million from the Spotify deal as they failed to meet the productivity benchmark
Public records in the US show that Meghan and Prince Harry bought their 16-bathroom Montecito mansion for $14.65 million (£11.4 million) in 2020.
Experts claimed earlier this week that the actress-turned-royal and Prince Harry would not receive the full payout from their $20 million deal with Spotify because they failed to meet the productivity benchmark.
The deal was signed in 2020, but only delivered 13 hours of airtime in two and a half years. It included 12 episodes and a one-off holiday special.
We knew the Spotify announcement was coming,” a source told the Mail on Sunday.
It may come as a shock to everyone, but we’ve been working on Meghan’s rebrand for weeks.
“Ari is the best in the business when it comes to business deals and making money. He is excited to represent Meghan and has put all his energy into it. The offers are pouring in, also from other podcast platforms.’
A Spotify spokesperson said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together.”
But Bill Simmons, head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, labeled the pair “f***ing grifters.”
And Netflix is also said to be conducting an ‘ongoing review’ of its £80 million deal with the Sussexes.
Either way, the Duke and Duchess will need to find an income stream to continue funding their lavish lifestyle.
US public records show they bought their 16-bathroom Montecito mansion in 2020 for $14.65 million (£11.4 million) and mortgaged it for $9.5 million (£7.4 million) finished. On top of that there are annual property taxes of $141,403 (£113,000).
Their security costs are also estimated to be around £2 million a year, in addition to staff costs such as nannies, domestic help, gardeners and travel costs – including private jets.