Meghan Markle's New Podcast Gets Criticized for Launching on Prince Harry's Court Day: 'I Think They Know the Score'
Eyebrows were raised at the timing of Meghan Markle's new podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder," debuting the same day her husband, Prince Harry, was in a UK court for a high-profile legal case.
While Harry, 40, was back in the UK for his two-day Court of Appeal hearing Tuesday, Meghan, 43, launched her much-delayed podcast. Just hours before Harry appeared in court, the series, which looks at the struggles of women-owned businesses, was unveiled.
The release of the podcast, along with the relentless media spotlight on Harry's case, soon picked up the attention of royal watchers and critics, some asking if the timing was coincidental.
Royal journalist Robert Jobson has also questioned the timing, saying it was no coincidence.
"They always seem to time things pretty well," Jobson said via GB News. "It was a launch that she knew would get publicity for her. It's incredibly Meghan Markle, isn't it? It's just all about herself."
Jobson added, "Could be coincidence, but I don't think very many coincidences come out of Montecito. They know exactly what they're doing. They've got a media strategist around them."
Harry's Legal Case
Not only did Meghan launch her podcast on that day, but Prince Harry was in the news after his appearance in court, where he asked for security at the taxpayer's expense while in the UK. His lawyers said that the Duke's treatment has been, above all, inferior, and he has been "singled out" ever since he stepped back from royal duties. However, a spokesperson for the Home Secretary maintained that Harry's treatment was appropriate, considering that he was no longer a working royal.
The British government in 2020 removed the couple's security funded by taxpayers when they stepped back from life as senior royals. Lawyers for Harry claimed that threats had been made against him, particularly when he was in the UK, and it was unsafe for him to return.
Harry seemed to be concentrating on the case during the hearing, taking notes and messaging from his phone. However, the proceedings were interrupted when a woman disrupted the court, shouting support for Harry. Despite the interruption, the Duke returned to the court once the situation was resolved.
The two coinciding events have ignited discussion over the couple's media strategy. While some regard that as a long-game strategy to create noise for Meghan's podcast, others see it as just another coincidence.
"They know how to work the media," Jobson said. "It may be coincidental, but it could easily just as well be planned."
