A tragic incident in Tennessee has left two young college athletes dead and seven others injured after a driver plowed into a cycling team during its training session on Wednesday morning.

The victims, Milligan University sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, were participating in an 11-person cycling practice when 69-year-old John Benfield reportedly hit them on Highway 19E in Hampton, Tennessee, just before 9:00 a.m., according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

“We are profoundly shocked and saddened to share that members of our cycling team were involved in a tragic vehicle accident this morning,” Milligan University expressed in a heartfelt statement. “There are no words to adequately describe this level of loss. Our prayers are with all those impacted by this tragedy.”

Engdahl and Rogers were declared dead at the scene, which is situated about 11 miles from the university campus. The seven other cyclists were promptly taken to Johnson City Medical Center for treatment.

At the medical center, four of the injured remain in critical condition in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, while two are reportedly in stable condition, according to JMCU Trauma Director Dr. Bracken Burns.

The seventh cyclist was evaluated and later released.

Officials did not publicly identify the injured athletes.

“Today has been an extraordinarily difficult day for a lot of people in upper East Tennessee,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a statement. “Families have lost loved ones. Others are waiting for news about people who were hurt. Teammates, coaches and an entire university community are trying to process something no one expected when this day began.

“We know there are people hurting right now, and before we talk about the investigation, we want them to know that our hearts also break and we are praying for them,” the THP said.

Benfield, a resident of Newland, NC, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness, Tennessee First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney said.

Finney didn’t provide details about the crash, including whether the suspected driver was under the influence.

Additional charges may be filed against Benfield following the investigation, Finney said.

Benfield is being held in Carter County jail.

Finney didn’t fault the cyclists for the crash, saying they were an experienced group who were out for a typical training session.

“This is an elite cycling team. It’s not a bunch of club guys getting together to ride. They know what they’re doing,” he said.

Engdahl, a native of Winthrop Harbor, Ill., and Rogers, from Huntsville, Ala., were mourned by the cycling community as “two student-athletes whose lives were taken far too soon.”

“We are deeply saddened to learn of this morning’s tragic crash involving the Milligan University Cycling team. Our hearts go out to the two student-athletes whose lives were taken far too soon, Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers, as well as to the riders who were injured,” USA Cycling said in a statement.

Engdahl had recently recovered from a broken femur that he suffered after crashing during training in March, according to his Instagram.

The teen, who attended Christian Life School in Kenosha, Wisc. was remembered for his warm character.

“A beautiful person, infectious smile, magnetic personality, loved life,” Jeff Bogaczyk, head of school at Christian Life School, told ABC7 Chicago.

Wednesday’s fatal crash comes more than four years after another Milligan University athlete was killed in a similar crash.

Sophomore runner Eli Cramer was out on a pre-track meet run with two teammates when they were struck by a drunk driver in Lightfoot, Va., on March 31, 2022.

Jose Efrain Hernandez Mancia pleaded guilty to DUI involuntary manslaughter for the deadly hit-and-run crash, WAVY reported.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April 2023.

Preparations are in full swing for the NTT IndyCar Series as it sets the stage for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a standout event occurring in Washington. Crews are hard at work, piecing together a circuit unlike any other in the series.

This dynamic 1.7-mile track will carve a path through some of the most recognizable landmarks in the capital, offering breathtaking views of the National Mall, the Washington Monument, and the US Capitol Building. It’s set to be an unforgettable showcase of high-speed racing amidst iconic scenery.

This city street race, a fresh addition to the IndyCar lineup announced back in January, came to fruition following an executive order by Donald Trump. The directive called on federal agencies to collaborate with DC authorities, aiming to honor America’s 250th anniversary through this thrilling event.

As reported by the New York Post, President Trump will make a ceremonial appearance, joining a lap of honor in his presidential motorcade prior to the main racing event scheduled for August 23.

In conversation with OutKick, a White House spokesperson affirmed, “Trump is making sure that America celebrates its 250th birthday with the grandeur it deserves, setting the stage for a spectacular celebration.”

‘The President will leave his imprint on this historic race in a way that only he can.’

The administration previously hosted a showcase event outside the White House in July to promote the race, which featured drivers Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas, alongside a live pit stop demonstration in front of the West Wing.

Organizers recently extended the race length to a full 250 miles, with practice and qualifying scheduled for Saturday before the main race airs live on FOX on Sunday.

The event comes just two months after Trump hosted another sporting event to celebrate the semiquincentennial, hosting a UFC event at the White House. 

The UFC took over the South Lawn on June 14 for an astonishing event that saw Trump perform his own walkout from the Oval Office before taking his seat cageside.

Meanwhile, back in January, Trump held an event in the Oval Office alongside Roger Penske, a racing great who chairs the Penske Corporation, and signed an executive order to get the race in place.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was in the Oval alongside his Fox News host wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, said the president had tasked him to ‘think outside the box’ and do something ‘historic and cool.’ 

Duffy didn’t realize that Penske’s company was already trying to get Washington, DC to host a race, which is now being dubbed the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. 

‘But to think, 190 miles per hour down Pennsylvania Avenue, this is going to be wild,’ Duffy said. 

The Transportation Secretary noted how the last race hosted in the streets of Washington was in 1801, when President Thomas Jefferson hosted a horse race.

‘And they’re going to put up something that’s really amazing,’ Trump gushed. ‘It’s really having to do with our great 250th birthday. We’re having so many wonderful things.’ 

Shortly after the announcement, the White House put out an AI-generated video of what the race could look like.

It included eagles flying alongside Marine One as Trump arrived at the racetrack – set up outside the US Capitol Building – with the president then waving the green flag. 

The video showed several military flyovers, including of a B-2 bomber.  

The AI-generated Duffy was waving the checkered flag to end the grand prix. 

In a developing story, the Drug Enforcement Administration has stepped in to assist with the probe surrounding the untimely death of acclaimed actress Hayden Panettiere. This involvement has been confirmed by individuals familiar with the ongoing investigation.

Leading the investigation is the Greenville City Police Department in South Carolina. However, the DEA’s participation underscores the case’s complexity and potential implications.

ABC News has proactively reached out to Hayden Panettiere’s representatives, seeking their perspective and comments as the investigation unfolds.

Panettiere, cherished for her dynamic performances in “Ice Princess,” “Heroes,” and the beloved series “Nashville,” tragically passed away on Sunday at 36, leaving fans and the entertainment industry in shock.

The involvement of the DEA in this sensitive case was announced just a day after Greenville police made public a detailed report shedding light on the circumstances at the private residence where the actress was tragically found.

According to the report, an officer arrived at the residence on Easley Bridge Road in Greenville, responding to an EMS assist for an unresponsive individual.

The officer said that Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zack Hickerson, when she died.

According to the police report, it is unknown if Panettiere was using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death, although the officer added in the report that Brian Hickerson had shown them the bag of medication that Panettiere was taking.

Officials arrived on scene to assist in the investigation, and the coroner was also on scene to conduct their investigation.

Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” the coroner’s office said in a press release on Monday.

Prior to her death, Panettiere had been candid about her struggles from child stardom through adulthood.

She released a memoir this May titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she shared “a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss,” according to a synopsis for her book.

Everywhere across Hollywood, many have been mourning the actress’ death. Along with “Ice Princess,” “Heroes” and “Nashville,” she also starred in “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen,” several “Scream” films and more.

Panettiere is survived by her daughter Kaya, whom she shared with her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The approach of prosecutors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is being criticized for seeming disconnected from jurors’ perspectives, according to a prominent criminal defense lawyer.

Lindsay Clancy, a 36-year-old, is being charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her young children—Cora, Dawson, and Callan, all under six years old—were discovered strangled in their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in 2023. The prosecution wrapped up their presentation on Monday morning, paving the way for Clancy’s defense attorney to argue that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time of the tragic incident.

Donna Rotunno, an experienced criminal defense lawyer, expressed to News Media her belief that prosecutors are not adequately tuned into the emotional climate among jurors, pointing out particular instances where this disconnect is evident.

One of the main examples Rotunno cited was a moment from Tuesday, when Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham asked Susan Clancy, Lindsay’s mother-in-law and a Catholic, if she knew murder was a “mortal sin.”

Susan Clancy offered no response to the question, prompting Judge William Sullivan to immediately call a sidebar and order the remark stricken from the record.

Rotunnno said the prosecution has so far come across as “uncaring and snarky.”

“I understand that your job is to prosecute this murder case and you view this as a first-degree murder,” Rotunno said, “but in sort of ignoring the true emotion that this type of a case invokes, and by ignoring it, you are really tone deaf as to the way the jurors feel.”

WATCH: 

Rotunno also pointed to the testimony of Lindsay Clancy’s grandparents, particularly her mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, as a pivotal moment for the jury. She noted that Susan Clancy appeared deeply sympathetic to what Lindsay Clancy was going through. If the individual with the most reason to grieve the children’s deaths is standing behind Lindsay Clancy, Rotunno argued jurors will find it hard to see her as a cold-hearted murderer.

Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney, asked Dr. Paul Zeizel, a clinical forensic psychologist, about the numerous times the mother reached out for help, and was turned away.

“She felt that her brain was damaged. She felt that she should kill herself. And she’s never going to get any better,” Zeizel said on Wednesday, explaining why Lindsay Clancy felt she needed to get help.

However, when Lindsay Clancy sought help in the form of a suicide hotline in December 2022, she was turned away, according to Zeizel.

“She called the suicide hotline, Zeizel said.

“Did she receive any help from the suicide hotline?” Reddington asked.

“She did not,” Zeizel said, explaining that “They told us she did not meet the standard of care because she did not have a plan.”

She called the suicide hotline again, and according to Zeizel, didn’t receive help.

WATCH THE TESTIMONY: 

When asked by Reddington, Zeizel also said that Lindsay Clancy thinks about her kids constantly and “misses them.”

“And when you speak with her and meet with her doctor, has she ever mentioned her children? Because apparently, according to the questioning that you underwent, she never talks about her kids,” Reddington said.

“She does speak about her children,” Zeizel said. “She really loves them and misses them and thinks of them every single day. Almost every moment of the day.”

WATCH: 

Also on Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan rejected a defense motion seeking to add Emily Thorndike, a former clinical social worker at McLean Hospital, to the witness list. The defense contended that Thorndike’s firsthand experience in the same short-term unit where Clancy received treatment could counter what it characterized as a misleading portrayal of the facility as a “five star” hospital offering unlimited treatment options that Clancy chose to decline.

“Her involvement in this case came about after one of the prosecutors — I don’t recall which — made it out on direct examination that McLean is some kind of a five-star institution where the doctors, the psychiatrists, the psychotherapists, and the counselors were all banging into each other in the hallway trying to interview Miss Clancy, who was just blithely refusing care and treatment, which is not the case,” Reddington said previously.

Sullivan didn’t allow her to testify in front of jurors, but did allow a request from Reddington to include certain records relating to McClain’s staffing when Lindsay Clancy was there, and programs it offers.

The defense will continue arguments on Thursday, as a group of people plan to support Lindsay Clancy outside the Plymouth County Superior Court by wearing pink. People who can’t attend are encouraged to organize a gathering in their city on Thursday morning, according to posts on social media.

Reddington told Fox News on Wednesday that closing arguments will be on Monday, and didn’t say if he’s made a decision on if Lindsay Clancy will testify.

He said Lindsay Clancy is aware of the support she’s getting when asked about the solidarity gatherings in her support, with people wearing pink.

In the first debate of the general election for Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman went head-to-head, both walking away with less than impressive results.

Over the course of 90 heated minutes hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, the candidates exchanged barbs, continually interrupting and criticizing each other’s performances.

There was little room for disagreement on their mutual shortcomings.

Even the moderator’s patience wore thin at one stage.

During a heated discussion on the pressing issue of homelessness, he reprimanded both politicians, noting, “The audience can’t decide whose narrative to trust, and they’re uncertain if either of you offers a solid plan.”

Ouch.

Neither candidate seemed to have any new ideas for solving LA’s problems. Neither candidate seemed up to the challenges of the office.

Mayor Bass spoke vaguely about transforming the system for dealing with homelessness, and about creating a new central economic development authority, as if she hadn’t been in office for four years.

Raman managed to step on one rake after another. When Bass declared, “You have missed several thousand votes because you won’t show up to work,” Raman, amazingly, said, “Yeah.”

When a resident asked what the candidates would do about the fact that street vendors are outcompeting brick-and-mortar restaurants by evading regulations and taxes, Raman talked about how great vendors are.

Bass didn’t miss the opportunity to land a punch: “I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant, period,” she said, to applause.

Bizarrely, Raman also brought up the fact that she had once endorsed Bass. She failed to explain why she had changed her mind.

The only positive point the challenger managed to put across was the fact that homeless encampments had declined in her own council district.

But Raman struggled to explain why she had voted against a city ordinance banning homeless encampments near schools and day care centers.

There was evident frustration in the room against Raman, who represents Sherman Oaks as part of Council District 4. One of the questions demanded to know why Raman had not been more responsive to local businesses. All Raman could say was that voters in other parts of the city felt “let down” by Bass.

“Of course there’s gonna be people that complain,” Raman concluded, attempting to explain why her own constituents were unhappy with her.

Raman also fielded a question about fears of the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America, including the rise of antisemitism. She said that while she was a member of the socialist organization, she had charted an independent course.

At one point, Raman was asked: “What, if anything, have you done to protect single-family homes?” She waffled, ending with a warning that the attacks on single-family homes would continue unless the city built enough of the dense high-rises that the state clearly prefers.

There could not have been a more tone-deaf response. The moderator then started arguing with Raman about SB 79, a recent state law that overrides local zoning to encourage high-rises near transit hubs.

Bass insisted on getting a word in edgewise; she ought to have allowed Raman to continue to dig the hole she was in.

Later, Raman landed a jab about Mayor Bass’s campaign staff running crisis communications for Lineage, the food storage company involved in the recent Boyle Heights fire.

Bass had to admit it wasn’t a good look.

But Raman couldn’t explain why she had hired staff from disgraced Maine Senate candidate’s Graham Platner’s campaign. Her best defense: She also hired staff from Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. (As if that were a good thing.)

Both candidates seemed determined to lose. Neither of them mentioned the challenge of rebuilding after the LA fires last year.

Both deserved to earn an “F.” Bass looked only slightly more competent. So, “D-minus” for her.

She also stole a line from Spencer Pratt, the insurgent candidate who shook up the primary election.

Bass — surprisingly — emphasized the importance of fighting drugs and mental illness among the homeless.

As if she hadn’t been running a “housing first” policy for four years.

At least she learned something from Pratt. It was a reminder of how much he brought to the election.

His absence is keenly felt.

Joel Pollak is Opinion editor of the California Post.

In an unexpected twist, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced their decision to relocate their family back to the UK, a bold move six years after stepping away from royal duties. This dramatic return is perceived by many as a significant acknowledgment that their ambitious plans to establish a new life in America may not have succeeded as anticipated.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a grand entrance into California’s glittering landscape in 2020, ostensibly poised for Hollywood success. Armed with their royal status, immense global recognition, and lucrative multimillion-dollar agreements, they were ready to make their mark.

Among the high-profile deals was a reported $100 million contract with Netflix, alongside a $20 million agreement with Spotify. Audiences were promised engaging content through podcasts, documentaries, and various television endeavors.

Their venture, Archewell Productions, aimed to establish them as influential figures in Hollywood’s elite circles, while Meghan sought to transform herself into a successful lifestyle entrepreneur.

The couple settled into an opulent $15 million estate in Montecito’s sun-drenched locale, nestled among billionaires and A-list celebrities. This was meant to be the dawn of an extraordinarily profitable new chapter in their lives.

But six turbulent years later, the couple are heading back across the Atlantic.

News that Harry and Meghan plan to return to Britain for an extended period and enroll Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in an English school suggests the couple have accepted that their American adventure has not delivered the glittering commercial empire once envisaged.

The Spotify deal is long gone. Their original Netflix contract has ended. The duchess’s With Love, Meghan lasted two seasons. 

A string of heavily promoted projects either struggled to find audiences or never materialized at all.

Even the couple’s first jointly produced feature documentary, Cookie Queens, endured a humiliating opening weekend this month when it was beaten at the US box office by a compilation of internet cat videos.

And their difficulties have stretched far beyond television.

Meghan’s lifestyle business endured an embarrassing start when American Riviera Orchard, a name unveiled with enormous fanfare in 2024, was eventually abandoned and replaced with the considerably shorter As Ever.

Her first Spotify series, Archetypes, ended along with the couple’s lucrative deal with the streaming giant, while her subsequent Confessions of a Female Founder podcast failed to generate anything approaching the cultural impact of the couple’s earliest post-royal ventures.

There have also been repeated reports of staff upheaval, including the departure of senior communications executives, while critics have questioned whether Meghan has managed to secure a place among America’s celebrity elite that once appeared to be hers for the taking.

The Duchess was absent from the Met Gala this year and reports have even claimed she was attempting to secure invitations to Paris Fashion Week events as her standing in the fashion world came under scrutiny.

Against that bruising backdrop, the timing of the Sussexes’ return to Britain is remarkable.

Sources close to Harry briefed at the weekend that his family reunion with King Charles last month left the Duke feeling ‘buoyed,’ ‘very happy’ and ‘really energized.’

Crucially, they added: ‘He wants to spend more time in the UK with his family.’

He will now get his wish.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning to Britain before the end of August for an ‘extended period,’ with their two children believed to have already been enrolled at a British school.

The family are expected to establish themselves in a private, non-royal residence and could remain in Britain while Archie and Lilibet complete their education.

But there will be no return to life as working royals.

The King, who is understood to have been informed of Harry’s plans only on Sunday, is said to welcome the opportunity to spend more time privately with his younger son and grandchildren.

But Buckingham Palace’s position on Harry and Meghan’s official status is understood to be unchanged.

There will be ‘no alteration’ to their roles as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with the arrangements established after their sensational departure in 2020.

Sources have also insisted that the Sussexes are not plotting a return to the royal fold.

The Sussexes are expected to retain their sprawling Montecito estate, meaning their return is not a clean break with California. They also have a residence in Portugal.

When Harry and Meghan arrived in America, they were among the hottest properties in global entertainment and the money followed almost immediately. 

For the couple, America represented freedom.

The move offered financial independence, privacy, sunshine and the chance to build a global media empire free from palace courtiers and the constraints of royal protocol.

In September 2020, the couple signed their enormous Netflix agreement through Archewell Productions, promising documentaries, films, children’s shows and scripted entertainment that would ‘inform’ and ‘give hope.’

Three months later came their lucrative Spotify deal.

It appeared that Harry and Meghan had achieved precisely what they had wanted when they left royal life: independence, enormous earning potential and control over their own global platform.

Initially, the strategy appeared to work as their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021 became a global television event, although it was not part of either streaming deal.

Then came Netflix’s Harry & Meghan in 2022. It was a ratings success in a six-part documentary series, packed with deeply personal claims about their experiences inside the monarchy.

Harry followed it in January 2023 with Spare, his candid memoir detailing everything from fights with Prince William to tensions with Charles and his experiences growing up inside the Royal Family. It made more than 6 million global sales.

The problem for the Sussexes was what happened when the royal revelations began to run out.

The audience appeared far less interested when Harry and Meghan were no longer the subject.

Netflix’s Live to Lead made little cultural impact.

Heart of Invictus, centered on competitors preparing for Harry’s Invictus Games, failed to approach the same attention generated by Harry & Meghan.

Then came Polo, a five-part series about the elite equestrian sport beloved by the Duke.

It failed to crack Netflix’s global top ten and received a dismal 25 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other grandly announced projects disappeared before audiences ever had the chance to judge them.

Pearl, an animated children’s series being developed by Archewell, was scrapped by Netflix in 2022.

A planned adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling romance novel Meet Me at the Lake was announced with considerable excitement but failed to materialize during the Sussexes’ original Netflix deal.

Spotify proved even more disastrous.

Harry and Meghan signed their reported $20 million agreement with the audio giant in late 2020, with enormous expectations surrounding the kind of programming two of the world’s most famous people might produce.

Yet Meghan’s Archetypes ultimately ran for just 12 full episodes in 2022, plus a Christmas special released under the couple’s earlier Archewell Audio banner.

By June 2023, Spotify and Archewell Audio announced that they had ‘mutually agreed to part ways’.

Then came a brutal public broadside from Spotify executive Bill Simmons.

On his own podcast, Simmons notoriously branded the couple ‘f***ing grifters’ and mocked his experience of attempting to develop ideas with Harry.

‘I have 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,’ he said.

‘It’s one of my best stories… F*** them.’

Meghan eventually returned to podcasting with Confessions of a Female Founder, this time through Lemonada Media.

But by then the dizzying excitement surrounding the Sussexes’ arrival in America had faded.

The Duchess also attempted to establish herself as a lifestyle mogul.

American Riviera Orchard was unveiled in March 2024 with a hazy Instagram video showing Meghan arranging flowers and cooking in a kitchen.

The name appeared to be a nod to Santa Barbara, the wealthy coastal region that encompasses Montecito and is sometimes dubbed the American Riviera.

What followed was a painfully drawn-out rollout.

Jars of numbered strawberry jam were dispatched to celebrity friends and photographed on social media, but months passed without the anticipated full-scale launch.

Then, in February 2025, American Riviera Orchard abruptly became As Ever.

Meghan acknowledged the original name had limited what she could sell, saying she had secured the As Ever name in 2022 and was now returning to it.

As Ever subsequently launched products including preserves, flower sprinkles, teas and other lifestyle goods, with some releases selling out.

But the brand has not yet transformed Meghan into the Martha Stewart-style commercial force her most enthusiastic supporters once envisioned.

Other ventures have similarly vanished.

Meghan’s 40×40 initiative was launched with celebrity backing on her 40th birthday in 2021, asking 40 friends to spend 40 minutes mentoring women returning to work.

The Duchess predicted the initiative could create a global ‘ripple effect.’ Instead, it also quietly disappeared from public view.

Her children’s book, The Bench, became a New York Times bestseller in the United States but received savage reviews from some British critics and failed to become the beginning of a broader children’s publishing empire.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s attempts to establish herself as a television personality culminated in With Love, Meghan, the glossy Netflix lifestyle series featuring the Duchess cooking, entertaining and dispensing hosting tips from a rented California home.

It survived two seasons but was not renewed for a third.

In yet another flop, Cookie Queens, executive produced by Harry and Meghan through Archewell Productions, follows four Girl Scouts as they compete in the high-pressure world of cookie selling.

Meghan personally helped promote the documentary, discussing her own childhood experiences as a Girl Scout before its theatrical release.

Yet according to reported Box Office Mojo figures, the film managed approximately $354,000 from 446 theaters on its opening weekend.

CatVideoFest 2026, essentially 70 minutes of viral cat footage, took approximately $569,000 despite playing on just 255 screens.

The royal couple had been beaten by skateboarding cats.

‘There’s no getting around the optics of finishing five places behind a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos,’ royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Fox News.

‘Hollywood can forgive a lot, but being beaten by CatVideoFest is the sort of indignity that writes its own punchline. 

‘Harry and Meghan remain extraordinarily effective at generating headlines, but headlines and paying customers are two very different things,’ she said.

‘There was a period when simply attaching their names to something guaranteed enormous curiosity. I’m not convinced that’s true anymore.’

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams similarly pointed to the Oprah interview, Harry & Meghan and Spare as the couple’s genuine blockbusters.

‘What is undoubted is the publicity that accompanies everything they do,’ he said.

But he claimed audiences had proved less interested in projects including With Love, Meghan, Heart of Invictus, Polo and now Cookie Queens.

‘So it’s all about buzz and nothing else, save their link with real royalty,’ he suggested. 

The couple have also cycled through a striking number of employees since their relationship began, including repeated changes among senior communications staff.

Commentator Fitzwilliams claimed earlier this year that she had developed a ‘disastrous habit of falling out with Hollywood’s top power brokers’.

Her absence from the Met Gala became another talking point.

So too did reports about her relationships with figures including Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the Kardashians and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

The Sussexes unquestionably remain famous.

Their every move still generates headlines across the world, Meghan continues to operate As Ever and Archewell Productions remains active. 

They will also retain their Montecito mansion, leaving open the possibility of continuing to work in America.

But their return to Britain represents a remarkable full-circle moment.

In 2020, Harry and Meghan left the monarchy believing their future lay 5,000 miles away in California.

They had royal fame, Hollywood money and almost unlimited curiosity on their side.

Six years on and a string of abandoned projects later, they are coming home.

‘You gotta get to them’