- Couple Calls Out Recipients of First Responsible Technology Youth Energy Fund Grants
- Video filmed in the garden of Harry and Meghan’s £12 million mansion in California
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bonded in their garden today when they appeared in a video about working with young people to improve the digital world.
As they grapple with falling popularity and questions about future projects for ‘Brand Sussex,’ the Duke and Duchess surprised US recipients of the first Responsible Technology Youth Energy Fund (RTYPF) grants with phone calls to congratulate.
Harry, 38, also mentioned his children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, telling a winner on a call: “Thank you for doing everything you do.” Our children especially are incredibly grateful.’ Meghan, 41, then added: ‘They don’t know yet, but they will!’
It comes after the couple’s Spotify relationship ended in June and concerns were raised about the future of their Netflix deal, while Harry’s eco-travel project Travalyst made a major announcement about a major renovation back in May without mentioning it.
Also in June, a YouGov poll found Meghan’s popularity had sunk to -47, which is the lowest level since polls began on her favoritism in 2017, while Harry’s fell to -36.
Today’s clip was posted by RTYPF rather than the couple, but features witty footage of them talking in their £12 million mansion in Montecito, California.
The duke was dressed smart-casual in brown chinos and a white shirt, while his wife, who turns 42 this Friday, wore a Camel sleeveless top for $189 and matching skirt for $162 from Malibu Bleusalt, which she paired with minimalist gold earrings.
His appearance occurs when the announcement of the couple will attend the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf together next month for events September 9-16. It is not yet known if the couple will visit the UK during their time abroad.
And the clip was released when an Archetypes production source claimed their Spotify deal was terminated early because there was too much red tape and “moving too slowly.”
The duke and duchess’ lucrative Spotify project folded in June after they produced a 12-episode podcast and holiday special for three years.
It was also said that the couple had not produced enough content to receive full payment from the £18 million settlement they signed after stepping down as royals.
But an Archetypes production source has now claimed that Harry and Meghan had “a lot of ideas and came up with them”, although the project was held up by a lot of red tape between the two parties and “things moved very slowly on both ends. “.
said the source People magazine: “They weren’t given a formal lay of the land to begin with, so they were already on shaky footing even before the ink dried.”
Another source close to the Sussexes claimed that they were being held to a higher standard than others and had “a lot of things that are in different phases”.
That source told the publication, “Very few other production companies measure themselves by what actually gets on the air.”
Additionally, a royal told People there was “not necessarily a five-year plan” when Harry and Meghan left the UK for the US in early 2020.
The source added that real life was “not a world they wanted for their family” and “everything else flows from that, for whatever period of time it takes.”
As for RTYPT, the Archewell Foundation of the Sussexes is a founding member of the fund, which is designed to help those working within the “responsible technology movement”.
Some 26 youth-led initiatives will receive a total of $2 million in grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000, depending on the stage of the organization and its needs.
The money, which will help efforts that include ensuring the responsible use of artificial intelligence, has been provided by various backers, including the Archewell Foundation.
Sam Hiner, executive director of the Youth Alliance Education Fund, was among those who received a phone call from the couple.
He said People magazine: ‘What I appreciated is that sometimes it seems that we are not as recognized for the advocacy that we do as young people.
‘I really appreciated that they saw the importance of the work we were doing and talked about the importance of youth being involved in the democratic process.’
Trisha Prabhu, from the organization Rethink Citizens, told the couple: “It was like young people were empowered and encouraged to say things to me online that they would never say to me in person.”
“So my vision was: can we really stop cyberbullying at the source with the cyberbully through a behavioral approach that really teaches young people to pause and rethink?”
And Harry replied: ‘This is incredible. This is exactly why we do what we do. This is exactly why the Youth Energy Fund was created.’
Tazin Khan Norelius, founder of Cyber Collective, was also congratulated by the couple who said they were “really proud of the work” their group was doing.
Meghan also asked Ms Norelius to convey a message to her father, who was an inspiration behind the organization she is now CEO of.
Ms Norelius told People: ‘She said, ‘Tell Baba I say hello!’ Which was really sweet. The impetus to start this organization, one of the reasons was because Dad got hacked.
‘When I was able to share that story, I think maybe it resonated with them and they congratulated me. When I told my dad, he was so excited about it.’
In a statement reported by town and country magazine, RTYPF co-founder Emma Leiken said today: ‘Societies around the world are grappling with major issues such as the youth mental health crisis and the decline of our information environment.
‘What and who can we trust online? Can online spaces be truly safe and affirm well-being? And what new systems can we create with, rather than for, young people?
“These questions touch on topics ranging from platform liability to cybersecurity, privacy, digital literacy, data fairness, algorithmic bias and digital wellbeing, and that’s what the grantees of this fund will address.”
Meanwhile, comments made by the Archetypes source today about the podcast ideas put forth by the couple follow claims in June that Harry suggested interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin about his “childhood traumas.”
He apparently came up with the idea to speak with former US President Donald Trump and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg about their formative years and how those experiences shaped them into the adults they are today.
Spotify’s initial 2020 announcement concerned both Harry and Meghan producing and hosting multiple ‘podcasts’.
But Meghan completed just one, on social stereotypes about women in 2022, as well as a half-hour joint Christmas 2020 edition with a group of celebrity friends and their son, Archie.
The couple also faced an attack from fellow Spotify podcaster and top company executive Bill Simmons, who criticized them as “scammers.”
In a joint emailed statement, Spotify and Archewell Audio, Meghan and Harry’s production company, said in June that they “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we did together.”
Sources close to the Duchess also noted that she was looking to bring her Archetypes series to another streaming platform.
Following the news that the Spotify deal had been called off, rumors circulated that the couple’s £80m Netflix deal, signed in 2020, could meet the same fate.
But the streaming platform has spoken out in support of the couple, with a Netflix spokesperson saying: “The link with Archewell Productions is one we value deeply.” Our exciting journey with them will not end anytime soon.”
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