Meghan Markle has received a morale-boosting accolade for her hit Archetypes podcast, despite recently suffering a legal blow when her attempt to trademark its title was refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
On Thursday, Meghan was announced as a recipient of a prestigious Gracie award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) in their digital media category as top Entertainment Podcast Host.
The Gracie awards were founded by the AWMF in 1975 to honor the legacy of actress Gracie Allen, who died in 1964, and to celebrate women for their contributions to the media industry.
Meghan is being honored in the 48th annual awards ceremony alongside other high-profile women such as Drew Barrymore, Christina Applegate, Amanda Seyfried and former Archetypes episode guest, show host Ziwe.
In a statement released through the duchess' Archewell Foundation, Meghan thanked the AWMF for their award.
"Thank you to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for this prestigious honor," she said. "This is a shared success for me and the team behind Archetypes—most of whom are women—and the inspiring guests who joined me each week."
Earlier this year it was revealed that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had rejected Meghan's application (made through her Archewell Audio production company) to trademark Archetypes for podcasting purposes because it was "identical in appearance, sound, and meaning" to one already registered for the same purpose.
This does not mean Meghan cannot proceed with future episodes of the series, but may require legal maneuvering to differentiate it in the marketplace. The duchess could also amend her application to the trademark office.
Archetypes is the product of a multi-million-dollar content creation deal signed with streaming giant Spotify after Meghan and Prince Harry stepped down from their roles as working royals and moved to the U.S. in 2020.
The series was announced in March 2022 as a show that would "dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back." The inaugural episode launched in August 2022 with special guest star, royal pal and tennis star Serena Williams.
Subsequent episodes featured other high-profile guests such as Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey and Andy Cohen.
The show was paused for a month out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II, whose death occurred half-way through the show's run on September 8, 2022, and in December, Archetypes received a People's Choice award.
Speaking about the second accolade of a Gracie award, entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, Mark Boardman, told Newsweek that the award has proved to doubters that she is capable of succeeding in the competitive media sphere.
"To win a Gracie would place Meghan as a influential media star who can show herself as a credible authority, seeing as it particularly recognizes women in media who are not afraid to put themselves center stage and help to break down barriers, inspire and recognize women across the media industry," he said.
"Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is in good company being listed alongside Drew Barrymore, Amanda Seyfried and Faith Hill, amongst others being recognised for special achievement and distinguished public service.
"This honour is a tribute to women directors including Meghan for her podcast, and a powerful reminder that women in media remain a formidable influence, covering an array of subjects that often get overlooked or covering taboo subjects that are rarely discussed."
To Boardman, the win is a boost to Meghan's profile and could help, in terms of public image, her appeal for the trademark if she should choose to make one.
"The Archetypes podcast proved doubters that she is more than capable of hosting an entertainment podcast," he noted.
"Winning the People's Choice award was a step forward to pushing boundaries and to discuss the labels that try to hold women back, however Archetypes being denied a U.S. patent to trademark the name seems to oppress the goal of the Duchess who I would suggest would be able to have a great chance of success in appealing once the media support her efforts with the trademark application."
So far, there has been no announcement from Archewell Audio or Spotify regarding a second Archetypes season.
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.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
