Harry and Meghan had ‘worst professional year’ says Schofield

The timing of a slick video promoting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has been slammed as a “distraction” – and a blatant telltale sign that they are having the “worst year”. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield repeated the claim during an appearance on Talk TV where she was asked if the clip’s release was a “calculated PR strike”.

Ms Schofield said: “I do think so. I think it was… (an attempt to) change the direction of our conversations about how this has been probably professionally the Sussexes’ worst year.” She went on to cite the Hollywood Reporter magazine which named the Sussexes as “one of the biggest losers in Hollywood” in 2023 due to their “professional failures”.

The royal expert listed Meghan’s Spotify deal and the “whining” in Harry’s memoir Spare as evidence put forward by the magazine of the couple’s failed projects. Her comments come after their Archewell Foundation reported losses in donations of almost £9million.

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The foundation’s slick, one-minute long video promoting its work was released on Tuesday (December 12) hours after Princess Kate shared a clip of a visit to the Baby Bank initiative with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Ms Schofield told Talk TV: “[Hollywood Reporter] said [Harry and Meghan] had this bubble of being better than everybody and then in came South Park to pop the bubble.

“So the Sussexes are trying to distract from a lot of professional failures. I think they’re also trying to distract from wider positivity that we’re seeing surrounding the Royal Family and the Wales family… I think there’s a little animosity there.”

She went on to say the two videos were very different with an authentic look to Princess Kate’s but a “glossy” and “shielded” clip with Harry and Meghan.

The Sussexes’ one-minute montage shows Meghan hugging people, volunteering at a pop-up baby boutique she staged for expectant mothers experiencing homelessness, and surprise calling a young entrepreneur alongside Harry.

The round-up of the Sussexes’ year was embedded on the Archewell website as part of the charity’s Impact Report 2022-23. Set to the song Happy Place by Glasgow brother duo SAINT PHNX, the soundtrack of Harry and Meghan’s clip features the lyrics: “Over the hills and far away, looking out for a better day, when it seems like there’s no escape, take me to my happy place.”

Archewell experienced a drop of £8.8 million in funding between 2021 and 2022, but then saw an increase this year to £4m – although this is still £6.4 million below its first year’s income. Asked what the drop in donations says about Harry and Meghan, Ms Schofield told Talk TV the couple are losing popularity in the US.

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She added: “When you spend so much time complaining about your circumstances instead of talking about other people’s problems, instead of talking about homelessness like Prince William or the trauma that can happen when you become a mother for the first time, like the Princess of Wales.

“Harry and Meghan are so fixated on their own problems that it’s hard to invest in them. It’s hard to invest in their charities because they spend so much time talking about themselves.”

Archewell has said it is not unusual for high-profile foundations to receive a significant influx of funding in their first year to be used over several years as part of a financial plan to build its philanthropic work.

It said: “It is most fiscally responsible not to continue to raise large sums of money with millions still in reserve. In 2022, (The Archewell Foundation) focused on building out original programming that successfully launched in 2023.”

The funder added: “The Archewell Foundation is grateful for such a successful year and looks forward to continued growth in 2024.”

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