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Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Tuesday thanked essential workers and offered encouragement to people who suffered during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in their first podcast released on Spotify.

During the 33-minute episode, the couple thanked healthcare and frontline workers and others who made sacrifices during a challenging year.

Harry and Meghan, known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hosted the episode and introduced reflections and hopes for the new year from singer Elton John, producer and actor Tyler Perry, tennis champion Naomi Osaka and other celebrities, artists and authors.

"Our collective mental health has been at the forefront of people's minds, and rightly so," says Harry, who along with Markle narrates and links the items.

"It's been an awful time for people. I hope we can heal in 2021," says Elton John, who described 2020 as "the worst year I've ever known, and I'm 73".

"Cheers to that, Elton," says Harry.

The couple also talk about their feelings for each other.

“From us, I’ll say no matter what life throws at you guys, trust us when we say, love wins,” Meghan said.

“Love always wins,” Harry added.

The episode ended with a surprise appearance by the couple’s 19-month-old son, Archie. With guidance from his parents, Archie said: “Happy ... New ... Year!”

The Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English tweeted that "he very much has an American accent," while emphasized textThe Sun tabloid wrote: "Baby Archie has an American accent."

The appearance of Archie comes after the couple have launched a spate of legal actions against the media over alleged breaches of their privacy, while revealing aspects of their private life in ways they control.

Since ceasing royal duties and moving to California this year, the couple have launched various creative ventures, including a deal with the streaming giant Netflix.