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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have appeared side by side in a heartwarming video after months of unfounded gossip about the state of their marriage.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared as warm as ever as they spoke by phone to members of The Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund who have been awarded grants totalling $2 million. The couple's Archewell Foundation is a founding member of the initiative.
The couple smiled together as they sat side by side during the call and emphasized how pleased their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would be with the initiative's work.
Prince Harry told Sneha Revanur, of Encode Justice, which pushes for "human-centered artificial intelligence: "Thank you for doing everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful."
"They don't know it yet, but they will," Meghan added in the video, released on August 2.
The joint appearance, as well as their body language with each other, will serve to counter unfounded gossip and rumors that have circulated on social media and in elements of the U.K. and U.S. media about the state of the Sussexes' marriage.
Newsweek has previously reported on how talk of an $80 million divorce was without any evidential basis and a fact check deemed the speculation "false."
The rumors developed from an easier to justify narrative, including in U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph, that Harry and Meghan are now professionally on different paths, rooted in part in the fact Meghan was absent from her husband's book tour for Spare in January.
Alongside, a statement on Meghan's behalf suggesting she was living her life in the present rather than looking back to past disputes at the exact time Harry was fighting lawsuits containing allegations going back as far as the 1990s and it is perhaps easy to legitimately identify two different sets of priorities.
However, other outlets have gone further and alleged the couple are either officially divorcing or engaged in a trial separation, including Radar Online, Showbiz Cheat Sheet and Spanish site Marca.
There appears to be no evidential basis for these claims but they reached a mass audience in part via a tweet from commentator Ada Lluch, which was viewed 6.9 million times after it was posted on July 11, 2023.
Various efforts have been made to deny the allegations by anonymous friends and sources, including to the New York Post.
The discussion reached such lofty heights as New York magazine's Intelligencer, which in July reported on suggestions Harry and Meghan planned to spend time on different continents, noting: "Harry may have business in Africa that doesn't involve sulking about the state of his marriage.
"Late last month, Page Six reported that he was heading to the continent by himself this summer to film a Netflix documentary, though the Hollywood writers strike may delay the project."
The article concluded: "Should we all just ignore anonymously sourced royal gossip? Yes. Is this nosy, flawed, lifelong royal-watcher capable of doing so? Absolutely not."
The enduring appeal of tabloid gossip being forever difficult to quell—and doubly so in the era of social media—joint appearances like the one in the new video may serve as a more effective denial than quotes from unnamed sources.
Similar opportunities may be in the pipeline as Prince Harry prepares for his Invictus Games tournament for injured forces veterans in September.
German publication Rheinische Post suggested Meghan will also be at the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, in September, though that has not been confirmed.
If Meghan does go, however, it will be an opportunity for the couple to show the strength of their bond on a global stage.
Invictus is an Olympics-style sporting event and one of Prince Harry's biggest and most successful projects, dating back to his time as a working royal.
Meghan has been by his side during previous events and so all eyes will be on whether she makes an appearance, having missed King Charles' coronation in May.
Queen Elizabeth II famously used to say that she had to be seen to be believed and one element driving the gossip may well be that Harry and Meghan have been less visible in 2023 after they were accused of over-exposure in December and January, creating a vacuum in which speculation has thrived.
In other words, it may be that in Dusseldorf in September, as in the new video, the happiness and love in their marriage will be seen and therefore finally believed.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more