Meghan Markle, Prince Harry accused of using Archie for 'commercial gain'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly broke privacy rules they set up for their son Archie when they used his photo to hold a fundraising campaign on his birthday.

Royal expert Angela Levin pointed out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to be private when it comes to their family. They do not want the media to circulate photos of their two-year-old son. Ironically, they are doing this themselves, she said.

"There's a distaste for me to use their little boy Archie for who they were so keen to keep private and out of the public eye that they are using him to earn a lot of money," Levin told The Sun Online and she added, "I would have thought that was breaking his own privacy because he will have an image that is not actually his own."

She is referring to the sepia-toned photo that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared on their Archewell Foundation website to mark his second birthday. The picture shows Archie holding balloons with his back to the camera. The royal couple celebrated their son's birthday with a donation drive in which they urged people to give at least $5 to help in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

A longtime critic of the Duchess of Sussex, Levin also pointed out the fact that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle donated 200 beanies from New Zealand social enterprise Make Give Live in Archie's name. They also made him wear a hat from the same label last year. Her point is Archie will always be associated with the brand and attached to his parents' foundation because they chose to name it after him.

"His name is always there and I don't think that's really fair on him. As he gets older he has already got an image which is chosen by his parents," she explained adding that the couple could just choose to live private lives without having to use their son or the Royal Family for "commercial gain."

Levin's comments come after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received backlash for celebrating Archie's second birthday with a charity campaign. One netizen even called the wealthy couple "crass" for using their son to earn money.