Maybe Harry and Meghan’s new podcast episode finally comes this week

It’s been quite a year for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so perhaps it’s understandable that they lost track of delivering on their promise to produce and host a “series” of podcasts for Spotify in 2021 — shows they said would showcase diverse voices and “build community through shared experiences and values.”

But as of Tuesday, they have only produced one, 34-minute episode in the past 12 months with their Archewell Audio production company. On Dec. 29, 2020, they released their “2020 Archewell Audio Holiday Special,” with the promise that more podcast episodes were imminent.

For their multi-year partnership with Spotify, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have certainly been well-compensated — reportedly as much as $25 million. One U.K. tabloid said that amount works out to about $653,000 per minute.

Perhaps, Harry and Meghan will finally release an episode on Wednesday, marking the one-year anniversary of the release of their only episode. An anniversary release for a new Archewell episode would certainly make for a tidy news hook, and give the British prince and his former TV actress wife publicity going into the new year.

Harry and Meghan’s partnership with Spotify has been greeted with both fanfare and controversy. Last month, a source told The Sun that Spotify has been “mystified” by the lack of content produced by the couple, “particularly as they seem to have no problem producing content for other platforms.”

This other content no doubt includes Harry and Meghan’s blockbuster tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. In the past year, Meghan also has dealt with her successful lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday, as well as with releasing her children’s book, “The Bench.” Harry also announced a new job as  “chief impact officer” for BetterUp, a San Francisco startup that promotes mental health at corporations. Harry furthermore appeared on other podcasts, including Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, while Meghan promoted her book and other favorite causes on NPR and during appearances with Melissa McCarthy, Ellen DeGeneres and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin.

It could be said that the couple also have been busy settling into their new life in California and growing their family. Meghan gave birth to the couple’s second child, Lilibet Diana, in June, and she and Harry very publicly took several months off for family leave. In a family photo released with their Christmas card last week, Harry and Meghan offered a brief look at Lilibet, as well as their son Archie, 3.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared the first photo of their daughter Lilibet in their 2021 Christmas card ???? https://t.co/lbTn0YVFpr pic.twitter.com/FGbsguQzO6

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) December 23, 2021

The Sussexes’ partnership with Spotify was announced in December 2020, with the couple saying in a joint statement: “What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction.”

Spotify said that Archewell Audio would produce a “first complete series” in 2021 that would be available to stream for free. Dawn Ostroff, the chief content and advertising business officer for Spotify, said in the statement released in 2020: “We are proud to partner with The Duke and Duchess and look forward to listeners hearing directly from them and the other creators that they will be elevating via our global platform.”

Spotify further pushed its partnership with Harry and Meghan in February, with the couple appearing virtually at a company event to talk more about their podcasting plans.

Calling in from their $14 million mansion in Montecito, Santa Barbara County, Meghan said, “We’re using podcasting to drive powerful conversations…” Harry chimed in: “… that inspire, challenge and educate.”

But around the same time, musicians in the U.K. expressed anger over Harry and Meghan’s lucrative deal when some of them are only paid less than a penny per stream, the New York Post reported. Paul McCartney, Chris Martin, Kate Bush, Robert Plant, Stevie Nicks and other artists were calling on the U.K. government to reform the way musicians are paid when their songs are streamed online.

Musicians also were annoyed when Spotify boss Horacio Gutierrez told the U.K. Parliament that the Sussexes were worth the cost, in that the partnership creates a “virtuous cycle” that helps struggling artists by attracting more people to the service, the New York Post also said.

But it’s questionable whether the Sussexes have brought more people to Spotify since they only produced one episode a year ago. The episode featured some of their famous friends — Elton John, James Corden, Deepak Chopra — offering uplifting if anodyne messages about coping with life during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The podcast came with high production values but it showed the couple’s desire to perhaps too tightly control the presentation, meaning it lacked the naturalness and immediacy of the best podcasts. However, the episode was well-received by fans, especially as it also presented the voice of Archie, then 19 months, saying “Happy New Year.”

Harry and Meghan’s lack of 2021 podcasts could be due to the fact that they didn’t have a full audio team on board when they signed their Spotify deal in 2020, a source told The Sun.

“There were no scripts ready and they hadn’t made podcasts before,” the source said. “The holiday special episode was whacked together but, even though it was well received by fans, it was hard for them to pull off.”

It was hoped that the situation would improve after the couple hired veteran podcast producer Rebecca Sananes in August to be their new head of audio, The Sun reported. New episodes were expected in time for Christmas, The Sun added.

But those episodes haven’t been forthcoming, raising questions about what’s going on with the partnership. Spotlight hasn’t responded to media inquiries about when fans can expect the next Archewell Audio episode to drop. However, through a spokesperson, Spotlight told The Sun: “Big things are coming. Stay tuned.”