The first episode of Archetypes – the long-awaited podcast by Meghan Markle was released on Spotify this week and many were quick to slam the debut episode.
Watch Below: Meghan Markle launches Archetypes podcast
The show describes itself as a place “where we investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” but listeners quickly labelled the debut episode “boring” and “a joke.”
This week’s episode saw Meghan and guest speaker Serena Williams speak on a number of issues including the struggles of living in the public eye, motherhood and the double standard women face when they are labelled “ambitious.”
But it was Meghan’s personal anecdote about a royal engagement in South Africa that stirred up controversy.
Meghan recounted a terrifying ordeal she, Harry and Archie experienced during a trip to Africa, slamming the Royal protocols for forcing her to attend an official engagement just hours later.
Meghan explained how a tour to South Africa quickly turned into every parent’s worst nightmare when Archie’s nursery caught on fire.
Archie – who was four-and-a-half months at the time, was with his nanny at a housing unit while Harry and Meghan attended a royal engagement.
Lauren, their nanny, was supposed to put Archie down for his nap but at the last minute, decided to bring him downstairs with her.
“In that amount of time that she went downstairs. The heater in the nursery caught on fire,” Meghan explained.
After recounting the terrifying experience, Meghan also made a thinly veiled swipe at the Royal family and their strict protocols, which saw her leave Archie and return to their itinerary begrudgingly.
“We had to leave our baby… we still had to leave him and go do another official engagement,” she explained.
But it seems not everyone enjoyed the story, with many slamming Meghan for re-telling an “outdated” story that shed a “bad light” on the Royal family.
“Your child wasn’t even in the room” pointed out one fan, who also explained that many mothers “have to go to work when their children are sick.”
Another questioned why it took so long for the story to come out since the incident happened almost three years ago.
Karl Stefanovic also joined in, struggling to contain his laughter during a news segment on the story.
“So, just to get this right, the baby’s, what, not even there?” he asked.
“But… so then, the baby’s not there when the fire catches right? And because the baby wasn’t there, she was going to have difficulties going to a function? Oh, my God.”
Channel Nine’s entertainment reporter Peter Ford also weighed in, labelling the new podcast as “just another way she can talk about herself.”
Controversial UK broadcaster Piers Morgan also added to the conversation, slamming the podcast as an opportunity to “trash the Royal Family whilst simultaneously exploiting your royal status for millions of dollars.”
But not everyone agrees, with some fans defending the debut episode of Archetypes and praising the “powerful conversation.”
“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,” tweeted one fan.
“This conversation was amazing and #Archetypes is my new favourite podcast,” wrote another.
“I’m sorry but Meghan Markle is a genius for this. A podcast about the words used against women, after she’s been called everything under the sun. A big FU to her haters, but in a very classy and clever way,” explained Courtney Pochin the Lifestyle Editor for The Mirror.
Watch Below: Karl Stefanovic’s brutal reaction to Meghan Markle’s birthday video
The first episode of Archetypes also saw a surprise cameo from Harry.
Episode two of the podcast will be released next week with guest Mariah Carey.
