Prince Harry in a recent podcast interview has suggested that Meghan Markle is behind his attacks on the royal family.
“My wife had the most amazing explanation … you don’t need to be a princess, you can create [a] life that will be better than any princess,” Harry told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert. “And that’s coming from her own lived experience.”
Harry suggested Meghan’s comments completely changed his view of royal life and set him up for the situation he’s in now, publicly criticising his family and lashing out at Prince Charles’ parenting skills.
The younger son of Charles and Princess Diana compared his royal life to The Truman Show, suggesting growing up in palaces, being waited on hand and foot and attending the world’s top schools was “like being an animal at the zoo.”
Harry’s remarks have not gone over well. Many pointed to apparent hypocrisy in the amount of publicity Harry and Meghan have sought since their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which reportedly left Prince Charles “fuming.“
Britain’s Prince Harry and US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey will premiere their television documentary series on mental health issues later this month, with singer Lady Gaga and actress Glenn Close among those contributing.
The Me You Can’t See series, co-created and produced by Harry and Winfrey, will feature stories from high-profile guests and others across the world about mental health and emotional well-being issues, Apple TV+, the streaming service which will air the programmes from May 21, said on Monday.
Winfrey said the series aimed to spark a global conversation, and replace the shame surrounding mental health with wisdom and compassion. Among those participating will also be basketball players DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs and Langston Galloway from the Phoenix Suns, Apple said.
“The majority of us carry some form of unresolved trauma, loss, or grief, which feels – and is – very personal,” Harry said in a statement.
“The last year has shown us that we are all in this together, and my hope is that this series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy, and strength in honesty.”
The prince, the sixth-in-line to the throne, has publicly spoken of his own mental health battles and dealing with the grief of the death of his mother Princess Diana who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when he was just 12.
In March, he was named first chief impact officer of BetterUp Inc, a service that provides employee coaching and mental health assistance.
The TV series is one of the first ventures by Harry since he and his wife Meghan stepped down from official royal duties and moved to California to forge new independent careers. The couple have also signed deals to deliver programming for Netflix and to produce and host podcasts for Spotify.
It also comes after the couple’s explosive TV interview with Winfrey in March, which included Meghan accusing one unnamed royal of making a racist comment about their son Archie before he was born and plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis in decades.
Meghan Markle is about to become a published author. The Duchess of Sussex on Tuesday announced that she will be publishing a children’s book next month titled The Bench about the relationship between a father and son based on her husband Prince Harry and the couple’s child Archie. It will highlight family dynamics between a father and son through the eyes of a mother.
The book is the latest venture by Meghan and Harry, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, since they stepped down from royal duties and moved to Los Angeles last year with Archie, who celebrates his second birthday later this week.
Illustrated by artist Christian Robinson, The Bench will hit shelves on June 8, with Meghan narrating an audiobook version, publisher Random House Children’s Books said.
“The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story,” the duchess said in a statement. “My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine.”
The cover art features a bench beneath a large tress with chickens all around. Robinson explains the concept behind it by describing Meghan as “a mother, wife, feminist, and activist” who “currently resides in her home state of California with her family, two dogs, and a growing flock of rescue chickens.”
An illustration also features a father wearing a military uniform which is Meghan’s way of honouring Harry’s tenure as a captain in the British Army.
Another illustration showcases a father sitting with his son under a tree.
Meanwhile, Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, is not the first royal to venture into the world of children’s literature.
Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles wrote The Old Man of Lochnagar based on stories he used to tell his young brothers, while Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has also penned a number of children’s stories.
Meghan and Harry have rarely been out of the media spotlight since they gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey in February, accusing one unnamed royal of making a racist remark and ignoring her pleas for help when she felt suicidal.
Harry returned to Britain for the first time since that interview for the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip last month.
Prince Harry is reportedly “embarrassed and regretful” over his and wife Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. The interview plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, told the UK’s Closer Magazine that Harry is probably feeling “regretful and embarrassed” after disclosing his family issues in front of the whole world. The biographer believes while Meghan seemed “in her element”, Harry “clearly looked numb and torn” upon leaving back for Los Angeles after attending late Prince Philip’s funeral ceremony.
Larcombe is convinced that the 36-year-old Duke of Sussex and his wife may have a problematic marriage in the future because Harry will remain nostalgic about the royal life which he has given up while Meghan will keep enjoying her life in LA which had been her longtime dream.
Duncan justifies Harry’s anger towards the Royal family as his “hot-headedness”.
“Harry was clearly hurt and angry about Meghan’s experience with the royals — and used the interview to get it out,” said Duncan. “But after returning home, I’ve no doubt he’s been feeling embarrassed, regretful and awkward. He’s now facing the consequences. I believe he’ll regret that interview — and maybe his decision to leave the royal family.”
“Coming home has reminded him of everything he’s sacrificed in recent years — and of the recent damage done,” added the author.
When asked what his predictions are about Harry’s future equation with his family, the expert said: “I can’t see how Harry can live this new life and keep things harmonious with his family,” adding that it will be a “lose-lose situation.”
“I just don’t think that Harry will be able to live harmoniously as a part of these two worlds — the royals and the LA showbiz world.”
Duncan warns Harry of embarking on a “very difficult” journey due to his decision of marrying Markle and bidding farewell to his Royal roots.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s sudden exit from the Royal family and move to California sent waves of shock across the world leaving royal fans baffled and shocked.
Interestingly, renowned royal biographer, Angela Levin told talkRadio that Prince Harry actually quit being a member of the royal to do something Prince Charles had always wanted for a long time. Levin claims that Harry’s farewell to royalty was actually a selfless attempt to “cut the monarchy down in the future and save cash so that people be worth the money they paid for taxes”.
“This is something Prince Charles had wanted as well,” added Levin, explaining that the Queen does not approve of the “cutting down the monarchy”. According to Levin, the Queen very rigid when it comes to changes especially ones involving monarchy restructuring.
Levin even referred to the Queen’s lifelong attempt to hold the Royal family together as nothing more than a “sentimental gesture”.
She said that all that would change when Charles assumes the throne and the new slimmed down royal family will include only Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and their three children.
Those not in the smaller, inner circle may have to enter the public workforce to support themselves financially and could lose their patronages or titles.
The news comes amid rumours that Prince Harry might cancel his upcoming trip to the UK in July after the “very, very cold reception” he received from the royal family at Prince Philip’s funeral.
A royal expert has claimed that Harry may also reconsider his return for the unveiling of a statue of his late mother Princess Diana.
“Some quarters of the family did give him a frosty reception and perhaps that did shock him somewhat,” Russell Myers told talkRADIO, adding the birth of Harry and Meghan’s second baby could provide a “convenient excuse” not to “face the family”.
The statue of Princess Diana was commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognise her efforts for her country and those across the world. It will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021, marking what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue had been commissioned by Harry and William two years ago and at this stage, it is one of their only joint ventures.
Meghan Markle was recently spotted showing off her baby bump and carrying son Archie.
According to Page Six, this is the first time Markle was seen in public since Prince Harry’s return from the United Kingdom, where he had gone for Prince Philip’s funeral. It was earlier reported that Prince Harry would stay in England for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s 95th Birthday, which was on April 21, but Harry returned to California before that.
This year, on Valentine’s Day, the couple announced that they areexpecting their second child. The couple’s announcement on Valentine’s Day was a nod to Princess Diana, who 37 years ago on the same day, had announced that she was pregnant with Prince Harry.
The couple made their final split with the royal family in February this year and in March gave Oprah a bombshell interview in which they accused the royal family of being racist and not supporting them, plunging the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of Lady Diana.
Prince Harry will produce a documentary about the Invictus Games for disabled military veterans — the first series under a lucrative deal he and wife Meghan Markle signed with Netflix after moving to California last year.
The series will join competitors – all service members who’ve suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses – as they train for the next games in The Hague.
Harry, who served with the British military in Afghanistan, will appear on camera and executive-produce Heart of Invictus, a multi-episode series which follows competitors as they train for next spring’s competition in The Hague.
“This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year,” said Harry in a statement.
The program will be the first released by the couple’s Archewell Productions, which inked a sprawling deal with streaming giant Netflix last September to produce “impactful” films and series.
“As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service,” said Harry.
No financial terms were disclosed, but the deal is reported to be multi-year and exclusive to Netflix.
Multiple other projects rumoured to be in development include a nature documentary series and an animated series focused on inspiring women, although former Suits star Markle has no plans to return to acting.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Archewell Productions team are building an ambitious slate that reflects the values and causes they hold dear,” said Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos.
“From the moment I met them, it’s been clear that the Invictus Games hold a very special place in their hearts, and I couldn’t be happier that their first series for Netflix will showcase that for the world in a way never seen before.”
Harry has previously appeared in Paralympics documentary film Rising Phoenix, and launched the first Invictus Games back in 2014.
The couple first went public together at the Games’ September 2017 edition.
The Olympics-style sports event taking place in The Hague in the Netherlands was initially scheduled for 2020 but was twice delayed to spring 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As well as following their training, the series will also dive into the competitors’ “powerful stories of hope and resilience.”
The couple quit the British royal family and moved to California last year.
An explosive interview they gave to Oprah Winfrey last month — in which they claimed an unnamed royal had asked how dark their baby’s skin would be — plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of Lady Diana.
The archbishop of Canterbury has confirmed that he legally married Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018, despite the couple’s claim that they had another, private, ceremony three days earlier.
During a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, Meghan had said that “three days before our wedding we got married.”
“We called the archbishop and we just said, look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us,” she said. “So the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the archbishop of Canterbury.”
Though Meghan didn’t elaborate on the private service, many people said that it wasn’t legally binding because of the absence of witnesses.
Justin Welby has now contradicted the couple’s claims and said that they legally married at the castle on May 19, 2018, but would not disclose what occurred at private meetings before that.
“I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false,” said Welby, who is head of the church of England.
Welby told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “I won’t say what happened at any other meetings,” adding that he’d had “a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding.”
In the interview with Winfrey, Meghan had claimed that she had experienced racism and callous treatment from the royal household and the press during her time as a working member of the royal family. William rejected Meghan’s claims saying that “We’re not a racist family”, while the Queen said that they will address the couple’s concerns privately.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Britain’s Prince Harry — who is often at war with the British press — was on Wednesday announced as a commissioner for a US study into misinformation online.
The non-profit Aspen Institute said it was “honoured” to have the Duke of Sussex as one of the 18 members of its “Commission on Information Disorder.”
The announcement came a day after Harry became Chief Impact Officer at San Francisco life-coaching startup BetterUp as he adds to his growing portfolio of jobs since stepping away from royal duties last year.
As part of the Aspen study, Harry will help conduct a six-month investigation into misinformation and disinformation in the American digital world that will start in April. The commission aims to identify the biggest causes of the sharing and spreading of false information and find solutions to help the government, private sector and civil society respond.
“The experience of today’s digital world has us inundated with an avalanche of misinformation, affecting our ability as individuals as well as societies to think clearly and truly understand the world we live in,” Harry said in a statement.
“It’s my belief that this is a humanitarian issue — and as such, it demands a multi-stakeholder response from advocacy voices, members of the media, academic researchers, and both government and civil society leaders,” he added.
The prince is likely to bring his own experiences of media coverage of his life to the commission.
Harry told US talk show host James Corden in February that he left royal life and moved to the United States with Meghan Markle because the British press was “destroying his mental health.”
The prince has long had a difficult relationship with Britain’s tabloids, blaming press intrusion for contributing to his mother Princess Diana’s death in a car crash in 1997.
Harry and Meghan have filed several lawsuits against newspapers and last April told Britain’s tabloids that they were ending all cooperation with them due to “distorted, false or invasive” stories.
An explosive interview they gave to Oprah Winfrey this month — in which they claimed an unnamed royal had asked how dark their baby’s skin would be — plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of Diana.
Meanwhile, Harry’s new boss at BetterUp has said that the British royal likes to be called Harry in the workplace.
“He’s a colleague, he’s a partner, and so we address him as Harry,” said Chief Executive Alexi Robichaux.
Robichaux said he met Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, through a mutual friend in late 2020, and talked about how to encourage mental wellbeing.
“Through a series of conversations over months, (we) really had a lot of shared energy and enthusiasm for how it could be really awesome to find a way to work together and advance the shared mission,” he said.
As well as being an executive, Prince Harry said in a blog post that he was also a user of the service. Robichaux said he and the coach he was paired with are still working together.
As for how much Prince Harry is being paid in his new position, Robichaux declined to say.
“As a private company, you can imagine we don’t disclose compensation information of any of our folks. But I think it’s fair to say he’s deeply invested in the success of BetterUp,” he said.
Prince Harry has spoken to his father and brother after he and his wife Meghan Markle raised allegations of racism in the royal family during an explosive TV interview, a friend said Tuesday.
In the interview, Harry said that his father Prince Charles had cut him off financially and at one point stopped taking his calls, and also described his damaged relationship with Prince William.
The British monarchy has been rocked by the couple’s allegations that an unnamed royal asked how dark their child’s skin would be before he was born.
“I did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and it’s true Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too,” Gayle King, a US television presenter and friend of the couple, said on CBS.
“The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive, but they are glad they have at least started a conversation.”
King said the couple were “frustrated” that alleged racism in the royal family had dominated the news agenda since the interview was broadcast on March 7.
“All they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant,” King said, adding that no one had spoken to Meghan as yet.
She added that Harry and Meghan wanted “healing” in the family, but that Meghan had “documents to back up everything” she had said in the interview with Oprah Winfrey.
As for what Meghan and Harry hope will happen in the future, King explained, “The family has to acknowledge that there are issues, and right now, no one is acknowledging, ‘Houston, we have a problem here.’ That’s really all they want. They want a conversation.”
.@GayleKing says Prince Harry & Meghan also shared that no one in the royal family had spoken with Meghan as of this weekend. Gayle continued, “They want healing in this family. At the end of the day, that is Harry’s family.” pic.twitter.com/Sv0rgiD6YL
The allegations, which the royal family said would be investigated, have plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of William and Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
Meghan, a former actress, told Winfrey she was “naively” unprepared for life as a royal and had contemplated suicide while pregnant with their first child. On the other hand, Prince Harry said that he felt let down by his father Prince Charles and that his late mother Diana would have been angry and upset at the way the British royal family had treated his wife Meghan.
“My family literally cut me off financially,” Harry had said. “But I’ve got what my mum left me and without that we would not have been able to do this.”
Meanwhile, William while responding to the interview had said: “We’re very much not a racist family,” while Buckingham Palace, in a statement, said that they will address the couple’s grievances privately.
