Sussex Doomed Day: Harry and Meghan’s Investment Firm Holds Shares in Social Media Giants

A new investigation has revealed that the Wall Street investment firm, Ethic, backed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, owns tens of millions of dollars worth of shares in Twitter, Facebook, and Google's parent company, YouTube.

This is despite the couple decrying the hate they have encountered online and their personal crusade against fake news.

Ethic, where Harry and Meghan are impact partners, manages $1.3 billion of investments for around 1,000 wealthy clients.

The New York-based firm exists as part of a growing trend in the financial world for ethical investments that are marketed to provide clients with a clear conscience and social media-friendly talking point, as well as a healthy return on their stake.

The company claims to create personalized sustainability solutions to help investors transition money toward companies that treat people and the planet with respect.

However, its financial filings reveal a long list of investments in American corporate giants, similar to the holdings of a traditional investment portfolio.

These filings show that the $1.3 billion fund has $6.9 million in Facebook shares, a $2 million investment in Twitter, and a $32 million stake in Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube.

This is in stark contrast to Harry's condemnation of social media in a column he wrote in August, where he called it a lawless space.

In 2020, the couple was also reported to be working with a pressure group called Stock Profit for Hate that was organizing a Facebook advertising boycott.

They also removed all their social media profiles after the Duchess of Sussex described how she struggled with the almost unsurvivable toll of Internet trolling.

Ethic's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show that it manages stock worth up to $45 million in Apple and millions of dollars more in corporates including Microsoft, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Visa, Nike, and Tesla.

The fund also holds shares in multiple oil and gas companies, several airlines, and many of the world's biggest automotive manufacturers including General Motors, Honda, and Toyota, despite Harry and Meghan's green campaigning.

There are also $4 million of shares in U.S. food giant Mandalay's, the owner of Cadbury's, who were accused in 2018 of destroying tens of thousands of hectares of orangutan rain forest habitat because of their palm oil suppliers.

The Sussexes have both campaigned on forest conservation and the protection of endangered species.

Furthermore, Ethic has invested in all the major pharmaceutical companies that develop COVID-19 jabs.

This includes $747,000 in Pfizer shares, $1.6 million invested in AstraZeneca, $2.2 million in Novartis, $2.5 million in Johnson & Johnson, $1.6 million in Sanofi, and $760,000 in GlaxoSmithKline.

This is in contrast to Harry's recent criticism of ultra-wealthy pharmaceutical companies for not sharing the recipes and urging them to give up patents to allow poorer countries to vaccinate their population.

Market experts have expressed mixed opinions on the ethics of some of the companies Ethic has invested in.

While some so-called ethical funds sometimes invest in controversial companies that promise to go green, others question whether it is leading to change fast enough.

Harry and Meghan are investing their own money in Ethic and are reportedly shareholders, despite previously criticizing social media firms the investment firm has bought shares in.

However, the couple has not disclosed how much cash they have personally put into Ethic to manage their portfolio.

It is worth noting that Ethic tailors each individual investor's portfolio, meaning that the Sussexes are unlikely to have shares in Facebook.

Nonetheless, this revelation has cast doubt on the couple's commitment to their social media crusade and their green campaigning.

In conclusion, the revelation that Ethic, backed by Harry and Meghan, holds shares in social media giants despite the couple's public condemnation of online hate and fake news has raised eyebrows.

The investment firm's holdings in oil and gas companies, automotive manufacturers, and pharmaceutical giants producing COVID-19 vaccines have also been called into question.

While some experts believe that investing in controversial companies can lead to change, others argue that it is not happening fast enough.