Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) released their first podcast on Tuesday, a holiday special featuring a wide variety of high-profile guests and a special appearance by their 1-year-old son Archie.
Archie appears at the end of the episode and wishes listeners, with the encouragement of his parents, a happy new year.
The Duke and Duchess – who introduce themselves as “Harry” and “Meghan”, hosted the first episode of their Spotify-exclusive Archewell Audio company.
The holiday offering features a “special collection of inspiration, reflection and perspective” from 13 guests who describe the Sussexes as “people who inspire us” [and] people we admire. ‘This is a very diverse list that includes Sir Elton John, Deepak Chopra, tennis player Naomi Osaka, chef José Andrés, writer Matt Haig, producer Tyler Perry, professor Brené Brown and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.
“We asked them to record audiobooks and send them back to us,” Harry said. “We were curious to hear what they would think if they had a moment to themselves without navigating the sometimes awkward dance of a video chat. That is, no one has to say, ‘You are not dumb’ over and over again, ‘ which is probably one of the defining phrases of 2020. ”
Archie’s podcast appearance was only the third time the Sussexes had shared their son with the public in 2020.
They recently released the family’s Christmas card, which features an illustration of Harry and Meghan with Archie and their two dogs. In May, they released a video of Meghan reading to Archie – full name Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – to celebrate his first birthday.
Harry and Meghan fiercely protect their son’s privacy. The couple recently won a case against a paparazzi photo agency that Archie took to their home in California via a drone.