Meghan Markle's New Move Will Help 'Rebuild' Brand In Entertainment World

Meghan Markle has signed on as a client for a world-renowned talent agency that represents a group of her A-list friends, including Serena Williams. This marks a "significant" step on her journey towards re-establishing herself at the heart of the entertainment industry, Newsweek has heard.

News that Meghan had joined the roster of stars at the WME agency (formerly the William Morris Agency) was confirmed by the conglomerate on Thursday after Variety broke the story, saying the duchess is "looking to zero in on her enterprise efforts".

"We are honored to announce that WME now represents Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex in all areas," a post to the organization's official Twitter account read. "The agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency & its broader ecosystem, including film & television production, brand partnerships & more."

Meghan famously left the entertainment industry in 2017 when she wrapped her filming obligations with the hit legal drama Suits after becoming engaged to Prince Harry.

At the time, the future duchess said that once she had completed 100 episodes on the show she felt ready to move away. "I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I've done there and now it's time to, as you said, work as a team with you [Harry]," she commented in her engagement interview.

The couple re-joined the world of entertainment in 2020 when they stepped down from their roles within the monarchy citing issues with family members, the royal household and the British tabloid media.

They stated their wish to become financially independent. This saw them branch into media projects, such as founding Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio, through which they have produced content for streaming giants Netflix and Spotify.

In 2022, Meghan stated her desire to expand the production side of her business ventures with "romantic comedies" being a particular interest. The move to sign with WME shows that the royal is taking important steps to achieve her goal, according to Mark Boardman, entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets.

"This move suggests that Meghan is again interested in pursuing new opportunities as WME is a major talent agency, they have connections and expertise in the entertainment industry that could help her secure high-profile projects," Boardman told Newsweek.

"Secondly, being represented by a top agency could increase her visibility and help her rebuild her brand in the industry."

"It's important to remember that Meghan had a successful career as an actress before her marriage," he continued, "and signing with a talent agency is a logical step for someone looking to continue or expand their career in the entertainment industry."

Though Meghan may be advancing towards securing large-scale brand deals, producer opportunities and even the chance to relaunch her old lifestyle blog, The Tig, there is no return to acting on the horizon.

The Variety story detailing the agency signing reports that "acting will not be an area of focus" and this follows Meghan's own interview with the title in October 2022 in which she said she was "done" with performing on screen.

"I'm done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not," she said of expanding her acting credits.

"It's not entirely clear what Meghan has in mind," Boardman noted, adding that the duchess is likely to become the "public face" of the "Harry and Meghan" power couple as it has emerged, in the entertainment industry at least.

WME has announced that only Meghan has joined its roster of stars with no reference to Harry, who has been equally involved in the couple's media projects and is due to front a new Netflix series Heart of Invictus sometime this year.

"It's unclear why Prince Harry hasn't signed also," Boardman said. "I could expect him to follow suit...it's possible that he has/will and it simply hasn't been announced yet. Alternatively, it's possible that he has chosen to pursue different career opportunities or that he simply doesn't want to be represented by the same agency as Meghan.

"Meghan will become the public face of the couple when it comes to their entertainment industry pursuits. Though the couple have previously stated that they want to work together on a number of projects, so it's likely that they will continue to collaborate in some way."

So far since leaving the royal family in 2020, Meghan's major media output has been her solo podcast Archetypes, which over the course of 12 episodes that aired between March and November 2022, explored the labels that hold women back in modern-day society.

Though the season wrapped in November and thereafter won a People's Choice Award, there has so far been no announcement of a second series.

Newsweek approached representatives of Meghan Markle via email for comment.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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