Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Hit With 'Rude Awakening' About Their Hollywood Careers

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are figuring out just how difficult it is to succeed in Hollywood — even when you are part of the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex fled the U.K. and stepped down from their senior-level positions within the British monarchy, and the couple hoped to pursue careers in Tinseltown, but they've publicly struggled with establishing themselves.

One of the greatest challenges Meghan and Harry faced was the high expectations set for them despite their lack of experience. Meghan studied theater at Northwestern, and she later found success by landing a role on Suits, but neither of the Sussexes have a production background.

"The attention, commotion, and hubbub was wrapped up in the fact that Harry is a royal, and people threw money at them with hopes and dreams that it would translate into success," an insider told a publication. "But I think it’s been a rude awakening for everyone — it’s like they built a house with no foundation. "

"The royal element, and in some ways the drama around them, inflated the price, deals, and expectations," they added."The shows weren’t done well, or they overpaid and they couldn’t bring in audiences."

Although Meghan's podcast had a record-breaking audience once it premiered, the series failed to maintain it. The source speculated that Meghan's love of privacy harmed her show before it aired.

"What works in podcasting is authenticity and intimacy and revealing things either about yourself or about a topic that says something that [listeners] haven’t really thought about," they explained. "None of that happened. And Meghan wasn’t prepared to do that, because she lives an incredibly guarded life."

Aside from Meghan's demeanor, Spotify's professional structure delayed the release of original content.

"Things moved very slowly on both ends," the source said. "It was rare to have a direct conversation with them, so everything had to flow through a million middle persons."

The Sussexes are using their losses as an opportunity to learn about navigating a competitive industry.

"They want to figure out how they can best expand the of things," a source told Us Weekly. "They’re a united front. As far as they’re concerned, it’s Harry and Meghan against the world."

"So much of Harry and Meghan’s time together has felt like overcoming strife from all sides," the insider noted. "They just do it together. They rely on each other for strength and always have."

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!