Month: March 2021

One of the most dramatic claims in Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was the allegation that their son was denied a royal title, possibly because of his skin color.
Harry and Meghan’s son, seventh in line to the British throne, is Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. In contrast, the children of Harry’s older brother, Prince William, are Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Meghan said that while she was pregnant “they” — presumably the palace — “were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince … which would be different from protocol.”
She implied it might be a case of “the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.”Was Archie Snubbed?
Queen Elizabeth II has nine great-grandchildren, including Archie. They are not princes and princesses, apart from the three children of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne and destined to be king one day.
A decree issued by King George V in 1917 limits the titles of prince and princess to the children of the monarch, children of the monarch’s sons and “the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales” — that’s William’s son Prince George.
Bob Morris from the Constitution Unit at University College London, said the rule was drawn up to trim the increasingly unwieldy number of princely titles.
“Queen Victoria had nine children who were all princes and princesses, and then they had children and so forth, and George V took the view … that something needed to be done to tidy up the situation,” he said.
The queen has the power to amend the rules, and in 2012 she decreed that all the children of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, not just the eldest, would be princes and princesses.
Under the George V convention, Archie is not a prince, but will become one as the grandchild of a monarch once current heir to the throne Prince Charles is king.
In her interview, Meghan said she was told that “they want to change the convention for Archie.”  
It is unclear what she was referring to, but Morris said Prince Charles has let it be known “that he favors a smaller royal family” when he takes the throne.
Archie was eligible for a “courtesy title” at birth, such as Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. At the time, it was reported that Harry and Meghan had chosen not to give him a title.
But Meghan told Winfrey that “it was not our decision to make.”Does The Title Affect Archie’s Security?
Meghan expressed concern that without a title, Archie “wasn’t going to receive security.”
But a royal title such as prince or princess does not automatically bring security protection. Full-time working royals — including Meghan and Harry before they moved to North America last year — receive taxpayer-funded police bodyguards. Senior royals who have jobs outside the family, such as Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, do not.What Does The Palace Say?
Buckingham Palace has not responded to specific allegations in the interview. In a statement, it said “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
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Longtime NBC and CBS correspondent and television anchor Roger Mudd has died at the age of 93. CBS News says Mudd died Tuesday of complications of kidney failure at his home in McLean, Virginia.
The journalist famously once stumped Sen. Edward Kennedy by simply asking why he wanted to be president. During more than 30 years on network television, Mudd covered Congress, elections and political conventions. He was also a frequent anchor and contributor to various specials. His career coincided with the flowering of television news, when the big three networks and their powerhouse ranks of reporters were the main source of news for millions of Americans.
Besides work at CBS and NBC, he did stints on PBS’s “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” and the History Channel.  
When he joined Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer’s show in 1987, Mudd told The Associated Press: I think they regard news and information and fact and opinion with a reverence and respect that really is admirable.''
He wrote a memoir,The Place To Be,” which came out in early 2008, and described the challenges and clashing egos he encountered working in Washington, where among other things he covered Congress for CBS for 15 years.  
In an April 2008 interview on the NewsHour,'' he said heabsolutely loved” keeping tabs on the nation’s 100 senators and 435 representatives, all of them wanting to talk, great access, politics morning, noon and night, as opposed to the White House, where everything is zipped up and tightly held.''  
Mudd received a George Foster Peabody Award for his November 1979 specialCBS Reports: Teddy,” which aired just days before Kennedy officially announced his attempt to challenge then-President Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.  
In the report, Mudd asked the Massachusetts senator a simple question: Why do you want to be president?''  
Kennedy was unable to give a focused answer or specify what he personally wanted to do.  Well, I’m, uh, were I to make the announcement to run, the reasons that I would run is because I have a great belief in this country. … We’re facing complex issues and problems in this nation at this time but we have faced similar challenges at other times. … And I would basically feel that it’s imperative for this country to move forward, that it can’t stand still, for otherwise it moves backward.”  
It was enough to prompt New York Times columnist Tom Wicker to give Kennedy the Safire Prize for Nattering Nabob of the Year.'' Carter went on to win the nomination for a second term, only to fall to Ronald Reagan in the general election.  
As Mudd told viewers:On the stump Kennedy can be dominating, imposing and masterful, but off the stump, in personal interviews, he can become stilted, elliptical and at times appear as if he really doesn’t want America to get to know him.”  
Mudd spent a fair amount of time in the CBS Evening News'' anchor chair, substituting for Walter Cronkite when he was off and anchoring the Saturday evening news broadcasts from 1966 to 1973.  
But he lost out to Dan Rather in the competition to succeed Cronkite as the news anchor at CBS when the latter retired in 1981. Cronkite, for one, had backed Rather because he didn't think Mudd had enough foreign experience.  
It was then that Mudd jumped to NBC as its chief Washington correspondent. In addition, he co-anchored NBC'sNightly News” with Tom Brokaw for a year before Brokaw went solo in 1983, and for a time co-hosted Meet the Press,'' the Sunday morning interview show.  
But when he left NBC, he said management viewed news asa promotable commodity” rather than a public service. His departure had been rumored since he sharply criticized NBC News for canceling the newsmagazine show 1986,'' which he co-anchored with Connie Chung.  Roger Mudd was one of the most gifted journalists of my lifetime. An astute political reporter and guardian of the highest standards. Roger’s dedication to fundamental journalistic practices remains a marker for future generations,” Brokaw said.
In five years on NewsHour,'' Mudd served as a senior correspondent, essayist and occasional anchor. He hosted a number of reports on American history and education, includingLearning in America: Schools That Work” and The Wizard: Thomas Alva Edison.''  
Mudd left theNewsHour” in 1992 to teach journalism at Princeton University, describing the offer to teach at the Ivy League school as simply too appealing to turn down. He also was a host and correspondent for The History Channel from 1995 to 2004.  
Among his other awards over the years, Mudd shared in a Peabody for the 1970 CBS documentary The Selling of the Pentagon,'' which looked at the military's public relations efforts. Mudd was the narrator of the program, which the Peabody judges said waselectronic journalism at its best.”  
Early in his career at CBS, Mudd was teamed with Robert Trout to anchor coverage of the 1964 Democratic convention after CBS _ using Walter Cronkite as anchor _ trailed NBC’s Chet Huntley and David Brinkley in the ratings at the Republican convention. The memorably named Mudd-Trout team did not conquer NBC’s duo, and Cronkite was back as anchor on election night that November.
In 1990, he received the Joan Shorenstein Barone award for distinguished Washington reporting.  
Before joining CBS News, Mudd worked at radio station WTOP in Washington. Before that, he was news director at WRNL Radio in Richmond, Virginia, a reporter for the Richmond News Leader and a research assistant with the House Committee on Tax-Exempt Foundation. He was also an English and history teacher and football coach at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia.  
In 1977, Mudd received an honorary doctorate from Washington and Lee University, his alma mater. He donated his 1,500 volume collection of 20th-century Southern writers to the university in 2006. He earned a master’s degree in American History from the University of North Carolina in 1951.  
Mudd, who was born in Washington, was a distant relative of Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who was arrested for treating an injured John Wilkes Booth shortly after Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. The doctor, who was eventually pardoned, said he hadn’t been aware of the killing when he aided Booth.
According to CBS News, Mudd and his late wife, the former E.J. Spears, are survived by their four children, as well as 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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Buckingham Palace said Tuesday the British royal family is “saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the past few years have been” for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, popularly known as Harry and Meghan.Following a widely publicized CBS interview Sunday with Oprah Winfrey, in which issues of race, family dynamics and suicidal thoughts were raised, a Buckingham Palace statement issued on behalf of Queen Elizabeth said, “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”The statement, published on Twitter, also said the couple and their son Archie will always be “much loved family members.”The statement comes after Markle, who is biracial, said a member of the family raised concerns over “how dark” Archie would be. The former actress is now pregnant with her second child.In February, the palace announced the duke and duchess would not return as working royals, almost a year after it was announced that they would be stepping down from their duties as working members of the royal family. The couple moved to North America later that year. They currently reside in California.Tuesday marks the first time the royal family has publicly responded to the issues raised in the Sunday interview. 
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U.S. President Joe Biden’s two dogs have reportedly been sent back to his home in Delaware after what has been described as aggressive behavior toward a member of White House security.
The U.S. cable channel CNN first reported late Monday one of the dogs, Major, had bitten a security staff member, citing people close to the situation. There was no report on how serious the bite was, but apparently staff felt it warranted to remove the dogs from the White House and its grounds.
Major, at three years old, is the younger of the Biden’s two German shepherds and was adopted from a Delaware animal shelter. The CNN sources said the dog has been known to display “agitated” behavior, including jumping, barking and “charging at some staff members. Reports say there has been no comment from the White House.
The other dog, Champion, is at least 13 years old and slowed by age. Both are the first rescue dogs to live at the White House.
In interviews, first lady Jill Biden has indicated it has taken the dogs some time to get used to their surroundings at the White House since moving in January. She said they tend to “run all over.”
The CNN sources which confirmed the dogs had been taken to Delaware indicated it is not unusual for the animals to stay there with “minders” when the first lady is out of town. Jill Biden left Monday for a two-day trip to Washington state and California.
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Britain’s royal family was plunged into crisis Monday, a day after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, known popularly as Harry and Meghan, said in an interview that a royal had raised concerns about the color of son Archie’s skin and that the child would not be made a prince. “So, we have in tandem the conversation of, you won’t be given security. He won’t be given security. He’s not going to be given a title. And also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan told media mogul Oprah Winfrey in the interview broadcast Sunday evening on U.S. television network CBS.  Meghan is the biracial child of a Black mother and white father. Questioned about the allegations later in the interview, Prince Harry said the conversation had taken place early in his and Meghan’s relationship. They did not name the person who made the comment.This undated image released March 7, 2021 courtesy of Harpo Productions shows Britain’s Prince Harry (L) and his wife Meghan (C), Duchess of Sussex, in a conversation with U.S. television host Oprah Winfrey.“That conversation I’m never going to share. But at the time, it was awkward. I was a bit shocked,” the 36-year-old prince said. “But that was right at the beginning when (Meghan) wasn’t going to get security, when members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting because there’s not enough money to pay for her and all that sort of stuff. Like, there were some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard.” Buckingham Palace has yet to respond to the allegations. It is currently conducting an investigation into allegations that Meghan bullied members of her staff, an accusation she denies. Harry and Meghan stepped back from their duties in March 2020 after struggling with royal life and moved to California. Meghan said Queen Elizabeth had always been “wonderful” to her. The 39-year-old told Winfrey that she had struggled with what the couple saw as racist attacks in the media. Meghan also said she had regularly suffered suicidal thoughts while pregnant but had received no support. “It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family. But they weren’t willing to tell the truth, to protect me and my husband,” Meghan said. Harry described how the couple had been cut off financially from the royal family. He said his father, Prince Charles, the future king, had refused to take his calls. “I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls and then said, ‘Can you put this all in writing what your plan is?’” Harry said. FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gesture during their visit to the Storyhouse in Chester, Cheshire on June 14, 2018.British analyst Richard Fitzwilliams said the extent of Harry and Meghan’s broken relationship with the royal family has been laid bare.  “They feel angry and bitter. This is an ultimate act of revenge, because it’s unclear precisely how the palace will respond to it. However, you cannot do nothing when allegations of this sort are made. And most particularly, the allegation of racism — that will be absolutely toxic. But this is, I would emphasize, only one side of the question,” Fitzwilliams told VOA. Critics said Winfrey should have questioned Meghan’s behavior more closely. “This is a woman who seems to make a habit of falling out with people. But none of Meghan’s real behavior was questioned. It was an absolute exercise in torching the House of Windsor, and I came away with a very distasteful taste in my mouth,” royal biographer Anna Pasternak told BBC News. The revelations will be painful for Queen Elizabeth, Fitzwilliams said. “What they paint is a portrait of isolation, and the palace is portrayed (as) a form of prison. This is extremely destructive, and I don’t think it will play out happily in any way at all. The queen, at nearly 95, will be deeply hurt by it. It’s worthwhile remembering Prince Philip (the queen’s husband) at 99 is recovering from a procedure to treat a preexisting heart condition.”  Divided publicThe interview is proving divisive among the British public. “As a Black woman, she (Meghan) didn’t get it very easy within the royal family, and the newspapers weren’t exactly friendly about it, either,” said Karen Louise, a 39-year-old photographer from London. Seventy-five-year-old London resident Elaine Naylor criticized the couple’s decision to go ahead with the interview. “I think they’ve done the wrong thing. And I’m sorry, really, because I don’t think they’ve done themselves any good at all,” Naylor said. The royal couple visited South Africa in 2019, a country with which Harry has forged a lifelong bond. Residents of Johannesburg Monday offered support for Meghan.  “As soon as they got married, you know, the British tabloids just started attacking her. From the word, ‘go,’ they started attacking her. So, I think there is racism playing a part,” said Johannesburg resident Timmy Mathebula. Problem for BritainThe acrimony of Harry and Meghan’s separation from the royal family sits in stark contrast to the hopes of their marriage in 2018, Fitzwilliams said.  “Harry and Meghan were going to be the couple who would modernize the monarchy, reach out to young people — particularly persons of color, and especially in the Commonwealth. It was a fantastic idea, and she was so articulate, too. But this does not represent anything resembling the reality with the resentment behind this interview.” The accusations could impact Britain’s image abroad. “I think Britain perhaps has got a problem here, because younger people, persons of color, you will find perhaps different views. … It will be interesting to see the polls. But this is terribly destructive,” Fitzwilliams told VOA.  Harry also revealed he and Meghan are expecting a girl. “To have any child, any one or two, would be amazing. But to have a boy, then a girl. What else can you ask for?” he said. But the interview will be remembered most for the couple’s allegations made against the royal family as the world awaits its response. 
 
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International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements and highlights issues of women’s rights. To mark the occasion Monday, the U.S. State Department presented the International Women of Courage Award, and VOA spoke with a recipient.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has this report.Camera:  AP/REUTERS/SKYPE Produced by: Arash Arabasadi
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Malala Yousafzai is a Nobel laureate known around the world for her activism, but she’s also a cartoon fan, and is taking her love of television and film to Apple TV+.
 
Yousafzai, 23, who graduated from Oxford last June, announced Monday that she has partnered with Apple in a multi-year deal to develop dramas, documentaries, comedies, animation and series for kids.
 
Yousafzai was the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2014, for working to protect children from slavery, extremism and child labor. In her home country, Pakistan, she was outspoken in insisting that girls have a right to an education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while riding a school bus at age 15. She recovered and went on to fight against girls’ oppression worldwide.
 
In an interview with The Associated Press, Yousafzai talked about her love of cartoons as an escape, how she stays hopeful in a sometimes bleak world, and how she will mark Monday’s International Women’s Day.
 
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
 AP: Your new deal with Apple includes comedy and animated shows. Are you a comedy fan?
 Yousafzai: In my childhood, it was Cartoon Network and, you know, seeing “Tom and Jerry,” “Courage,” “Scooby Doo” and all of those TV cartoon shows. When you are a child — and especially when terrorism started — to know that there is sort of this world in cartoons where you can escape from the reality around you and just giggle and laugh and just entertain yourself. You know, I have been watching comedy movies from Bollywood to Hollywood, and I am a big fan of animation as well. I have not missed a single animation movie. It just keeps you engaged and entertained and also gives you very beautiful messages.
 AP: You’ll also be developing documentaries and maybe covering your world travels to help girls?
 Yousafzai: I definitely want to do documentaries and non-scripted shows, and it will cover a lot — hopefully my own journey as well — and the incredible girls that I meet…. But there’s so much more to explore and to learn. I’m excited. You know, I’m still at the stage where I’m exploring ideas. I can tell you that there are so many incredible ideas and it’s so difficult to pick and choose one.
 AP: A stat on your website suggests it will take 100 years until all girls have access to education. Sometimes the news is so dark, how do you maintain hope?
 Yousafzai: I think when you raise your voice, it can have an impact and it can bring change. What will make me pessimistic is if we don’t do anything. So as long as we keep doing our part, there is optimism, there is hope. I think it’s just the silence that keeps things going as they are.
 AP: How are you going to mark International Women’s Day?
 YousafzaI: We need to just take a bit of a break and celebrate the accomplishments that women have made. And I’m not just talking about historical figures and activist women — we need to applaud them and appreciate them. But us as individuals, who are in school, in colleges studying, or parents who are coping with COVID and being at home and managing their kids and also doing work and managing these Zoom calls and everything. So to all the women who just coped — especially last year, you know — take a break and be proud of yourself. You have done an incredible job.
 AP: Many girls look up to you as a hero. Who are your heroes?
 YousafzaI: I have many, many heroes, from my parents to historical figures like Benazir Bhutto, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. But the people who have actually and truly inspired me are the young girls that I have met in my journey. Girls from Iraq to Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya. So many of these girls have incredible stories that they have seen — wars, conflicts. They have become displaced. They have been forced into marriages at early ages. But they do not give up on their dreams and they are still fighting for the right to education, for their right to a safe future. If they are not giving up on their fight for education, then why should we?
 AP: How has it been in quarantine at home?
 Yousafzai: I spent the last two months of college at home because of COVID. And I was taking my exams at home and I graduated at home and it’s all just been home, home, home. I have two younger brothers and it’s quite difficult to manage your work while they’re in the house. They have their own sort of schedule and timetable. And I would have an important call and they would just come to my room and not appreciate that. But still, you know, they are my brothers and I love them. So we’re just coping with it and trying our best not to argue too much.
 AP: What is your message for young girls who want to be activists?
 Yousafzai: My message to young girls is always, never underestimate yourself. We are often told that you have to grow older and get a PhD or something, and then once you are 50 or 40, then you can change things. Follow that path if you want, but you can change things now as well. Do not underestimate the power you have, even in the small actions that you take, whether that is raising awareness, doing fundraising for a cause you believe in, talking to somebody that doesn’t agree with you…. Talk about why women’s rights and girls’ rights are important, why climate change is important. All of these things matter.
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Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused Britain’s royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son’s skin might be and pushing her to the brink of suicide, in a tell-all television interview that could send shockwaves through the monarchy.The 39-year-old, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she had been naive before she married into royalty in 2018, but that she ended up having suicidal thoughts and considering self-harm after pleading for help but getting none.Meghan said that her son, Archie, now 1, had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the royal family about “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.””That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations that family had with him,” Meghan recounted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS late Sunday.Meghan declined to say who had aired such concerns, as did Harry, who said his family had cut them off financially and that his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, had let him down and refused to take his calls at one point.Buckingham Palace had no immediate comment about the interview, which aired in the early hours of Monday morning in Britain.The sit-down conversation with Winfrey was the most anticipated royal interview since Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, shared intimate details of her failed marriage to Charles in 1995, denting the heir’s reputation and the family’s standing in the eyes of the British public.Nearly three years since her star-studded wedding in Windsor Castle, Meghan described some unidentified members of the royal household as brutal, mendacious and guilty of racist remarks.She also accused Kate, the wife of her husband’s elder brother, Prince William, of making her cry before her wedding.While the family came in for open criticism, neither Harry nor Meghan attacked Queen Elizabeth directly.Still, Meghan said she had been silenced by “the Firm” — which Elizabeth heads — and that her pleas for help while in distress at racist reporting and her predicament had fallen on deaf ears.”I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember how he (Harry) just cradled me,” Meghan said, wiping away tears.’Really let down’Harry and Meghan’s announcement in January 2020 that they intended to step down from their royal roles plunged the family into crisis. Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed the split would be permanent, as the couple looks to forge an independent life in the United States.Harry, 36, said they had stepped back from royal duties because of a lack of understanding, and he was worried about history repeating itself — a reference to the death of his mother, Diana, who was killed in a 1997 crash as her car sped away from pursuing photographers.Asked what his mother would say about events, he said: “I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out and very sad.”He felt “really let down” by his father and added: “My family literally cut me off financially.”Harry denied blindsiding Queen Elizabeth, his grandmother, with his decision to shun life within the monarchy, but said his father stopped taking his calls at one point.”I had three conversations with my grandmother, and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls. And then he said, ‘Can you put this all in writing?’”Detractors say the couple wanted the limelight but were not willing to live with the attention it brought. To supporters, their treatment shows how an outdated British institution lashed out against a modern, independent biracial woman.Lies and tearsThere have also been allegations of bullying against Meghan which appeared in The Times newspaper in the buildup to the couple’s appearance. Buckingham Palace said it would investigate the claims, adding it was “very concerned.”Meghan told Winfrey that people within the royal institution not only failed to protect her against malicious claims but lied to protect others.”It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family,” Meghan said.Meghan denied a newspaper story that she had made Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, cry before the wedding and said it was a turning point in her relations with the media and the palace.”The reverse happened,” Meghan said. “A few days before the wedding she (Kate) was upset about something, pertaining to yes, the issue was correct about the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry. And it really hurt my feelings.”Meghan, who said they were not paid for the interview, conceded she had not realized what she was marrying into when she joined the British monarchy and “went into it naively.”The couple also revealed that Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, was expecting a girl.Harry said Meghan had “saved” him from his trapped royal life. “I would disagree, I think he saved all of us. You made a decision that certainly saved my life,” Meghan said.”This is in some ways just the beginning for us.”
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Britain’s royal family on Sunday braced for further revelations from Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, as a week of transatlantic claim and counter-claim reaches a climax with the broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey.The two-hour chat with the U.S. chat show queen is the biggest royal interview since Harry’s mother princess Diana detailed her crumbling marriage to his father Prince Charles in 1995.Diana’s shock admission of affairs on both sides, and her life in the world’s most famous family, was watched by more than 22 million people in Britain — a record.But that could be eclipsed by Harry and Meghan’s tell-all with Winfrey, who has reportedly sold it to U.S. broadcaster CBS for $7-9 million (£5.1 million to £6.5 million, 5.9 million to 7.6 million euros).Winfrey also retains the international rights, which will feed an appetite of interest about Britain’s centuries-old monarchy — and their troubles — across the globe.”Tin hats on,” one royal aide was quoted as telling the Sunday Times, after a drip of excerpts in which Meghan complained about the strictures of royal life from her gated Californian mansion.Viewers will tune in to see if she and Harry have scores to settle with Buckingham Palace since leaving the royal frontline — and if so, how far will they go?Smear campaign?Close attention will be paid to any suggestion by Meghan, who is mixed race that racism played a part in their shock decision to move to North America.The former television actress, 39, has been portrayed in some British newspapers as headstrong, calculating and spoiled, and the couple reckless and selfish for quitting royal life.But in her defense, Meghan’s supporters, particularly in the United States, have seen hints of racism, claiming the monarchy could not deal with a “strong black woman.”In one excerpt, Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, accused the royals of orchestrating a calculated smear campaign and “perpetuating falsehoods” about them.That came hours after revelations she was facing an internal palace investigation into claims that she bullied royal household staff after she and Harry married in a fairytale wedding in 2018.Further reports the couple are facing a probe into their charitable foundation have been seen as a counter-offensive by the embattled royals in a bitter battle for public support and sympathy.No winnersJust hours before the broadcast, Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and other senior royals, including his father and older brother William, make their own TV appearance.The Commonwealth Day celebration normally passes with little fanfare in Britain, but this year is being watched closely for signs of implied criticism of Harry and Meghan.Excerpts released Saturday showed William and his wife Kate — with whom Harry and Meghan have reportedly fallen out — praising global health workers for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.That is likely to be viewed in British newspapers in contrast to Harry and Meghan, who have been criticized for complaining about their life, even after signing lucrative deals in the last year.The couple, known formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are likely to get more public sympathy — and a greater profile — in the United States.But royal author Penny Junor said the whole affair was “a mess”. “I don’t think there are going to be any winners in it,” she said.’Come out swinging’The Sunday Times said the queen, 94, would not watch the interview, which is due to air in full on Sunday night in the United States and Monday night in Britain.The weekly quoted unnamed courtiers as calling the situation a “circus”, and the palace would “come out swinging” if individuals are attacked.Viewers will also watch to see if Harry sheds light on his rift with William, after reports he and his wife Kate were lukewarm towards Meghan.They are also likely to expand on their attitudes to the media, which they said prompted their departure, and against whom they have launched a slew of legal claims.”My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” Harry, 36, told Winfrey in one excerpt, referring to his mother’s death in a 1997 Paris car crash as she fled paparazzi photographers.Harry and Meghan first stepped back from royal duties in March last year. It was confirmed last month they would not return and were stripped of their royal patronages and honorary titles. 
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Two documentaries shine a light on women defying the odds in the face of brutality and corruption. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmakers and has the story.
Camera: Penelope Poulou     Producer: Penelope Poulou
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Meghan Markle, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, says she is now “ready to talk” along with husband Prince Harry, ahead of a highly anticipated weekend airing of an interview with Oprah Winfrey.Markle credits her newfound freedom for opening up about the limitations put on her by the royal family and her appreciation for making her own decisions.”It’s really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say, ‘Yes … I’m ready to talk,’ ” she said.Markle believes now is the time to share her side of the story and how life has changed since leaving the royal family.“We’re on the other side of a lot of, a lot of life experience that’s happened,” Markle said. “And also that we have the ability to make our own choices in a way that I couldn’t have said yes to you then, that wasn’t my choice to make.”Markle and Prince Harry, who tied the knot in May 2018, stunned the royal family in January when they announced they would step down from their official royal duties to live independently in Montecito, California.Since coming to Montecito, the couple announced their new commonwealth project, Archewell Foundation, named after their son Archie. Teaming with chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, the foundation said it would create Community Relief Centers in regions of the world prone to climate disasters.Sunday’s interview comes after Buckingham Palace announced Wednesday it would be launching an investigation into claims Markle bullied her staff while still living as a royal in London.“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Markle said.Oprah with Meghan and Harry will air this Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on the CBS television network. 
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A lot of food is wasted around the world, and the United Nations says it needs better data to determine just how much.  
 
Citing the environmental impact of food production, the U.N. says understanding the scope of food waste is crucial.
 
Despite the lack of data, the U.N. estimates in its report that 17%, or 931 million tons, of the food produced around the world went to waste in 2019.  
 
“Improved measurement can lead to improved management,” Brian Roe, a food waste researcher at The Ohio State University who was not involved in the report, told the Associated Press.
 
The U.N. says once the scale of food waste is known, it will be easier to come up with potential solutions, such as turning waste into animal feed or fertilizer.
 
According to the U.N., food waste is not limited to developed countries, but is a growing problem in poorer countries where refrigeration might not always be available.  
 
“For a long time, it was assumed that food waste in the home was a significant problem only in developed countries,” Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP, a charity that works with governments to reduce food waste, told Reuters.
 
Clementine O’Connor, of the U.N. Environment Program and co-author of the report, said many countries “haven’t yet quantified their food waste, so they don’t understand the scale of the problem.”
 
In the United States, one way to mitigate food waste could be to clarify the meaning of food labeling, such as “sell by,” “best by” and “enjoy by” dates, according to Chris Barrett, an agricultural economist at Cornell University.
 
He said some people might throw away food based on those dates even though the food may still be safe to eat.
 
“Food waste is a consequence of sensible decisions by people acting on the best information available,” he told AP.
 
The U.S. Agriculture Department estimates an American family of four wastes about $1,500 worth of food each year.
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Prince Philip has had a successful heart procedure at a London hospital and is expected to remain for several days of “rest and recuperation,” Buckingham Palace said Thursday.
The palace said the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II “underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.”
“His royal highness will remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days,” the palace said in a statement.
Philip, 99, has been hospitalized since being admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Feb. 16, where he was treated for an infection. On Monday he was transferred to a specialized cardiac care hospital, St. Bartholomew’s.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, said Wednesday that Philip’s condition was “slightly improving.”
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” said Camilla, who is married to Prince Charles, eldest son of Philip and the queen.
Philip’s illness is not believed to be related to the coronavirus. Both Philip and the monarch received COVID-19 vaccinations in January and chose to publicize the matter to encourage others to also take the vaccine.  FILE – Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh has been hospitalized.Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, retired in 2017 and rarely appears in public. Before his hospitalization, Philip had been isolating at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the queen.
Although he enjoyed good health well into old age, Philip has had heart issues in the past. In 2011, he was rushed to a hospital by helicopter after suffering chest pains and was treated for a blocked coronary artery.  
The longest-serving royal consort in British history, Philip married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
His illness comes as the royal family braces for the broadcast of an interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are pictured in this undated handout photo supplied to Reuters, following an announcement that they are expecting their second child.Meghan and husband Prince Harry quit royal duties last year and moved to California, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Relations between the couple and the palace appear to have become increasingly strained. On Wednesday,  the palace said it was launching a human resources investigation after a newspaper reported that a former aide had accused Meghan of bullying staff in 2018.
In a clip from the pre-recorded Winfrey interview, released by CBS, Winfrey asks Meghan how she feels about the palace “hearing you speak your truth today?”
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there was an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” the duchess says.  
“The Firm” is a nickname for the royal family, sometimes used with affection and sometimes with a note of criticism.
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