Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a statement following their separation from Spotify

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle never fail to make headline news, getting the world talking this week following Prince Harry's High Court phone hacking trial and Princess Lilibet's birthday.

Today however it was Meghan Markle who made headlines, as it was announced that Spotify had ended its deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The contract was estimated to be worth £18m.

This comes after Spotify confirmed the news that it would not be renewing Meghan Markle's podcast, Archetypes, for a second series. 

“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series that we made together,” the Duke and Duchess announced in a joint statement with Spotify.

The news comes as a big surprise to viewers, with Archetypes' first series, which ran for 12 episodes, seeing Meghan speak to high profile women about the stereotypes levelled against them. And from Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Constance Wu, to Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling and Jameela Jamil, the guests were truly A-list. In fact, Archetypes even went on to win the top podcast award at the People's Choice Award in Los Angeles.

"In this groundbreaking new podcast, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, investigates the labels that try to hold women back," reads the Archetypes description on Spotify. "Meghan will speak with historians and experts to uncover the origin of these stereotypes and have uncensored conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives.

"People should expect the real me in this and probably the me they have never gotten to know," the Duchess explained to camera in the teaser video. "I’m just excited to be myself and talk and be unfiltered."

"I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative," Meghan explained of the project. "And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them. It has been such a labour of love."

We will continue to update this story.