Harry and Meghan accused of trying to gag teachers and students at NYC school
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of PR demands during a visit to an economically disadvantaged New York public school.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of trying to gag teachers and students at a New York public school they visited two years ago.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Public School 123 Mahalia Jackson, which is among one of the poorest in New York City, in September 2021.
According to The Sun, Meghan, 42, was dressed in a $5,000 (A$7800) suit and Cartier jewellery to read to second-grade students from her picture book The Bench while Harry, 39, sat down with the children.
But advisers from the royals’ Archewell foundation demanded the Harlem school sign a clause which banned anyone from making negative comments.
The request also applied to any posts on social media ‘now or in the future’.
Sources close to the Archewell foundation have insisted that standard practice was followed.
Archewell representatives emailed the Department of Education three days before the visit to Public School 123.
The same day, the royal’s visited Melba’s restaurant in Harlem, which serves Southern comfort food such as fried chicken, catfish, and waffles.
Freedom of information requests have revealed how the couple’s advisers at Archewell tried to protect their image during public appearances, including how Archewell banned four British newspapers from attending an event at the World Trade Center, even though it is a publicly owned building.
An email from NYC schools press secretary Danielle Filson had asked for the best way to get it all agreed but it is not clear if the Sussexes’ request was signed.
The parties also shared opinions about the language used in the Department of Education press release.
Ms Filson wanted to remove reference to The Bench and said: “Just wanted to make it a bit less promotion-ey.”
Plans for the Sussexes’ trip began six months before the event, which was managed by Toya Holness, a member of the couple’s PR team.
The visit to the school featured in their Netflix documentary.
HARRY AND MEGHAN REUNITE WITH OPRAH AT KEVIN COSTER PARTY
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been reunited with Oprah Winfrey after they attended a charity event hosted by Kevin Costner at his $40 million California estate.
The pair rubbed shoulders with Winfrey, and it is the first time they have been seen together since they gave her their first bombshell interview about the fallout from Megxit when they left the royal family and moved to the US.
Ellen DeGeneres and rockers Maroon 5 who performed for guests at a fundraiser for first responders hosted by Kevin Costner at his $40 million oceanside estate in California.
Costner, an ambassador of One805, was onstage with Prince Harry and Markle as they made a surprise appearance to present him an award.
Markle wore a stylish monochrome jacket with her hair pulled back in a low bun, and completed her look with gold earrings and a matching watch.
Prince Harry sported a casual black shirt and blazer as the two supported their celebrity friend.
“Good afternoon everyone,” Costner greeted the crowd after he received his award. “Now, I get asked a lot by my friends who have no manners, ‘Kev, what’s this place cost? What’s it worth?’ And I can just simply tell you on a day like today it’s worth every penny.
“That you’ll be here to celebrate people you’ll never maybe meet,” he continued. “The ones who are the first to rush in. And it’s a place that I’ve had a lot of good luck in my life, and I’ve tried to not throw up a wall around it. So, thank you for coming.”
In another video shared by One805’s Instagram account, Winfrey praised the charity and highlighted the work of the first responders.
Costner hosted the event shortly after he settled his divorce with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner after 18 years of marriage.
Baumgartner filed for divorce May, 1 citing irreconcilable differences. In documents obtained by Fox News Digital, she listed April 11 as their date of separation.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Markle recently returned from the Invictus Games in Germany where they celebrated his 39th birthday.
Markle also officially ditched her Archetypes podcast after her $A34 million Spotify deal fell through.
ANTI-MONARCHISTS STAGE PROTEST AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Meanwhile, a group of antimonarchy campaigners have staged what organisers are calling the “first-ever” protest inside Buckingham Palace.
“The group of local activists from different parts of the UK visited the palace as tourists, before standing in the Grand Hall,” Britain’s largest anti-monarchist group, Republic, said in a statement.
The group released a photo where protesters can be seen standing inside the palace wearing T-shirts that spelled out “Not My King.”
“The protest is the latest in a series of actions aimed at pushing forward the debate about the future of the monarchy,” Republic said in a statement.
The group said six of the activists involved were briefly detained by security, before being escorted out of the front gate.
The organisers described the protest as a “fantastic statement of intent, citizens standing up in the home of the monarchy to declare their opposition to hereditary power.”
The group’s chief executive Graham Smith in a statement called King Charles III “an untouchable monarch” who is not “immune to criticism and doesn’t enjoy the deference that protected the monarchy while his mother was on the throne.”
“Republic will continue to protest against the monarchy up and down the country, with the next protest set for the state opening of parliament on November 7,” Smith added.
The group was also involved in organising antimonarchy protests around King Charles’ coronation ceremony earlier this year.
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