Meghan Markle and Prince Harry weren’t in attendance at this event but they still caused a stir with the star-studded audience.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry found themselves at the centre of a brutal joke at the Golden Globes Awards ceremony.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex weren’t at one of the film and TV industries’ key award season events back in January.

But that didn’t stop host, Jo Koy, joking about the couple during his opening introduction at the ceremony held at a lavish hotel in Beverly Hills.

That year saw Succession scoop Best TV Series with the hit drama’s Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin winning best actress and actor in a TV series respectively.

Koy said: “Succession has nine nominations… [It’s] just a great series about a rich, white, dysfunctional family, all-scheming – no that’s The Crown, that’s The Crown, I’m sorry.”

He went on to praise actor Imelda Staunton’s performance as Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix series, going on to say: “Her portrayal of the Queen was so good Prince Harry called her and asked her for money.”

The comedian continued: “Turns out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were still getting paid millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing, and that’s just by Netflix.”

After the quip the camera panned to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who appeared to be laughing along.

Koy’s joke came after a busy and turbulent 12 months for Harry and Meghan, with the release of the Duke’s memoir, Spare, and the end of the couple’s Spotify deal.

Their docu-series, Harry & Meghan, had also aired on the streaming service in December 2022, leading to a nomination for a Hollywood Critics Award.

Host Jo Kay mocked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Kay said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got paid millions for ‘doing absolutely nothing’ 

But the Sussexes’ series missed out at the Emmy awards, receiving no nominations. David Beckham and Victoria Beckham’s documentary scooped five nominations in comparison.

Since the Golden Globes, Harry and Meghan have continued their media work, with two Netflix shows in the pipeline – one about cooking and the other on a US polo championship.

Harry and Meghan signed a multi-year deal with Netflix after they stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020 and moved to California.

Meghan will curate the lifestyle show, acting as executive producer for that programme as well as sharing the same role with Harry for the polo programme, which follows the US Open Polo Championship.

The Daily Mail reported in August that the cookery show would be released some time in 2025, suggesting it had been delayed by trademark issues with the Duchess’s American Riviera Orchard venture.