‘Real reason’ Meghan and Harry will never attend the BAFTAs and why William always goes explained

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined in 2020 the world of entertainment by launching their audio and video production powerhouse – Archewell Productions. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unlikely to ever attend the British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, despite their new role as producers.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s absence from the prestigious award night, which this year was hosted on February 18 by actor David Tennant, is likely linked to the fact Prince William has served as president of the organisation since February 2010 and has regularly attended the awards night. The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales have been at loggerheads for years, particularly following Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior members of the Royal Family. As a consequence, it is unlikely the organisers of the event would place the two warring royals in the same room in front of the world’s cameras.

In January last year, a source claimed to The Sun the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had not been invited to the BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles as their presence would have been a “PR disaster”, particularly in the wake of Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare, which included several allegations against the Prince of Wales. A BAFTAs spokeswoman denied at the time an invite for Harry and Meghan had been discussed. While Meghan and Harry have missed the BAFTAs, they have attended several glitzy events after stepping into the world of entertainment.

Last month, they were among the celebrities at the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Kingston, Jamaica. The pair have also recently enjoyed a trip to Canada, where they marked the 12-month countdown to the Invictus Games to be held in Vancouver and Whistler. A few months after stepping down as senior royals in 2020, Meghan and Harry launched their audio and video production company, Archewell Productions.

Through this organisation, the California-based pair have so far released three programmes for Netflix, including the successful Harry & Meghan docu-series, and the Archetypes podcast series produced for Spotify and presented by the Duchess. Meghan’s new contract with podcast network Lemonada Media will see her re-release her first audio series as well as develop a new original audio programme. While Meghan and Harry were absent from the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday evening, Prince William was among the many high-profile attendees.

During the star-studded event, the heir to the throne apologised to Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, for his “last minute” decision to attend the event amid his wife recovering from abdominal surgery and his father being treated for cancer.

Asked if he had been able to watch many of the 38 feature films nominated at the awards, he said: “I’ve done the fewest I’ve ever done before, with my wife it’s been a bit… hopefully we’ll catch up. I’ll make my list tonight.”