Documentary or declaration of war? The British monarchy awaits with apprehension and fatigue the premiere of the series about Harry and Meghan on Thursday (08). The couple’s first statements have already reignited disagreements between the Dukes of Sussex and the rest of the royal family.
“No one knows the whole story. We know the whole story,” intones the prince coldly in a trailer released by Netflix. The video announces the premiere of the first part of the documentary, titled “Harry & Meghan”.
Three months after the death of Elizabeth II, the series threatens to shine a bright light on the divisions within the royal family, abandoned in 2020 by the couple. Both alleged, in part, harassment by the British sensationalist press.
The 2018 wedding between the youngest son of the current King Charles III and an American actress was seen as a breath of fresh air for an aging monarchy. However, later “everything changed”, describes the couple in the clip, which denounces a “hierarchy in the family” and “a war against Meghan”.
In the first reports, Harry also denounced the “leaks” and lamented “the pain and suffering of the women who marry this institution”, while passing images of his mother, Diana, killed in 1997 during a car accident, while being chased by paparazzi. “I didn’t want history to repeat itself,” he says.
Controlled communication
Contacted by AFP, Buckingham Palace declined to comment. However, sources in the royal household quoted by the Daily Mail newspaper said this weekend that Charles III and Queen Camilla are already “a little tired” of the constant attacks.
Others warn that the revelations could “be worse than the royals expect”. “It’s going to be explosive,” a Netflix source told The Mirror.
Based in California, Harry and Meghan last year gave a shocking interview on American television, in which they accused an unidentified member of the royal family of being concerned about the skin color of their future children.
“We are in no way a racist family,” defended William.
Since then, the rift between the two brothers, who along with their wives were known at the time as the “Fantastic Four”, has been irremediable. After the death of Elizabeth II in September, the four made an effort to pay their respects together in public in Windsor… but they didn’t speak.
Netflix already released a first promotional clip last week, coinciding with William and Catherine’s first trip to the United States as Princes of Wales, which was supposed to give a youthful and glamorous glow to the British crown across the Atlantic.
The elegant montage of black and white photos of Harry and Meghan also coincided with a controversy of racism carried out by William’s godmother, who had to resign as lady-in-waiting after making offensive comments to a black guest at Buckingham Palace.
New “Kardashians”?
“Sabotage”, “Declaration of war”, “Harry, why do you hate your family so much?”, were the headlines of sensationalist newspapers, which always preferred William and Catherine, considered the perfect couple and with an impeccable sense of duty. Already Harry and Meghan are compared to “Kardashians”, for making money by shooting their personal lives to the four winds.
Since leaving the royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed lucrative deals, estimated to be worth more than $100 million, with Netflix and Spotify. In January, Harry will also publish his memoirs in a book titled “Spare”.
In a denunciation of the couple’s “obsessive self-pity” and “shameless contempt” for the royal family, The Sun newspaper said they should be stripped of all their titles.
The British don’t like them very much either. Harry and Meghan are the least popular members of the royal family after Prince Andrew, accused of sexual assault. William and Catherine, however, have 81% and 75% favorable opinions, respectively, according to a recent poll by YouGov.
