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Harry and Meghan say 'love wins' in first podcast from Spotify deal

 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released their first podcast, in which they reflect on 2020 with a string of celebrities and activists.

Singer Sir Elton John, presenter James Corden, author Matt Haig, tennis player Naomi Osaka and others feature on the first episode of Archewell Audio.

It is the first fruit of Prince Harry and Meghan's podcast deal with Spotify.

"No matter what life throws at you guys, trust us when we say, love wins," Meghan tells listeners.

The couple do not directly discuss their personal experiences of 2020, which started with them announcing they would step back as "senior" royals, before moving to the US.

Instead, Meghan explains that they decided to enlist "a few friends and a lot of other folks" who "we admire, and get their thoughts on what they learned from 2020".

First is Sir Elton, who describes 2020 as "the worst year I've ever known", but who says he hopes when the pandemic passes "that we have become better people - and I hope for healing".

US actor Tyler Perry talks about laying on food for 5,000 underprivileged families at his studio in Atlanta, Georgia, while chef Jose Andres also discusses distributing meals in the US during the pandemic.

The other guests include 17-year-old activist Christina Adane, alternative health guru Deepak Chopra, US politician Stacey Abrams and British spoken word artist George the Poet.

'The power of connection'

Prince Harry and Meghan did not interview them, instead asking the guests to record themselves to avoid what the duke describes as "the awkward dance of a video chat".

Meghan says their responses "all came back to one thing - to the power of connection".

She adds: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that."

Prince Harry says he wants to pass on a lesson from 2020 "about how important it is to take care of one another and how meaningful our connections are, even when they're physically impossible

Archie's accent

The couple's one-year-old son Archie also appears, ending the half-hour episode by wishing listeners a happy new year with a hint of an American accent.

When the couple announced their intention to step back as senior royals, they said they would work to become "financially independent".

The Spotify deal followed a separate deal to make a range of documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming for Netflix.

For the Sussexes, 2020 was also the year that Meghan suffered a miscarriage, and of legal action against the Mail on Sunday and the Splash News and Picture Agency.

Source: BBC.com

Meghan: Duchess of Sussex tells of miscarriage 'pain and grief'

 "I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second," Meghan said in a piece for the New York Times.

She went on to describe how she watched "my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine".

Meghan wrote that "loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020".

The 39-year-old shared her experience to urge people to "commit to asking others, 'are you OK?'" over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US

A source close to the duchess confirmed to the BBC that the duchess is currently in good health and the couple wanted to talk about what happened in July, having come to appreciate how common miscarriage is.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "It's a deeply personal matter we would not comment on."

The duchess and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, moved to California to live away from the media spotlight, after stepping back as senior royals in January.

Their first child, Archie, was born on 6 May 2019.

IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES

image captionThe duke and duchess visited southern Africa in 2019 with their son Archie

The duchess began her article by describing a "sharp cramp" she felt while looking after Archie.

"I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right," she wrote.

"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears.

"Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd

 heal."

Meghan made it clear from the first event that she spoke at as Harry's bride-to-be that she wanted women's voices and women's experiences to be heard more clearly.

Now she has written of her loss, and her heartbreak. She has set it in the context of a year of breathtaking turbulence. And she has made a plea for tolerance and compassion.

She weaves in the struggles of so many with Covid-19, the battles over truth and lies in our divided age, the killing of black Americans by the police.

And on an experience that so many women have lived through, she has made her grief a way of bringing miscarriage closer to the everyday conversation.

The duchess continued: "Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few.

"In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.

"Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.

"Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same."

The duchess also referenced a TV interview in which she was asked by a journalist if she was ok, during her tour of South Africa last year.

She said she was asked the question during a time in which she was "trying to keep a brave face in the very public eye".

"I answered him honestly, not knowing that what I said would resonate with so many - new moms and older ones, and anyone who had, in their own way, been silently suffering," she said.

The duchess is the second member of the Royal Family to open up about having a miscarriage.

In 2018 the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall spoke about suffering two miscarriages before having her second child.

The duchess's miscarriage happened at a time when she was involved in legal action against the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she wrote to her father. Last month she was granted a postponement of her privacy trial until autumn next year.

'Breaking down stigma'

An estimated one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage, according to the charity Tommy's.

Tommy's midwife Sophie King said talking about baby loss in pregnancy is "a real taboo in society" so "mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame".

She said the duchess's "honesty and openness" sends a "powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: this may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone".

Source:BBC.com/ UK

Baby Archie: Prince Harry gives rare update on life with Archie during lock down

BABY ARCHIE is with his parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the corona virus pandemic, and Harry has recently given an update on what life in lock down is like for the Sussex family

Over the Easter weekend, Harry spoke to families supported by Well Child, a charity which he is a patron of.

The charity helps to get seriously ill children out of hospital and home to their families and is a cause close to the Duke’s heart.

Harry spoke to parents about the difficulties they are facing during the corona virus pandemic via video link.

During the call, Harry emphasized his respect for those struggling during this crisis and said he has found looking after baby Archie “tough” at times.

    

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Already Planned Archie’s 1st Birthday Party

Meghan Markle and Archie

• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reportedly already planned Archie’s 1st birthday party.
• They’re having two celebrations—one at home and one in the UK with the queen.

IDK what you’ve been doing with all the extra time you have now that we’re all isolating, but it looks like Meghan and Harry might’ve used some of their newfound free time to plan their son Archie’s 1st birthday party.

Meghan and Harry are reportedly planning to visit the queen at Balmoral this summer and want to have one of Archie’s parties there. The source shares that they’ll be “celebrating at Queen Elizabeth II’s Scottish estate, Balmoral…and have talked to the queen about having a picnic on the grounds.” The queen is also “very excited” to see Archie and celebrate his 1st birthday.Archie turns 1 in May, and even though his birthday is more than a month away, it sounds like Meghan and Harry already know exactly how they want to celebrate. A source tells Us Weekly that the royal couple plans to have two birthday celebrations—one with the royal family in the UK and another with family and friends in North America.

Archie is a big fan of nature already, so an outdoor picnic sounds perfect for him. The source adds, “Archie loves being outside....He gets so excited at seeing all the trees. Now that he’s just walking, he’s into everything—he’ll often end up covered in mud!” Aww!

As for the second party, Meghan and Harry will reportedly do something with Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, and good friends Jessica Mulroney and Abigail Spencer. I’m just excited for Meg to share new photos of Archie on his big day!
Source: Cosmopolitant.com

Meghan beams carrying Archie and walking her dogs as Harry boards a flight to Vancouver

After days caged inside her $14 million loaner estate, Meghan Markle took child Archie for a stroll in the timbers Monday early morning.

The quickly-to- be-ex-royal wrapped in layers for a walk in Horth Hill Regional Park simply a number of miles from the oceanfront house where she has actually invested a lot of the previous 2 months on Canada’s Vancouver Island.

Holding her 2 dogs, black laboratory Oz and beagle Guy on chains, there was no indicator of the dramatization of Megxit on the Duchess of Sussex’s grinning face as she held her eight-month-old child on her breast in a cuddly child provider.

She involved layers under a fawn beanie hat, using black tights and her favored Kamik ankle-high brownish treking boots. Archie was worn a white onesie and bootees.

Two Royal Protection Officers walked behind her at a very discreet range as she took pleasure in the hottest early morning for days on Canada’s Vancouver Island, where it has actually been freezing, drizzling or snowing for a lot of her remain.

Meghan is awaiting other half Prince Harry, 35, to show up in Canada after settling information of the pair’s official split from the British Royal Family.

He went to a conference of African leaders in Greenwich, London, on Monday early morning and is anticipated to fly to his better half’s side early today. He specifically did not participate in a supper for the leaders held by sibling Prince William at Buckingham Palace.

At the Greenwich conclave, he took a 20- minute conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

On the previous see, Harry and Meghan surprised neighborhood pair Iliya Pavlovic and Asymina Kantorowicz that were taking selfies when the quickly-to- be-ex-royals strolled past and used to break photos of the pair

Meghan, 38, had actually not been seen because last Thursday when she drove a Range Rover to grab her pilates trainer Heather Dorak at VictoriaAirport Dorak remained the weekend break at Mille Fleurs, the oceanfront estate in North Saanich where she has actually been remaining.

It goes to the very least the 2nd time the lady has actually gone walking in picturesque Horth Hill Park throughout her remain on Vancouver Island.

She and Harry took a trek there on New Year’s Day, prior to he flew back to London to figure out the information of their split from the Royal Family.

Under the regards to Megxit, Harry and Meghan will certainly maintain their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the politeness HRH– however they will certainly not make use of the initials.

They will certainly additionally pay back the British taxpayer 2.4 million extra pounds ($ 3.1 million) for substantial improvements to Frogmore House in Windsor, which they will certainly proceed to usage as their base when in Britain.

Meghan Markle is the image of a delighted mama as she takes pleasure in a informal walk via a area park today

But it is anticipated they will certainly invest a lot of their time in North America, definition Archie will certainly have little call with his relatives Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Horth Hill Regional Park is simply a number of miles from Mille Fleurs, the $14 million oceanfront estate where Harry and Meghan remained for 6 weeks at the end of in 2014 and where she has actually been with 8-month-old sArchie for the past 10 days.

On the previous see, Harry and Meghan surprised neighborhood pair Iliya Pavlovic and Asymina Kantorowicz that were taking selfies when the quickly-to- be-ex-royals strolled past and used to break photos of the pair, according to CTV News’ I paniced, I in fact could not think that it was,’Kantorowiczsaid ‘I maintained recalling and forth like, ‘Is this in fact occurring?’

Kantorowicz, that lives some 15 miles away in Victoria, British Columbia, claimed Meghan handed her phone back and desired her a Happy New Year and both pairs took place their method. Harry and Meghan were with their dogs and her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer.

Harry and Meghan currently have to make a decision in which component of Canada they are to make their future. It is comprehended he would certainly such as to remain on the west shore around Vancouver while she would certainly favor Toronto where she lived while she was recording Suits.

Harry talked on Sunday evening of his ‘wonderful despair’ at leaving the royals and declared he and Meghan were ‘not simply walking away.’

‘Once Meghan and I were wed, we were delighted. We were confident and we were right here to offer. For those factors it brings me wonderful despair that it has actually come to this,’ he claimed in London at a conference of Sentebale, a HELP and HIV charity he established in 2006.

‘The choice that I have actually produced my better half and I to go back is not one I made gently. It was numerous months of talks after numerous years of obstacles and I recognize I have not constantly obtained it appropriate however as much as this goes there actually was nothing else alternative.’

Harry claimed he desired his target market to listen to ‘the fact’ from him ‘not as a Prince or a Duke, however as Harry, the very same individual that much of you have actually seen mature over the last 35 years– however with a more clear point of view.’

He included: ‘We both do whatever we can to fly the flag and perform our duties for this nation with satisfaction.

‘Once Meghan and I were wed, we were delighted, we were confident and we were right here to offer.

‘For this factor it brings me wonderful despair that it has actually come to this.’

Source link  :     theunionjournal.com/

New Royal Family rift

by RICHARD KAY and LUCIE MORRIS, Daily Mail

A dramatic rift emerged in the Royal Family last night, a mere eight days into the Queen's Golden Jubilee year.

A new royal biography revealed a deep bitterness between the Queen and Prince Charles, her uncompromising attitude towards Camilla Parker Bowles and claims she viewed the late Princess of Wales as 'mad'.

Astonishingly, it emerged that the Queen considered the possibility of bypassing the Prince of Wales in the succession in favour of Prince William.

The extraordinary claim, which was published yesterday in a broadsheet newspaper, is certain to start a fresh round of in-fighting between courtiers at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, where the Prince has his office.

At the same time, a savage portrait emerged of the Queen as a failed mother, emotionally unable to provide direction for her children or even the necessary parental attention.

The biography, by the journalist Graham Turner, suggests such was her 'negligence', the Queen had 'arguably made the future of the monarchy less secure'.

Close friends of the Queen contacted by the Mail last night disputed her portrayal as remote and distant, insisting she was 'as natural as any mother'.

But it is the remarks about Charles that could reopen the row that has simmered between the Prince and his parents for the last four years.

He is upset that the claims have come from supposedly loyal courtiers of his mother's only weeks after he had promised a truce over her refusal to warm towards Mrs Parker Bowles.

'For the sake of the Jubilee he made it quite clear he would not rock the boat this year,' said a close friend last night.

'Now this happens.' In yesterday's extract Mr Turner claimed the Queen had been willing to 'contemplate alternatives' after Charles's divorce from Princess Diana, when royal popularity was at an all-time low.

He said that according to a senior adviser, a crisis point had arisen when it might be better if Charles 'were to retire to the country, marry Camilla and pass on the succession directly to Prince William'.

The unnamed courtier is said to have told the Queen who 'did not react violently against it and, indeed, appeared to wonder if it might not offer a possible solution'.

Yesterday Prince Charles refused to read the claims and went hunting in Derbyshire after ordering his office to remain silent on the matter.

According to friends, he views this latest biography as pathetic'.

'He doesn't care what is said about himself, but he minds terribly when unkind comments are made about Camilla,' one said. In yesterday's extract, the Queen was quoted as saying of Mrs Parker Bowles that 'she does look rather used'.

According to the newspaper, Mr Turner was granted interviews with 80 of the Queen's friends, courtiers, clerics and relatives. The resulting picture of her was of a 'less than adequate' royal mother.

Last night, however, Lady Abel Smith, one of the Queen's former ladies in waiting, told the Mail: 'She used to love playing with her children whenever she could. She would ride with them, play tennis and go on wonderful picnics.

'Of course she was extremely busy but when with the children, she was naturally like any mother.'