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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ’s Archewell Audio holiday special featured a number of inspirational guests from around the world, but perhaps the cutest one was their one-year-old son Archie Harrison . The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s little boy made his speaking debut during a surprise appearance on their first podcast episode to wish listeners a happy New Year. “After me. Ready? Happy...,” Harry told his son (at the 31:59 mark). “Happy,” Archie repeated. “New,” Meghan and Harry said. “New…Year,” Archie added, before adorably erupting into a fit of giggles.
In addition to Prince George’s cousin, Stacey Abrams, Christina Adane, José Andrés, Brené Brown, Rachel Cargle, Deepak Chopra, James Corden, Matt Haig, Sir Elton John, Hussain Manawer, Naomi Osaka, Tyler Perry, and George the Poet also participated in Meghan and Harry’s inaugural episode, which was released on Spotify Dec. 29. “As we come to the end of this year and look to the future, let’s hold onto the lessons that we’ve learned about how important it is to take care of one another and how meaningful our connections are even when they’re physically impossible,” Queen Elizabeth’s grandson said. Meghan continued, “We thought, what if we can bring together some people that inspire us people that we admire and get their thoughts on what they learned from 2020.
The couple, who stepped back as senior members of the royal family earlier this year, asked their guests to record audio diaries to share what they’ll remember about 2020, as well as what they have learned about themselves and what gives them hope.
Towards the end, Meghan reminded listeners, “No matter what life throws at you guys, trust us when we say, love wins.” Harry added, “Love always win.” The Duke and Duchess concluded their podcast special playing This Little Light of Mine, which played at the end of their royal wedding in 2018. Meghan said, “It was the music that we wanted playing when we started our lives together, because as we all know, darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.”
The Duke and Duchess’ audio-first production company Archewell Audio announced a “multi-year partnership” with Spotify earlier this month. The first complete series from Archewell Audio and Spotify is expected in 2021 and will be available to stream for free on the digital music service. “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,” Archie’s parents said in a previously released statement. “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.”