Downcast duchess: Make-up free Meghan Markle looks glum as she is spotted in public for first time since her $20million Spotify podcast deal ended and streaming service’s head of innovation called her and Harry ‘f***ing grifters’

The Duchess of Sussex was pictured looking pensive on Friday, the day after ending her $20 million deal with Spotify.

Meghan Markle, 41, was spotted near her Montecito home, apparently in an intense conversation. She then removed her earbuds, but continued checking her phone as she walked along.

Dressed casually in black skinny jeans, ballet flats and a striped jumper, she toted a $5,400 Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU bag.

Her husband and their two children – Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet – were not seen.

The decision not to embark on a second series of the 13-episode podcast Archetypes – which was number one on Spotify’s rankings when it debuted – was seen by some as an admission of failure.

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Meghan Markle: Dressed casually in black skinny jeans, ballet flats and a striped jumper

Spotify and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together’.

But Bill Simmons, Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, condemned the pair in an episode of his own podcast on Friday.

‘The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,’ he said.

‘I’ve got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.’

Simmons, a sportswriter, founded sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer, and sold it to Spotify in 2020 for $200 million.

He then joined Spotify, and has long been critical of the couple.

Last January, he blasted Prince Harry, saying it was ’embarrassing’ to be affiliated with the same company.

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She seemed to be having an intense discussion as she walked wearing wireless earphones

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Meghan was pictured as she strolled to a salon appointment in Santa Barbara old town

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Meghan was pictured looking glum as she stood next to someone who may be security staff

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Meghan carried a $5,400 Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU bag as she walked along near her home

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Her husband, Harry, and children were not seen with Meghan as she walked along the road

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The 41-year-old was spotted apparently in an intense conversation as she walked

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Meghan removed her earbuds, but continued checking her phone as she walked along

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The luxurious Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU bag Meghan toted is worth $5,400

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Once she took out her earphones, Meghan continued to look at her phone as she walked

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The photographs come amidst rumours that Meghan could soon look to bring back her wellness and lifestyle blog The Tig

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The day before she was photographed, Spotify and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways’

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Meghan and Harry’s sprawling Tuscan-style estate in Montecito, bought in June 2020 for $14.7 million, is believed to have a significant mortgage (pictured nearby)

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Meghan pictured carrying a $5,400 Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU bag and small paper bag

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Here Meghan was seen to remove her jumper while standing next to a black car

‘Shoot this guy to the sun,’ he said, according to sports website The Big Lead.

‘I’m so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews.

‘Who gives a s***? Who cares about your life?

‘You weren’t even the favorite son. You live in f****** Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.’

Spotify has recently laid off staff and scaled back big-name talent in favor of emphasizing the creator economy.

The loss of the Spotify contract will deal a blow to the Sussexes’ finances.

Their sprawling Tuscan-style estate in Montecito, bought in June 2020 for $14.7 million, is believed to have a significant mortgage.

Annual property taxes alone cost $144,427 and there is staffing and maintenance on top.

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A talent agency that recently signed Meghan, WME, told the Wall Street Journal that she was still hoping to find new outlets for her work

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Make-up free Meghan Markle looks glum as she heads towards the black car near her home

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While Harry and her children are not present, it’s believed this man is possibly a security guard

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Bill Simmons (left), who sold his podcast and sports journalism company The Ringer to Spotify for $200 million in 2020, now works as Spotify’s head of podcast innovation. On Friday he described the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) as ‘f****** grifters’ after they parted ways with the company

Harry and Meghan called ‘f*****g grifters’ by Spotify exec

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Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast Archetypes will not be renewed for a second season

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It comes amid reports that the couple will stop making documentaries and tell-all books as they have ‘nothing left to say’

But the talent agency that recently signed Meghan, WME, told the Wall Street Journal that she was still hoping to find new outlets for her work.

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The royal pair have raked in millions since moving to California. Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare was part of a $20million book deal

‘The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify,’ a spokesman said.

‘Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.’

There are also suggestions that Meghan could soon look to bring back her wellness and lifestyle blog The Tig, in a bid to rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website – which is reportedly worth $250 million.

Since officially leaving the royal family and moving to California in 2020, the Duke and Duchess have pursued a number of different avenues to bring in revenue.

This includes Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare, which he created as part of a $20 million deal with Penguin Books.

The couple also teamed up with Netflix to produce the docu-series called Harry And Meghan, with the streaming giant reportedly paying the pair $100 million for the six-episode series.