Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham are no longer on speaking terms, according to multiple reports.
Royal expert Kinsey Schofield told Fox News Digital that the couple’s friendship may have ended “with jealousy seething.”
“Ultimately, I believe it was jealousy that caused the split,” the “To Di For Daily” podcast host explained. “We certainly have examples of Meghan accusing Victoria of leaking news to the press when she was actually a receptionist with loose lips, but I think today it all comes down to jealousy.”
Markle was “furious” over Beckham’s announcement of an upcoming Netflix show, The Mirror reports.
Meghan Markle’s rift with Victoria Beckham is “boiling down to jealousy”, according to a royal expert. (Getty Images)
“Victoria Beckham is the antithesis of Meghan Markle,” Schofield notes. “Victoria is creative, forward-thinking, hard-working, she executes, she hustles quietly. Victoria takes advice from people she thinks are smarter than her and she implements it.”
“Victoria and her husband are very wealthy and their star continues to rise while Harry and Meghan’s star is falling,” the royal expert added. “David and Victoria didn’t sign a deal with Netflix because they needed the money… something Prince Harry alluded to in his Oprah interview. They signed a deal with Netflix to strategically control the narrative and continue to develop a marketable brand.
“More than half of the projects Meghan announced this year have yet to materialize,” she continued. “When Meghan tries to create something… people are critical because they have lost faith in the Harry and Meghan brand due to their negativity and dishonesty.”
Victoria Beckham has a new project with Netflix. (Samir Hussein)
According to Variety, Beckham’s docuseries will follow the founding of her fashion brand, with a behind-the-scenes look at her business operations.
“Her Posh Spice days may be behind her, but today Beckham is on a journey to build a fashion empire – and now fans will be able to see the story behind it all,” the show’s synopsis reads.
According to Deadline, Markle’s own Netflix series doesn’t have a release date yet, but will be a cooking show featuring the Duchess that celebrates “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship.”
The former Spice Girl’s fashion and beauty businesses are to be featured in a documentary. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
“The Beckhams are at the top of their game and have many milestones to celebrate, success with their football club, success in their fashion and beauty businesses, success with their family and relationships and another Netflix documentary success on the horizon,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “The much-anticipated Netflix documentary about Victoria Beckham, ‘The House of VB’, is coming out next year.”
“There will be a green-eyed monster element that Meghan is worried about, as the cooking series she hopes will be linked to her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, has yet to receive a release date,” she added. “I’m sure Meghan aspires to the Beckhams’ lavish lifestyle and is a little jealous of Victoria’s fame and success.”
Meghan Markle is said to be furious at the news as she awaits the release of her own Netflix show, according to experts. (Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images)
Chard compared the work ethic of the two couples, saying Markle and Prince Harry failed to deliver on some projects.
“The Beckhams, affectionately known as Miami Royals, have achieved so much and are so loved by everyone,” Chard added. “Their work ethic is clear. They are ambitious, determined, polite, energetic and smart. They think things through and take advice from their strong team. They also never over-commit and over-promise or under-deliver…take note, Harry and Meghan.”
Chard also says that when it comes to values, “couples are very far apart.”
“The Beckhams are really hard-working people. They value family and will fight for it. The Sussexes, and Meghan in particular, don’t have those qualities.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry signed a deal with Netflix in 2020. (Getty Images)
Prince Harry has had a strained relationship with his family since he and Markle stepped down from royal duties in 2020. At the time, the couple said unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes from the British press were behind their decision to step back as senior royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also expressed their displeasure in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was followed by a Netflix docuseries and Harry’s explosive memoir, “Spare.”
Prince Harry has had a strained relationship with his family since he and Markle stepped down from royal duties in 2020. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chard pointed out that the Beckhams surround themselves with “A-list friends”. “They certainly don’t need unnecessary negative drama surrounding the Sussexes in their lives, which could be damaging to their brand.”
“I don’t believe there will be a reconciliation anytime soon,” she added.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich agrees.
“There is no underlying friendship, so there is no reconciliation in the cards to fall back on,” she explains.
Fordwich notes that the Beckhams “want nothing to do” with Prince Harry and Markle because they represent a “brand that is in decline.”
Prince William and David Beckham (Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Beckham and her husband, soccer star David Beckham, have close ties to the royal family.
“The Beckhams, and David Beckham in particular, have a warm, positive relationship with the Royal Family,” Chard explains. “David uses his platform to do invaluable work for the foundation and trust of the King, the patronage of Prince Williams, etc. The Beckhams are quite savvy about PR and a positive image with the Royals, as opposed to an image with the Sussexes, is the way forward.”
“David Beckham knows he will soon be knighted,” the royal expert added.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal is reportedly set to expire next fall. (Getty Images)
Royal expert’s advice to the Sussexes: keep moving forward.
“Hopefully the penny has dropped and Meghan and Harry have learned to adapt, put that chink in their armour behind them, work productively and stay focused on their goals,” Chard mused.
“People will flock to support and endorse ‘Montecito Royal’ as they celebrate important milestones in their future.”