When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their Royal duties and moved to the United States, there was some question about what they would do. Rumors ran rampant that Meghan Markle might return to acting. Instead, the couple shifted into a variety of areas, including a producing deal at Netflix and lifestyle brand As Ever. However, experts are noting there have been headwinds on all these fronts, and much of it may come down to the “curiosity" factor. This past weekend, the famous couple saw another drop in interest after the release of their new documentary Cookie Queens. The flick was in theaters globally, but earned just over half a million dollars worldwide. Meanwhile, other new releases like CatVideoFest 2026 quietly racked up more money. The move has royal commentators like Kinsey Schofield saying their piece about what’s going on.There was a period when simply attaching their names to something guaranteed enormous curiosity. I’m not convinced that’s true anymore.This has led to some cutbacks from Netflix, which disengaged with the As Ever brand. It also leads to questions about what the future holds. So, Why Does 'Curiosity' Matter If Meghan And Harry Are Still Famous?When a celebrity does something new or unexpected, people pay attention. Let’s take pants-free Matthew McConaughey advertising his own tequila brand or Sydney Sweeney launching her own lingerie line as examples. However, after the initial swell of “curiosity,” a loyal following needs to actually be built or a brand will die. Per what Schofield told Fox News, the former royals play less well “commercially” than they would like, and that’s ultimately what matters. Meghan certainly has enormous name recognition, but I think, at this stage, it’s fair to ask how much of that is fame and how much is infamy. There’s a significant difference commercially. People may click on a Meghan Markle headline because they’re fascinated by her or irritated by her. That doesn’t mean they’re going to buy a movie ticket because her name is attached to the project. ‘Cookie Queens’ gives us another interesting data point on that distinction.She went on to point out that people will consume content about The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but she’s not so sure they care to consume anything the two are actually producing. Infamy can be extremely valuable to newspapers, television shows and social media platforms because people will click, argue and engage. Monetizing that attention yourself is a completely different challenge. People want to consume content about Harry and Meghan, but are they equally interested in consuming content from Harry and Meghan?Probably the best example of this was With Love, Meghan, which proved to be a flop for Netflix and was canceled as ratings dwindled ahead of Season 2. Moments from the show did go viral, but often in a mocking way, such as when Markle transferred pretzels from a regular bag into a smaller, cuter bag to hand out. The Internet found this very amusing.To be clear, the curiosity factor was there when With Love, Meghan premiered on the Netflix schedule. People interested in the life of the former royal turned in for the early episodes, but interest in the streaming program dwindled rapidly once people understood what the show was. So, this commentary makes sense. The Sussex name might give the two famous individuals the opportunity, but they still need to create a product people care about. It really does matter. We'll have to wait and see what's next.