Telling detail in new Meghan video as Sussexes’ massive separate moves revealed
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have appeared solo at major events on different sides of the US as a revealing detail from a new clip emerges.
You might be surprised by how much counting goes into this royal writing caper.
Diamonds, horses, cousins, Oprahs, times that a Prince of the Realm pootled off to holiday with a child sex offender. The usual.
Today though, we’re counting things to do with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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One: That’s the number of Sussexes who, on Thursday Sydney time, were in New York for the DealBook Summit (Harry) and the same number of Sussexes back in Los Angeles getting ready to honour Tyler Perry with a prestigious award at a massive black tie do (Meghan).
The couple’s bi-coastal solo outings today will do nothing to quieten the chatter about the obvious shift in their public presences from perma-attached limpets to independent operators, striking forth to boldly go where no former HRH has gone before.
Nor will the latest annual impact report from their Archewell Foundation, a glossy document that is a testament to the fact that you can never toot your own horn hard enough.
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What the report lays out is that over the last 12 months, the Foundation has helped countless Afghan women refugees, it has launched a support network for parents affected by social media harms, and it has done more for women’s causes than all the Dove ads put together. The Archewell motto is “Show up, do good” and they are clearly having a decent crack at the first and second part of that. Good for them.
But prepare yourself for some counting. In last year’s report, photos of the couple smiling and working together featured five times; however, this year, there are only two key images of Harry and Meghan together. (There is a third, minuscule one but it’s so small it requires zooming in and it is impossible to identify the duo with the naked eye).
Anyone on the hunt for some nice cold hard demonstrating of the Sussexes’ unshakeable bond in this year’s report need not apply this week.
(Nor can much be said about the homemade-feeling video put out in conjunction with the impact report. Set to a 2014 Coldplay track, the clip has the look of something your great aunt Gloria might have made after being offered a free Canva trial, as opposed to last year’s much slicker number).
The lack of coupley-ness in New York, LA and in the impact report is the latest example of the shift in the Sussexes’ image and PR strategy, which now sees them undertake these sorts of solitary outings.
In late November, Harry sent out invitations to a Christmas charity call, in support of the child bereavement charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, that did not include Meghan.
Before that, in a statement he released in September to mark his 40th birthday, he did not mention his wife, though he did talk about his young children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet and his joy at fatherhood.
He also wrote, “my mission is to continue showing up”. Note the “my”, not “our”.
It is now verging on the three month mark since Harry and Meghan were last seen in public together when they were photographed leaving Tyler Perry’s 55th birthday party in September. (They did appear in a stiff video released in early November in support of a child safety conference).
Similarly, on the philanthropic front, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been going their own independent ways. Since September, Harry has travelled to New York, London, South Africa and Lesotho to undertake humanitarian events or to give speeches.
Meanwhile in October, it was only Meghan who popped out to do some crafting with tweens to support a new social media wellness program in Santa Barbara near their home.
Ditto, it was a solo duchess who walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital gala in October.
What is obvious though is that 2024 has been a year of transformation for the duke and duchess’ brand and approach. Gone is their formerly chronic woe-is-us-ism and them regularly popping up in interviews, books and TV episodes to talk about how those wascally woyals put them through the wringer.
Gone too is their near permanent double act, with them having reportedly opted for a divide and conquer strategy.
Harry’s taking the philanthropic part of the equation, according to People, and will focus on what he does best – charming the pants off strangers as he tries to save the world. And Meghan, she’s the one wearing the business and money-making hats with the actual proper launch of her American Riviera Orchard brand reportedly coming next year. (It’s been coming for nine months already …)
It’s all very much a co-pro; a sharing of the wearing of the pants, if you will.
It’s impossible to fail to notice just how different things now look for the Sussexes than only a few years ago.
Back in 2021, the duke and duchess were still putting out an official Christmas card, in that instance an adorable photo taken by their engagement portrait photographer Alexi Lubomirski of the couple and Archie and Lili.
It’s an image that could have been ripped from a Ralph Lauren commercial, a denim-clad quartet radiating togetherness, love and a distinctly American wholesomeness. More apple pie, anyone?
We are a long way from that image these days.
There is every chance that, right now, Harry and Meghan have just realised they feel no need – or pressure – to be all shouty and jubilant in their happiness and contentment.
Whatever has inspired this reset or refresh or synergistic reframing of brand priorities to better catalyse empowered change, the world outside of Montecito has no idea. But would it be too much to ask for another denim-y Christmas card?
Santa says that we have been very good this year and a heartwarming bit of something nice would not go astray right now.
Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles
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