Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have failed to make Time Magazine’s inaugural list of greatest do-gooders but when the couple did make a similar list they were mocked mercilessly online.
Famous figures including, Oprah Winfrey, David Beckham and the Prince and Princess of Wales have made the 2025 list of the most influential philanthropists.
However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have failed to make the cut – having previously made the traditional Time100 list in 2021 and 2018.
It was their appearance on one of the magazine’s covers in 2021 which saw the couple ridiculed online for being ‘awkward’ and ‘airbrushed’.
The cover showed Meghan standing front and centre dressed in all white while Harry is behind his wife leaning his arms on her shoulder wearing all black while outside their $14.65million mansion in Montecito, California.
Social media users were quick to point out that the couple appeared to have fell victim to a ‘terrible retouching job’ which made the Sussexes look ‘CGI’.
Elsewhere, messages shared on X – formerly Twitter – included gifs of Gordon Ramsey saying ‘oh f*** off’ and memes where users said they were going to ‘vomit’ after seeing the cover.
One critic claimed the photo reflected the power dynamic in the relationship, because Meghan is in front of her husband, tweeting: ‘Wow, this photo speaks volumes. There is no hiding who’s in control’.
The 2021 cover showed Meghan standing front and centre dressed in all white while Harry is behind his wife leaning his arms on her shoulder wearing all black while outside their $14.65million mansion in Montecito, California
Harry and Meghan at a different Time Magazine event in April. The duke and duchess failed to make Time Magazine’s inaugural list of greatest do-gooders
Twitter users are mocking Harry and Meghan’s ‘awkward’ and ‘airbrushed’ Time magazine cover, with people saying their friend’s gushing tribute about the couple’s ‘struggle’ makes them want to ‘vomit’
X users mocked Harry and Meghan’s ‘awkward’ and ‘airbrushed’ Time magazine cover at the time, with people saying their friend’s gushing tribute about the couple’s ‘struggle’ makes them want to ‘vomit’
Another wrote: ‘This photo looks photoshopped. Also, the way they are positioned is very revealing: it’s the Meghan show and Harry is just the supporting actor’. One critic said: ‘Harry looks completely awkward peering behind his wife like this’.
But Time’s picture editor, Dilys Ng, who made the final decision on the cover image, said today that the portrait captures the Sussexes’ ‘powerful dynamic as equal partners’.
In other photos from the shoot the couple were seen in green smiling at each other as well as posing in matching grey office-style clothes next to a window in outfits chosen by celebrity stylists Clare and Nina Hallwroth.
The photos were accompanied by a ‘sycophantic’ profile written by their friend and chef José Andrés, whose charity World Central Kitchen is loved by the Sussexes and supported financially by their Archewell foundation in India and the Caribbean.
He wrote: ‘In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don’t know, the duke and duchess have compassion for the people they don’t know.
‘They don’t just opine. They run toward the struggle.’ Mr Andres said the couple are ‘blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame’, adding: ‘It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent. That’s not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are’.
At the time, the couple claimed they were ‘humbled’ to have been included on the list of the most distinguished people. Writing in a post on Archewell website they said: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are not only humbled to be part of this year’s TIME 100 through the words of friend and partner José Andrés, but to also write in praise of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the publication’s annual list of Most Influential People.’
Despite their well documented charitable enterprises such as their Archewell Foundation – which runs social impact initiatives combating online harm and promoting good mental health – Harry and Meghan failed to make the inaugural list of the 100 most influential philanthropists.
Harry Meghan attended a related Time100 event in New York last month, which featured Meghan as keynote speaker (pictured)
Harry and Meghan on their wedding day in 2018, that same year the couple were included in Time’s 100 most influential people
There is one royal power couple who did make the list: the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, who are congratulated for their efforts to address homelessness and early years development through the Royal Foundation.
William’s Earthshot Prize, which recognises bold new environmental initiatives, was also given a nod.
‘Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are less concerned with cultural preservation and more attuned to social issues,’ the magazine said.
Other notable names on the Time100 Philanthropy list include actor Michael Sheen, who has recently won plaudits for writing off some £1million of debt for 900 people across South Wales, investor Warren Buffet and country star Dolly Parton.
The Time100 Philanthropy list is separate from the Time100 list, which has been published every year since 1999 and features what the magazine says are the 100 most influential people of that year.
This year’s Time100 list includes another of Meghan’s friends, Serena Williams. Meghan and Harry have made the list twice in previous years, appearing in both 2021 and 2018.
Meghan did, however, appear at a Time100 summit in New York in April as keynote speaker, in which she said she was the ‘happiest’ she had ever been.
William and Kate (pictured yesterday at the start of a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace) were recognised for their efforts in addressing homelessness and early years development in children
She said: ‘Of all the things that have happened in my life, I never would have imagined that getting here, at this point, I feel just so happy and grateful. I really do.’
The Duchess told the gathered audience that she did not read about herself online – speaking weeks after Netflix series With Love, Meghan was panned by critics.
Quoting American comedian Tina Fey, Meghan said: ‘”If you’re feeling good about yourself, just go online” – so I don’t do that.’
She and Harry did not stick around for a subsequent gala event, as son Archie, five, was on the verge of losing his first tooth.
