Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2020 in review
The Duke of Sussex previously criticised the press for what he branded “relentless propaganda” and harassment against his wife. In the statement, he recalled the experiences of his mother Princess Diana, and the circumstances in which she died. He said: “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is committed to the point they are no longer treated or seen as a real person.
“I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
However, he has now been accused of “commoditising” Princess Diana himself by using her image and alluding to her on his website Archewell.com.
On the site’s homepage, the couple has written a “letter to 2021” which starts: “I am my mother’s son. And I am my son’s mother.”
This is no doubt referring to Harry’s mother Princess Diana and their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
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The picture on the right is the one Harry used on the Archewell website (Image: GETTY)
Harry, Meghan and Archie moved to the US last year (Image: GETTY)
They have also included images of Harry and Diana, and of Meghan with her mother Doria Reagland.
This came alongside changes to the website that introduced the couple’s two commercial interests ‒ their podcast and production company ‒ as well as a charitable outlet.
The website now includes details of the Sussexes three main projects: The Archewell Foundation, their charitable outlet, Archwell Audio, their Spotify podcast, and Archewell Productions, their Netflix partnership.
TalkRADIO’s Kevin O’Sullivan claimed the Sussexes are “blatantly cashing in on the royal connections, turning being a member of the Royal Family into a massive income”.
Kevin O’Sullivan on talkRADIO (Image: talkRADIO)
He added they were both using Princess Diana’s legacy “basically to make money”.
Former royal editor at Charlie Rae added, while Prince William tried to protect his mother over a number of years following her death, Meghan and Harry are “using her for just the sake of using a hook to make money”.
A royal fan on Twitter joined the fray, saying: “I guess it’s OK for HIM to monetise his mother and son to promote podcasts and Netflix deals.”
Another Twitter user claimed: “Harry is doing exactly what he claims the media did to his Mum.”
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Harry and Meghan’s letter for 2021 (Image: Archewell.com)
A third accused Harry of “selling out”, while yet another insisted Harry tells people do “do as I say not as I do”.
Prince Harry’s statement in which he accused the press of “commoditising” his mother was published on the Royal Family’s website on October 1, 2019.
He wrote: “As a couple, we believe in media freedom and objective, truthful reporting.
“We regard it as a cornerstone of democracy and in the current state of the world ‒ on every level ‒ we have never needed responsible media more.
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“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences ‒ a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.
“There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put a brave face ‒ as so many of you can relate to ‒ I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.
“Because in today’s digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe.”
However, neither Harry or Meghan have identified specific articles which they claim are false, and the 2020 book ‘Finding Freedom’, which was supposed to show their side of the story, actually backed up many of the more controversial reports.
Just over three months after the statement was released, Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior royals.
In five days time, on January 8, it will be the one year anniversary of their stepping down announcement.
After hashing out what their future will look like at the Sandringham Summit with the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William, the couple stepped down at the end of March.
They then went to Canada briefly before settling in California, initially in their friend Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles mansion, and then buying their own vast property in Santa Barbara.
They have been unable to come back to the UK since, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, they have remained very visible, speaking out on issues like Black Lives Matter, the US election and women’s empowerment.
