Kind thoughts for Meghan Markle

In Episode 2 of Meghan Markle's Archetypes podcast titled "The Duality of Diva" she and Mariah Carey talk, amongst other things, about the word diva - the historical definition and use of the word in the past,  then how the word came to be used as a derogatory term against a certain kind of woman.  In the podcast, Mariah says at one point to Meghan "you give us diva moments sometimes." 

So is Meghan a diva or not?

Keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter  https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

The question that I am posing for you all this week is  "Should Prince Harry have travelled to the UK to attend the memorial service for his late grandfather, Prince Phillip? "

Although Harry had let everyone know in advance that he was not going to come, this did not stopped everyone from:

(a)           Speculating as to why Harry chose not to attend, or 

(b)          Taking an opinion  over whether this was the right decision or not.

Prince Harry was at Prince Phillip's carefully planned funeral in April of 2021.  Back then,  things were frosty between Harry and his brother Prince William,  and we were led to believe that this was due to statements made by Meghan and Harry during their interview with Oprah that aired about a month before Prince Phillip died. 

Back then, William was said to be so upset with Harry,  that special arrangements were put in place at the funeral such that William did not walk beside or sit beside Harry.

At the time of the funeral,  the UK was in a heavy Covid-19 lockdown which included restricting the number of people able to attend funerals to 30. The Queen dutifully stuck to those rules, with her limiting the number of family and other dignitaries inside the chapel at Windsor Castle.

In December of 2021 Buckingham Palace announced that a memorial service for Prince Phillip, a religious service of Thanksgiving,  was being planned for the Spring of 2022 at Westminster Abbey.  No specific date was set for the memorial. It was only in the first week of February this year that Buckingham Palace announced that the service would take place on March 29th, 2022. 

On March 11th, 2022, a spokesperson for the Sussexes advised that Prince Harry would not be returning to the UK for the Service of Thanksgiving,  adding that Harry hoped to visit the Queen as soon as possible. 

While no reasons were given as to why Prince Harry decided not to come, this did not stop news media and social media from speculating.  The people that know the true reasons for this decision are Harry, Meghan and the Queen. 

The UK media are weird though. Having swung from Harry is disrespecting the Queen, and Harry is acting like a spoilt child, onto Harry is not wanted in the UK, and Harry would be a distraction if he came to the memorial service, as well as headlines to the effect that the Royal Family will be relieved if Meghan and Harry don’t come -  they are now saying Harry will live to regret the decision not to come and, the British Public are disappointed that Harry did not come!

All going to say that Harry,  like all of us,  can never please everyone. So he focuses on pleasing those that mean the most to him.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

In a week when Samantha and Thomas Markle made the news for not so good reasons, Meghan and Harry took the high road, announcing that they had made donations to several organizations that are working on the ground to support the people of Ukraine. Ukrainians continue to suffer the effects of Russia’s unwarranted invasion of their country. 

In a post to their Archewell website,  Meghan and Harry announced donations to a couple organizations that they had not worked with before,  as well as reaffirming their commitment to their existing charitable partnerships with World Central Kitchen (WCK) and with the mine and ordnance clearing charity, Halo Trust, both of whom are heavily involved in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine. 

One of the new (to Harry and Meghan) organizations receiving funds from them was the group called “Are We Europe” who describe themselves an independent media group that publish stories with local perspectives. Funds will be directed to a few Ukraine Media organizations including the Kyiv Independent. https://kyivindependent.com/

Another organization that Meghan and Harry have donated to is HIAS.  https://www.hias.org/  Founded in Manhattan as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 the organization was set up to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe. Over the years HIAS has continued their work in assisting people to resettle in the US. They describe their client as including some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees.

Meghan and Harry end their website post with a link to Project Healthy Minds and a package of Mental Health Resources for anyone who maybe be feeling anxious or otherwise negatively impacted by the war in Ukraine and in need of mental health supports. 

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Patrick Hill of the UK Daily Mirror newspaper reported in what he termed an Exclusive Interview with Meghan Markle's dad Thomas Markle, writing that Thomas was vowing to tell 'his truth' as he launched his YouTube channel, promising that the chats will be "no holds barred." 

Co-host of the channel and 'close pal'  to Thomas LA based photographer Karl Larsen told the Daily Mirror that he and Thomas were inspired by people such as the royal commentator Lady Colin Campbell and also podcaster Joe Rogan, and others. 

The pair have called their YouTube channel "Remarkable Friendship with Thomas Markle and Karl Larsen."

In the Daily Mirror interview Thomas promised he would give us his views on his eldest daughter Samantha and her court case. Samantha is suing Meghan for defamation - something I spoke about in my previous podcast.

In a prologue to the first episode of their show,  Karl said the aim was for this to be an entertainment show, with the thoughts and opinions expressed being those of Karl and Thomas and with us free to come to our own thoughts and opinions. In other words, we may not like what they have to say.

I have now watched the first episode and provide an overview of the topics that Karl and Thomas discussed, as well as my own thoughts and opinions.

Here is a link to the show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr3YZLiGyYE&t=623s

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

For those of us who have long since given up hope that Samantha Markle would find inner peace and leave Meghan and Harry alone, it was not much of a shock to hear that Samantha has decided that she is not yet done messing around in her half sister’s life, and what better way to garner some more press attention (and maybe get some more paid  TV work) than to sue Meghan for defamation. 

This podcasts is all about the ins and outs of Samantha's lawsuit.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

In America the month of March is National Women’s History Month which also encompasses International Women’s Day (IWD) that in 2022 will be celebrated on March 8th. National Women's History Month has been observed annually in the United States and other countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, every March since 1987. The month is observed in October in Canada. 

The National Women's History Alliance is known nationally (in the US) as the only clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural women’s history for educators, community organizations, and parents-for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of the historic contributions of women. The Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2022 theme is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope."

Per their website, the theme, “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during the COVID pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

Meghan and Harry, as a couple, have  always celebrated International Women’s Day and they have now expanded this to include National Women’s History Month. As we know,  Meghan has throughout her life championed women and girls issues, first off when living in America, then as a working member of the Royal Family,  and also through the work she did when she was a humanitarian ambassador which took her to countries like Rwanda and India. 

This past week Meghan and Harry released a statement through their Archewell website, saying  "As we cross into Women’s History Month, and ahead of International Women’s Day next week, we are announcing a number of non-profit investments in leading organizations working to advance gender equity, build policies that empower women and families, ensure meaningful media representation for women, and provide women with a network of tools and support for gaining employment."

Meghan and Harry continued:  "Part of Archewell Foundation’s core commitment is to build strong, compassionate, and equitable communities across the world. Although these grants have been announced as we recognize Women’s History Month, the work these organizations do is relevant and vital every day of the year."

The four non-profits benefitting from the new financial grants are ones that Meghan and Harry have worked with before, namely: 

1.   The Center on Poverty and Inequality at the Georgetown University Law Center

2.   National Women’s Law Center

3.   The 19th

4.   The UK charity Smart Works 

Meghan has been Patron of Smart Works UK since 2019. 

All four organizations Tweeted their thanks to Meghan and Harry saying that they were thrilled to announce their partnership with the Archewell Foundation and were honoured to be one of the organizations chosen.

Meghan and Harry wrote that these investments are representative of the approach that they and their Foundation have taken and continue to take towards advancing racial and gender justice.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili.  Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

As anticipated,  Meghan & Harry received the NAACP President’s Award during the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards. Meghan and Harry looked absolutely fabulous. They turned up in person for the event and they gave a short speech,  taking it in turns to say some lines. But like all speeches you must not take what they said at face value. Here is a light-hearted take on what Meghan and Harry said,  and what they might have meant by their words?

Apologies upfront that it is me doing this skit – it would sound a lot better if either Eddie Murphy or Kevin Hart were doing it.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili.  Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Prince Harry reconnected with his Welsh friend Gareth Thomas to support 2022 National HIV Testing Week in England.  National HIV Testing Week is the campaign to promote regular testing, particularly among the most affected population groups in England, thereby helping to reduce the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV. 

For listeners living outside of the UK or for those who don't  follow the sport of Rugby Union, Gareth Thomas is a former rugby player and was also the captain of the Welsh Rugby Union team, at one point being the most capped player in the sport.  He came out in 2009 and in 2019 it was publicized that he was diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS. 

This week is not the first time that Prince Harry has spoken about the importance of HIV testing. In the past few years Harry had made raising awareness about and de-stigmatizing HIV one of his causes. He and Rhianna both took a much-publicized HIV test in 2016 which resulted in a 500% increase in people getting tested. 

In November 2019, not long after news of Gareth’s diagnosis was made public, Harry and a whole bunch of press and TV cameras met with Gareth and with rugby players from the English rugby club the Harlequins,  to launch 2019’s HIV testing week.

This past December on World AIDS Day 2021, Harry wrote to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the Executive Director of UNAIDS, thanking the scientific community for their tireless work in the treatment of AIDS.

To kick of HIV testing week this year, Harry participated in a podcast hosted by Gareth. In 2020 Gareth set up a website called Tackle HIV  https://tacklehiv.org/which provides lots of information in written and video formats aiming to correct misunderstandings, change attitudes and break stigma around HIV with the aim to make a difference for people living with and people affected by the virus. Gareth’s Tackle HIV organization is supported by groups such as the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK National AIDS Trust and by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The 30-minute podcast was in the format of a very relaxed conversation between Harry and Gareth. They have met each other many times before and you can tell that they are relaxed in each other’s company, with Harry at one point teasing Gareth over his Welsh accent.

This podcast talks about some of the issues that Harry and Gareth chatted about, including the ground-breaking work by the late Princess Diana in breaking down walls surrounding a diagnosis of AIDS.

For listeners from the US and Canada, a quick browse on the internet shows that the availability of free HIV testing varies from  state to state and from province to province, but there is generally some free access to testing services.  Information about these services can be found on the relevant state and provincial health department websites.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili.  Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

In his first public event of 2022,  Prince Harry took part in the very first InnerWork Day event by on-line coaching company BetterUp,  https://www.betterup.com/   the organization where for the last year Prince Harry has worked as the Chief Impact Officer. To give you an idea of the reach of BetterUp,  people from every continent around the world attended. I listened in for most of the 5-hour conference.

In this podcast I talk about my key take-aways from the event,  as well as chat about the last session of the InnerWork Day Conference called "Boldly Committing to InnerWork" with Alexi Robichaux, Prince Harry and Serena Williams talking about the importance of self-care.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili.  Reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Following their trend of publishing 'breaking'  news stories about Meghan and Harry late on Saturday night, the UK Mail on Sunday and their Mail Online counter part printed the following headline:   “Give me back my bodyguards: Prince Harry threatens legal action against the government and demands return of police protection when he is in the UK because it is not safe for the Sussexes to return to visit.”

Having got wind that this story was going to break, Prince Harry issued his own statement late on Saturday night,  so as Prince Harry said "to set the facts straight."  Harry felt the timing of this breaking news was suspicious - possibly leaked to try and  detract from other scandals which are making the news in Britain?

Here is a link to the Mail Online story https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10407689/Prince-Harry-launches-legal-action-against-Government-claiming-unsafe-family-return.html- NOTE THE MAIL HAS NOW UPDATED THEIR HEADLINE 

This podcast covers the ins and outs of the story.  A copy of Prince Harry's full statement can be viewed on my blog and on my Twitter account.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and / or on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/