Tag: Meghan Markle

1 year after wedding: Harry and Meghan have new home, son

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

It’s been an eventful first year of marriage for Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle, now known formally as the Duchess of Sussex.

The besotted couple wed on May 19, 2018 before rapt crowds outside of Windsor Castle, with one of the largest TV audiences ever assembled.

The couple was lucky enough to enjoy beautiful spring weather on their wedding day. They made the best of it by taking a carriage ride through Windsor.

They maintained a frenetic pace of official engagements until Meghan withdrew from most royal duties in March ahead of the birth of their first child, Archie, who was born this month.

Harry and Meghan have also moved from central London to a more secluded location near Windsor Castle in a quest for privacy.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Baby Archie arrives: How the world welcomed the new British royal

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Archie is here. Prince Harry’s son Harrison – Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor to be precise – was born on May 6. Seventh in line to the British throne. First bi-racial individual to be so. Though we have seen only a teeny portion of his forehead so far and do not know his birth details – was he born at home or hospital? – the sight of him bundled in cashmere in his father’s arms got us all choked.

The world had whipped itself into a frenzy throughout Meghan Markle’s pregnancy. We, who hadn’t been this curious about our own baby, held our breath when she hadn’t delivered by due date! And then it happened, the birth. The most famous fetus is now the most famous baby.

Was it a normal delivery? Was it induced? Was it C-section? No details of the actual birth have emerged, so we are content with praising her post-partum bump, the one she proudly displayed in a belted dress. The colour of her dress – white – is another factor to admire. How brave, how bold to wear white immediately after giving birth, went the chorus. The fact that Harry and Meghan made ‘intense’ eye contact while presenting baby to public is also being noted. They are not just about the baby, they are about being a couple.

Body language experts have weighed in: Meghan was nervous, Meghan was protective, Meghan was content, Meghan was lost… We got all views, all perspectives. Harry of course made dad jokes, and was forgiven like all dads are.

Right from the start, from the moment he defended Meghan’s right to privacy and was laughed at for being too much in love or under her thumb, public opinion swung from ‘henpecked’ to ‘feminist’ when it came to describing him. There is no doubt the prince is besotted.

Her belly was watched like a hawk, the bump even called fake by some. Her high heels through the nine months came in for a good deal of criticism. Meghan herself must have caught on to the fact by now that whatever she does or dons will be viewed with the entire range of emotions, from mild curiosity to heavy sneering. And she does come with enough satisfying baggage in terms of dysfunctional family, complete with an evil step-sister, for her haters.

People are divided over Meghan Markle’s poise. Too confident means unable to evoke our protectiveness, too nervous means letting us tear her into shreds. She herself is aware of the tightrope she walks, balancing the fairy tale. Presenting her firstborn, she declared, “It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I’m really happy.” She also called the baby ‘really calm’, kick-starting his PR.

To be Harry’s son is to be conceived, carried and born in the global gaze. Like Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Loius before him, little Archie will also be stalked and photographed eternally. Hopefully, he will get as used to being stared at as we are used to staring at him.

Shinie Antony is a writer and editor based in Bangalore. Her books include The Girl Who Couldn’t Love, Barefoot and Pregnant, Planet Polygamous, and the anthologies Why We Don’t Talk, An Unsuitable Woman, Boo. Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Asia Prize for her story A Dog’s Death in 2003, she is co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival and director of the Bengaluru Poetry Festival.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Forget Brexit, there’s a new British royal baby on the way

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

For Britons wearied by the endless contortions of their country’s exit from the European Union, the impending birth of Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan’s first baby is set to provide some welcome light relief.

Even though the child will only be seventh in line to the British throne, such has been the interest in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, that his or her birth is set to grab headlines across the globe.

“There will be huge interest in Harry and Meghan’s baby,” said Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine. “It’s another potential grandchild for Diana, it’s the mixture of Harry and Meghan and it’s less than a year since they were married so the interest is going to be enormous.”

There has long been fascination with the British royal family, particularly in the United States, and the younger members such as Harry, 34, his elder brother William, 36, and their spouses are regularly greeted by large crowds and feted like film stars.

Some two billion people were estimated to have watched the 2011 wedding of William to wife Kate and tens of millions tuned in to see the marriage of Harry, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his late first wife Diana, to US actress Meghan at Windsor Castle last May.

Their union, bringing together royalty and celebrity, has proved an irresistible combination for the world’s media.

“I think people really fell in love with their love story,” said Laura Hills, Assistant Editor (Features & Royal) at OK! Magazine.

“The fairytale of … the prince falling for the American actress and for sort of the Hollywood side of her life, the fact she was on a Netflix TV show and now … she’s attending royal engagements so I think that definitely creates a wider interest.”

During an event in January, Meghan, 37, revealed that she was six months pregnant and she is not expected to carry out any more official engagements before the birth.

“It’s all very exciting,” said Rosie O’Dea, 25, as she walked across Westminster Bridge near parliament. “It’s showing that the royal family is a little bit more progressive than maybe thought before, with Meghan from the States and a bi-racial baby and everything and that’s brilliant.”

“You know I think they kind of need to show that they’re in keeping with the times as well,” she added.

Changed Perceptions

Leon Campbell, who was skateboarding near the London Eye ferris wheel, said the couple had helped change perceptions about the royals.

“I’ll be more interested in this (royal baby) because Harry is the cool one, … he’s the wild card, he’s the ginger one,” he said.

Veteran royal editor Robert Jobson from London’s Evening Standard newspaper said it would be a very special baby whose arrival would match the excitement generated by the birth of Prince George, William’s first son and a future king.

“The reality is Meghan – American, divorcee, bi-racial, marries Prince Harry – their child is going to be an incredibly important child in terms of the monarchy but also in terms of America. You know she is very much America’s princess,” he told Reuters.

“I have not seen this much interest in anybody, not even Kate when she married Prince William.”

However, in the same way many Britons have complained of Brexit boredom and the incessant media coverage it generates, some are hardly thrilled by the prospect of the another royal.

“Everyone has babies … so frankly I don’t care,” said Donna Smith, sitting a cafe at an east London market. But for those whose job it is to document the royals, there is no doubting the interest the new baby will generate.

“It could be 27th (in line to the throne) – it’s Harry’s baby, Harry and Meghan are the big story now,” said photographer Arthur Edwards, who has covered the royals for the Sun tabloid for more than four decades.

“He is much loved here by the people. There’ll be huge crowds at the hospital when they bring the little baby out.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Baby yoga? Hypnobirthing? Meghan Markle has myriad of mindful baby choices

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

From baby yoga to cloth diapers, Meghan Markle faces an array of options that embrace her preference for natural and mindful living as she prepares to welcome her royal baby.

Long before she became the Duchess of Sussex on her 2018 marriage to Britain’s Prince Harry, the former US actress shared her love of yoga and meditation in her now-defunct wellness website “The Tig.”

Many women in Markle’s native California have taken to hypnobirthing, a relaxation technique that involves deep breathing and a form of self-hypnosis.

Clinical hypnotherapist and doula, or birth assistant, Alisha Tamburri has been teaching a “relaxed state of consciousness” for over 20 years to celebrity clients including actress Jessica Alba.

“She (Markle) will shut out the world. It won’t even be existing. She’ll be with Harry – Prince Harry – and just the two of them and their precious little baby,” Tamburri told Reuters.

When she is ready to return to yoga, Markle’s baby will be welcome.

At baby yoga classes, mothers incorporate their newborns into their routines, picking them up as additional weights for a squat or side lunge, or kissing them as they swoop down for a sun salutation.

“It would be great for her (Markle) to get back in connection to her body. Also, I’m sure she has a lot of stress on her shoulders compared to the average person, so finding that centre and time with her baby, it would be great,” said Crystal D’Angora, who teaches a class at Zooga Yoga in the Los Angeles area.

Markle will find plenty of natural baby products for the newborn seventh in line for the British throne, from toxin-free teething rings to organic rompers and cloth diapers.

Cloth diapers, which are washed and reused and which sometimes come with a laundry delivery service, are an eco-friendly alternative to the disposable kind.

Renee Powers opened her Earth Baby boutique in Los Angeles five years ago when she discovered her youngest son Tannen was allergic to a chemical in disposable diapers.

“I feel like celebrities are kind of following the trend of green, organic, chemical-free (products),” she says.

Earth Baby sales assistant Tamara Cshetina, who is 30 weeks pregnant with her first child, has been following Markle’s journey and was delighted to find they are expecting their babies around the same time.

“I’m definitely looking at her as an inspiration. She does so much and she inspires me to keep going and saying ‘I can do it’,” said Cshetina.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Royal but regular: Will Harry and Meghan seek ‘normality’ for their baby?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Wearing his army fatigues while on tour in Afghanistan in 2013 thousands of miles from home, Britain’s Prince Harry cut a relaxed figure as he told journalists: “I am one of the guys, I don’t get treated any differently.”

Now with the birth of his first child expected next month, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and his wife Meghan will have to decide how “normal” a life they want the future seventh-in-line to the British crown to have.

“I don’t think there’s been a member of the royal family that hasn’t said they want their children to have a normal upbringing,” Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine told Reuters.

“Even the queen said she wanted her children to have as normal an upbringing as possible. But with the media attention, it’s actually not possible to have a totally normal upbringing.”

Harry is all too familiar with the attention that comes with being a British royal.

The disintegration of the marriage of his parents – heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his late first wife Diana – was played out in the public glare and his mother was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 as the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed as it fled chasing paparazzi.

In the last two years, Harry has spoken openly of his mental anguish at the loss of his mother when he was just 12 and how in the years that followed he struggled with his royal status.

“I didn’t want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good,” he said in a 2017 interview with Newsweek.

“Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”

Diana had been keen that her two sons should be brought up away from the stuffy confines of royal palaces and their traditions. She took them on trips to the cinema, to McDonald’s, and to a theme park.

“Thank goodness I’m not completely cut off from reality. I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too,” said Harry.

But how realistic is Harry’s wish? Polls suggest he is one of the most popular British royals, vying with the 92-year-old queen and his elder brother William for the top spot, and his marriage to a glamorous Hollywood actress has only increased the media and public fascination.

“I can’t see this child being raised in any other way than pretty traditionally and with a great dollop of privilege,” said Robert Jobson, author of “Prince Charles at 70: Our Future King”.

Meghan, whose rift with members of her own family has provided great fodder for tabloids, giving her a clear insight into the baggage that being a royal brings, has not made any public statement about the possible upbringing for the baby.

But, speeches made by Harry since the pregnancy was announced have hinted how they do not want their child not be valued on their royal background.

“You don’t judge someone based on how they look, where they’re from, or how they identify,” Harry told 12,000 students at London’s Wembley Arena in March.

As well as his own upbringing, Harry and Meghan can look to the experiences of other royals. William has fiercely sought to defend the privacy of his children, George, Charlotte and Louis and so far the media have generally abided by requests to leave them alone.

“In reality, they can do normal within the royal confines,” said Claudia Joseph, author of “How to Dress Like A Princess”.

“We’ve seen that William and Kate have brought up George, Charlotte and Louis out of the public eye and both William and Harry were left alone to a certain extent until they left university.”

Royal author Jobson said whatever Harry and Meghan’s aims, it will be almost impossible for their child to completely escape his or her background.

“I believe this child probably won’t have to serve as a member of the royal family but will certainly be a celebrity for a very, very long time.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Royal split: Princes William and Harry prepare to go separate ways

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Britain’s Princes William and Harry, known to be very close, are preparing to go their separate ways, seeking a more independent path from each other in terms of their charity work and royal duties.

Courtiers hope that a formal separation of their staff may also help ease some recently-reported tensions between the brothers and their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, according to The Sunday Times.

The princes, grandsons of Queen Elizabeth II, are expected to create separate “courts” before the birth of Prince Harry’s first child, due in April or May.

Until now they operated via what was referred to as a joint royal household but now they will carve out more distinctive roles for themselves.

The brothers will operate through separate staff and communication teams, a move seen as a way for them to seek out a more independent path from each other in terms of their charity work and royal duties.

The division of their shared household after 10 years reflects their increasingly different responsibilities, with William set to take on additional duties as a future king after father Charles.

Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will shortly move from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage, on the Queen’s Windsor estate. However, their new office and staff are expected to remain at Kensington Palace.

“William and Harry are working to make sure the Sussexes have an office that can support their family when they move to Frogmore this spring. This work has been underway since before last year’s wedding (of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle),” a royal source was quoted as saying.

The main division for William, 36, and Harry, 34, will be of their communication teams.

“There is a gulf in the style and approach to the type of work that William and Kate will increasingly do as future head of state and consort, and Harry and Meghan, who have more of a blank canvas with their roles,” another royal source said.

Prince Charles, who funds his sons’ household and official work from his Duchy of Cornwall income, is understood to have insisted that the division be “cost neutral”.

The brothers and their wives will continue to work together on their charitable royal foundation, Heads Together which supports mental health, veterans, conservation and vulnerable young people.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow