With just days until Christmas, I'm finalising my own preparation for a week spent with family. Are you all set for the weekend if you're celebrating? For their Christmas card, Harry and Meghan chose a beautiful black and white photo from the Ripple of Hope gala with the accompanying message: "Wishing you a joyful Holiday Season, from our family to yours, and on behalf of our teams at the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions, we wish you health, peace, and a very Happy New Year."
I haven't covered Harry and Meghan's Netflix programme in depth here yet. There are such intense emotions on both sides, and for the past four years it has felt like relentless screaming and shouting rather than listening and learning -- the latter being sorely needed. I will say it paints a heart-breaking and devastating portrait of the breakdown in family relationships. It was especially saddening to hear Harry talking about what he'll miss in the UK, the "weird family gatherings when we are all brought together under one roof for certain times of the year". Meghan recalled her first royal Christmas at Sandringham in 2017: "I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham. Calling my mum, and she's like, 'How's it going?' And I said, 'Oh my gosh, it's amazing.'" Meghan added: "It's just like a big family, like I always wanted. There was just this constant movement and energy and fun." A clear message conveyed in the docu-series: they would have continued working as members of the Royal family for the rest of their lives if they could.
Harry & Meghan has become Netflix's biggest documentary debut of all time, with over 175 million hours watched. In the UK, it is the most watched subscription television series, beating the likes of Stranger Things and The Crown.
Our biggest documentary debut ever.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 21, 2022
Harry & Meghan. Now on Netflix pic.twitter.com/iF7hP83c3x
The impact of the series, which focused heavily on the abhorrent and cruel portrayals of Meghan in the media, has been a renewed awakening among many to the appalling abuse she is subjected to in the British press. Leading media figure Jeremy Clarkson penned in the Sun, without a second thought, that he "hates" Meghan. Not content with that blanket statement, he continued: "Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level." As the vitriol continued, he wrote, "Dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her." The disgusting "piece" was met with an immediate outcry of horror. Sixty cross-party MPs wrote to the Sun’s editor, Victoria Newton, to demand an apology and demanded Clarkson face action. It has become the most complained about article IPSOS has dealt with. Over 21,000 people contacted the press standards organisation to express their outrage, and it has opened up conversations, debates and made way for voices of reason across the media sector to share a unified message: this is not Okay, this is not acceptable.
Today, The Sun issued a statement.
We'll see their next production with the streaming giant far sooner than thought. On 31 December, the couple presented and executive-produced Live to Lead, a docu-series inspired by Nelson Mandela highlighting leaders from all over the world. It will feature a host of inspirational figures including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gloria Steinem and Greta Thunberg. The Nelson Mandela Foundation said: "Extraordinary leaders reflect on their legacies and share messages of courage, compassion, humility, hope and generosity."
Meanwhile, Archewell has been focusing on Gifting Back.
'On Friday, the Archewell team including The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions gathered to celebrate the holidays and participate in This Is About Humanity’s annual Holiday Party for Reunified Families represented by Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Led by The Archewell Foundation, the company organized holiday gifting for over 30 reunified and refugee families. This Is About Humanity creates a community of allies and advocates dedicated to raising awareness about separated and reunified families and children at the U.S.-Mexican border'.
Harry and Meghan are undoubtedly looking forward to Christmas with Archie and Lili, surrounded by Granny Doria (a lady of dignity and strength we were lucky enough to hear from for the first time) and close friends in California. As they continue to build their new life and make memories for their children's future, I hope it's a week filled with peace and joy.
On that note, I want to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas. (Remember this snowy day of engagements in Bristol in 2019?)
Thank you for reading Mad About Meghan in 2022.