Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made the environment and climate change one of the many, many focuses of the ambiguous Archewell Foundation, but apparently The Queen is not impressed. In her recent talk at the COP26 climate change event in Glasgow, Scotland, Her Majesty praised the efforts of her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William.

Archewell and Harry and Meghan did not receive a mention.

To combat this slight, the California-based couple gave a rather pathetic clap back, saying that the Archewell Foundation would have zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Well, if their foundation survives for that long—let alone their marriage. 

The Queen made the comments as part of COP26, which she was advised not to attend by her medical advisors. She said, “It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.”

Tellingly, she did not mention Prince Harry and his climate efforts. 

To make sure they’re not left behind as the rest of the world focuses on Glasglow, Archewell released a statement:

“As global leaders convene for COP26 to commit to solutions for our climate crisis, all of us at Archewell, led by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, share our pledge towards a more sustainable future by becoming net zero by 2030.”

It seems like they want a slow clap in response, as if their statement somehow profound or impressive. It’s questionable how many “employees” the couple have in Archewell. So how difficult would it be to reach “net zero emissions.”

Also, are the illustrious leaders of Archewell, who are again referenced by their titles in the second paragraph as if the public forgot who they are after reading two sentences, going to start using net zero transmission transportation? That would rule out the private jets they love so much, and also any other airlines. 

Will they emulate Greta Thunberg and Pierre Casiraghi, the son of Monaco’s Princess Caroline, and sailed across the Atlantic? That will be fun, especially with young children. 

At least it will keep the couple out of the United Kingdom, so the public should be grateful for that. 

This statement is simply a desperate attempt to try to insert themselves into global conversations, as if people care about their organization or their status as ex-royals. It’s rather pathetic. 

They left the royal family, of their own volition. As a result, they no longer have the global influence that they once did. Yes, they get plenty of press attention, but they no longer have the international prestige that they did as working members of the royal family. 

If they were still working royals, they likely would have been involved in the event, especially as The Queen pulled out at the last minute. They would have been tapped to represent the firm and the United Kingdom. 

But as simply Harry and Meghan, why would world leaders lean on them for anything really. They represent themselves and their organization, nothing else. Compared to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, their financial resources are essentially nonexistent. Those men can make the world pay attention, and Musk even said he would attempt to eliminate hunger for $6 billion if the World Food Program can show how the money is used.

By comparison, Archewell, under Meghan’s direction, can only offer a small organization with a little more than 20 employees a $25 gift card to Starbucks. Clearly, either the couple are taking a large take from their organization or they’re having trouble securing donations. 

The hubris of Harry and Meghan to believe that their little operation is somehow on par with the monarchy is delusional. 

Perhaps it’s hitting the couple that royalty has a type of power that is unmatched with the rest of the world. Harry and Meghan traded the trappings of royalty for the novelty of influencer culture. As it turns out, it’s increasingly obvious that they picked the wrong side.