The much-anticipated series is already drawing fire.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s highly anticipated new docuseries just dropped on Netflix, and it’s taking no prisoners. While only part one of the series is available to stream right now (part two, which contains episodes 4-6, will drop Dec. 15), there is plenty to unpack from just the first few episodes, from what they say about the British media to the royal family’s “unconscious bias.” Here are just a few of the key revelations — and reactions — to Harry & Meghan so far.
Harry & Meghan Docuseries Revelations and Reactions
Taking on the British media
Within the first few minutes, Harry says of the British media: “No one knows that full truth,” adding that he became “genuinely concerned for the safety of my family” because of the media’s interest in the couple. Harry also compares Meghan’s position in the media spotlight to that of his late mother Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being chased by paparazzi in 1997.
“So much of what Meghan is and how she is is so similar to my mum … She has the same confidence, she has this warmth about her,” he says.
“I accept that there will be people around the world who fundamentally disagree with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it. But I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my mum.”
“My face was everywhere, my life was everywhere, tabloids had taken over everything,” Meghan says of her own experience.
Muted support from the Palace
Harry says that when the tabloid interest became relentless, the Palace’s advice was basically to do nothing.
“The direction from the Palace was don’t say anything,” he says. “But what people need to understand is, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well.
“So it was almost like a rite of passage, and some of the members of the family were like ‘My wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?”‘
He also mentions that his family was “incredibly impressed” when they first met Meghan, but suspects her background as an American actress “clouded their judgment.” He also touches on race, saying that there is a degree of “unconscious bias” within the family that needs to be dealt with.
Stoking tensions
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the series so far. Interviews for the documentary were reportedly made in August, the month before Queen Elizabeth II died. Those candid, insider interviews are likely to be causing considerable stress among the royal household — in particular Harry’s comments about the press pack of royal correspondents, which he describes as “essentially an extended PR arm of the royal family. An agreement that has been there for over 30 years.”
The series — which was co-produced by Harry and Meghan’s production company — has already come under fire for apparently using misleading footage to portray the couple being hounded by the press.
This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from a accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. H & M agreed the position. I was there. pic.twitter.com/nvjznlloLF
— Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) December 5, 2022
One of the clips used in the trailer doesn’t show Harry and Meghan at all — it was reportedly taken from outside a court as Katie Price, a British media personality, arrived in December 2021. Another was recognized by the royal editor at London’s Evening Standard, who said a photo the documentary uses to illustrate excessive press intrusion was actually taken from an accredited press pool.
According to the Netflix synopsis, the film is directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated and Emmy award-winning director Liz Garbus. Garbus received widespread acclaim for her 2015 biographical documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?
“It has been a privilege to be able to work with Harry and Meghan, who bravely allowed themselves to be vulnerable by sharing their personal stories and archive,” Garbus says, according to Netflix. “I hope that when Netflix viewers press play, whatever preconceptions people have, they will be open to the discovery of what we’ve shared in this documentary series. It’s an incredible love story set against the context of huge stakes and their journey is a historical event that will be examined for a long time to come.”
