Meghan Markle podcast - live: Duchess credits Archie’s nanny for saving him from nursery fire

The Duchess of Sussex has released the first episode of her new podcast, Archetypes.

Tennis pro Williams is the first guest on Meghan Markle’s new podcast, which dropped on Spotify on Tuesday afternoon (23 August).

Meghan acted as an executive producer for the first episode and spoke to Williams about the double standard women face when they are labelled “ambitious”.

Additionally, the Duchess also revealed details of an incident when her son Archie’s nanny saved him from a fire during a royal tour.

The podcast is a co-production between Archewell Audio, Gimlet and Spotify.

Archewell Audio sits under Archewell, the organisation founded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the pair stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020.

This is the first episode released after the pair reportedly signed an exclusive deal with the audio streaming service in December 2020.

Key Points

• Archie’s bedroom caught fire during royal tour, Meghan reveals

• Meghan Markle releases first Spotify podcast episode

• Meghan Markle identifies nanny for first time and credits her for saving Archie in nursery fire

• Meghan was ‘under a lot of stress’ during pregnancies

11:01 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Meghan Markle says she ‘didn’t know ambition was a negative word’ until she started dating Prince Harry

During the first episode of her podcast series Archetypes, the Duchess of Sussex explained how meeting her husband, Prince Harry, affected her understanding of ambition.

“I don’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious until I started dating my now husband,” she said.

“And um, apparently ambition is, uh… a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman that is – according to some.”

Meghan Markle says she ‘didn’t know ambition was a negative word’

Markle continued: “So, since I’ve felt the negativity behind it, it’s really hard to un-feel it. I can’t unsee it, either, in the millions of girls and women who make themselves smaller – so much smaller – on a regular basis.”

Olivia Petter has the full story here.

09:06 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Everything we learnt from the first episode of Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes

The Duchess of Sussex released the first episode of her long-awaited podcast series on Tuesday, with tennis star Serena Williams as her first guest.

The longtime friends spoke about motherhood, pregnancies, and the double standard women face when they are labelled “ambitious”. The pair also discussed the ripple effect these labels have had on the rest of their lives.

Everything we learnt from Meghan Markle’s first podcast episode

From false media reports to son Archie’s nursery catching on fire, there were many revelations from the first episode of the Meghan’s new podcast, Archetypes.

Here is a roundup of all the best moments from the first podcast episode, titled “The Misconception of Ambition”.

You can read Meredith Clark’s full story here.

Serena Williams tells Meghan she ‘delayed motherhood as long as possible'

07:31 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Speaking to Meghan Markle, who is a longtime friend, Williams said that as a woman she wasn’t afforded the luxury of time her male peers had when it came to starting a family.

“I really want to expand my family, and you know I’ve been putting it off for so long, and as a woman there’s only so long you can put that off and other people out there, other men out there, can continue to play,” Williams said.

Serena Williams says she delayed motherhood for as long as she could

“I will never retire from something I absolutely love,” Williams added.

“I will always have some sort of involvement in it. Maybe not professionally, but I will always want to be involved in some form in tennis. Obviously, I’ve retired professionally but it’s also an evolution.”

Saman Javed has the full report here.

Serena Williams shares photo with daughter Olympia and Meghan Markle following Archetypes podcast release

07:17 , Peony Hirwani

Serena Williams has shared a photograph with her daughter Olympia and Meghan Markle following the release of the duchess’s new podcast Archetypes.

“I loved talking about so many important topics with my dear friend Meghan as her first guest on Archetypes for @spotify!” Williams captioned her post. “It’s out now and worth the listen, especially if you’re ambitious.”

Read the full story here:

Serena Williams shares photo with her daughter Olympia and Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle identifies nanny for first time and credits her for saving Archie in nursery fire

06:30 , Peony Hirwani

Meghan Markle has identified Archie’s nanny for the first time in public and credited her for saving her son in the South Africa nursery fire.

During a conversation with Serena Williams on the first episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes, the duchess of Sussex recalled how her son, who is now three years old, narrowly escaped a fire in his bedroom during one of the royal tours to South Africa in 2019.

Markle said Archie’s nanny, identified only as Lauren, was preparing to put him to bed for a nap, before suddenly deciding to take him with her to get a snack at the last minute.

Read the full story here:

Meghan Markle credits nanny for saving Archie in nursery fire

Meghan Markle jokes that media confused her with Serena Williams

06:04 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: The Duchess of Sussex has joked that the media once confused her with tennis star Serena Williams, with regards to false claims that she was from Compton, California.

Meghan spoke about the reports, which circulated when she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, on the first episode of her new podcast, Archetypes, on which she interviewed Williams (who is from Compton).

Meghan Markle jokes that press confused her with Serena Williams

The duo were discussing misleading media reports when Meghan said: “This morning, I was saying to Harry: ‘Do you remember when they said, ‘Harry’s girl is straight outta Compton?’ I was like, are they talking about Serena?

“I’m like, I’m not from Compton, I’ve never lived in Compton, my mum’s never lived in Compton but by the way what’s wrong with Compton? My girl Serena’s from there.”

You can read Olivia Petter’s full story here.

Meghan was ‘under a lot of stress’ during pregnancies

05:03 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: The Duchess of Sussex was “under a lot of stress” during her pregnancies, her friend Serena Williams has revealed.

During the episode, Williams – who recently announced her retirement from tennis – reflected on how she “loved” being pregnant.

Meghan Markle was ‘under a lot of stress’ during her pregnancies

“I love being a woman and I loved being pregnant. I was one of those,” Williams said.

Meghan replied: “You made pregnancy look so sexy, I just waddled around [laughs]. I was just tired, I was tired. Oh my god.”

“I was the annoying one,” Williams said, adding: “You were the one under a lot of stress.”

Laura Hampson has the full report here.

Archetypes cover art released

04:09 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: A black and white image of the Duchess of Sussex has been used as the cover art for the new Archetypes podcast.

In the image, Meghan is seen wearing a sleeveless white top, her hair down and looking directly at the camera.

It is Meghan’s first podcast for the platform after she and the Duke of Sussex reportedly signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in December 2020.

Archie’s bedroom caught fire during royal tour, Meghan reveals

03:05 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Meghan Markle has revealed that her son Archie’s bedroom caught fire while she and her husband Prince Harry were on tour in South Africa.

In the premiere episode of her Archetypes podcast, the Duchess of Sussex was joined by her friend, tennis star Serena Williams.

Meghan Markle reveals Archie’s bedroom caught fire during tour with Prince Harry

“We finish the engagement, we get in the car and they say: there's been a fire at the residence,” Meghan said.

Nicole Vassell has the full story here.

Serena Williams posts Meghan Markle picture to promote podcast appearance

02:01 , Graeme Massie

The tennis star took to Instagram to post a picture of herself and her four-year-old daughter Olympia, alongside Meghan.

“I loved talking about so many important topics with my dear friend Meghan as her first guest on #archetypes for @spotify! It’s out now and worth the listen, especially if you’re ambitious,” she wrote in the caption.

Meghan Markle’s new podcast tells us the same thing as Kate and Will’s house move

01:11 , Graeme Massie

The royal family isn’t working for anyone — even the royals.

Clemence Michallon has more.

Meghan Markle’s new podcast tells us the same thing as Kate and Will’s house move

Meghan Markle recalls sexism fight on first podcast

Wednesday 24 August 2022 00:05 , Graeme Massie

The Duchess of Sussex re-told the story of how she was interviewed on TV as an 11-year-old schoolgirl on Nickelodeon in 1993 for writing a letter to Procter & Gamble over the language of their advert for Ivory dish soap.

Here is how The Independent told that story back in 2018.

11-year-old Meghan Markle fights sexism on Nickelodeon in resurfaced video

Bonnie Greer says she can’t understand British ‘frustration’ with Meghan Markle

Tuesday 23 August 2022 23:01 , Graeme Massie

“There is an element of, in this country, [people] who don’t actually like foreigners. Even though the royal family is German,” Greer said on Piers Morgan Uncensored, which was hosted by Jeremy Kyle.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 22:00 , Meredith Clark

Four major revelations from the first episode of Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes

The Duchess of Sussex shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life with Prince Harry and their two children — Archie, three, and Lilibet, one — during the first episode of her Spotify podcast series.

Meghan admitted to close friend and tennis star Serena Williams that she was “under a lot of stress” during her pregnancies. Meghan announced her first pregnancy in October 2018 and gave birth to son Archie in May 2019, when she and Prince Harry were still senior members of the royal family.

In June 2021, the couple welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet, just 18 months after they had stepped down from their royal duties.

Four major revelations from first episode of Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast

The duchess also revealed that she didn’t realise ambition was a negative word until she began dating her now husband. She explained that meeting Prince Harry affected her understanding of ambition.

“I don’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious until I started dating my now husband,” she said.

“And um, apparently ambition is, uh… a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman that is – according to some.”

Meredith Clark has more shocking revelations from the debut podcast episode here.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 21:30 , Meredith Clark

Meghan Markle reveals that the media once confused her with tennis pro, Serena Williams.

In the first episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes, the Duchess of Sussex joked that a report had falsely claimed that she was from Williams’ hometown of Compton, California.

“This morning, I was saying to Harry: ‘Do you remember when they said, ‘Harry’s girl is straight outta Compton?’ I was like, are they talking about Serena?” Meghan said.

“I’m like, I’m not from Compton, I’ve never lived in Compton, my mum’s never lived in Compton but by the way what’s wrong with Compton? My girl Serena’s from there.”

“I can’t claim Compton,” Meghan added. The duchess explained that she did grow up in Los Angeles, just not in Compton.

The false report had circulated when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement in 2017.

Olivia Petter has the full story.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 19:11 , Meredith Clark

Serena Williams tells Meghan Markle she delayed motherhood for as long as she could due to tennis career

Serena Williams revealed during the first episode of Meghan’s new podcast series Archetypes that she postponed growing her family for as long as possible, in order to continue her tennis career.

The recently retired tennis champion told her longtime friend that she wasn’t afforded the luxury of time that her male peers had when it came to starting a family.

Serena Williams says she delayed motherhood for as long as she could

“I really want to expand my family, and you know I’ve been putting it off for so long, and as a woman there’s only so long you can put that off and other people out there, other men out there, can continue to play,” Williams said.

Williams, who announced her retirement in a personal essay forVogue earlier this month, said she will never fully “retire” from tennis.

“I will never retire from something I absolutely love,” she said.

Saman Javad has the full story here.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 18:30 , Meredith Clark

Meghan Markle teases first episode of Archetypes podcast back in March.

In a preview clip released on Spotify last March, the duchess began by acknowledging some of the stereotypes and labels that are used to define women.

“This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us,” she said.

“But where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives? I’m Meghan, and this is Archetypes, the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.”

Meghan Markle fans excited by ‘iconic’ new podcast Archetypes

On social media, the preview clip was met with support from fans, who praised the duchess’s choice of topic.

Chelsea Ritschel has the full report here.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 18:00 , Meredith Clark

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly signed a $25m deal with Spotify

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a deal with the streaming giant in December 2020 that will see the couple creating exclusive content with their newly formed Archewell Audio production company.

“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the couple said in a statement at the time.

“With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sign exclusive podcast deal with Spotify

Following the news of the multi-year deal, Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff released a statement: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may live in California but the power of their voices rests in their status as citizens of the world.”

“That they are embracing the extraordinary capacity of podcasts on Spotify while also seeking to elevate underrepresented voices is a testament to their appreciation for the potential of audio storytelling.”

Read the full story from Chelsea Ritschel here.

Tuesday 23 August 2022 17:35 , Meredith Clark

Fans react as Meghan Markle drops first episode of Archetypes podcast

Following the release of Meghan’s new podcast series on 23 August, fans rushed to social media to praise the duchess for her honest debut episode.

“Love this conversation with Meghan Markle and Serena Williams,” tweeted one fan. “Hell yes women should be ambitious — and praised for it.”

“When Meghan said as young girls we are usually so fearless and then we grow more insecure as we grow up because we get aware of the archetypes thrown at us, I really felt that,” said someone else.

Fans react as Meghan Markle drops first episode of Archetypes podcast

“I’m loving the relaxed, articulate and insightful episode of Archetypes with Meghan and Serena Williams,” another fan wrote. “Good job!”

Meghan Markle released the podcast Archetypes on Spotify in collaboration with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s audio production company, Archewell Audio.

Meredith Clark has more social media reactions from fans here.

Meghan Markle releases first Spotify podcast episode starring Serena Williams

Tuesday 23 August 2022 14:44 , Laura Hampson

Meghan Markle’s podcast series Archetypes has launched on Spotify.

On Tuesday (23 August), the first episode of the Duchess of Sussex’s long-awaited podcast was released. The podcast has been made by Spotify and the Sussexes’ production company. Archewell Audio

The first episode of Archetypes features an interview between Markle and Serena Williams, who recently announced that she was retiring from tennis.

You can read Isobel Lewis’ full report here.