Documentary or declaration of war? The British monarchy awaits with apprehension and a touch of wearyness Thursday’s worldwide release of the series dedicated to Harry and Meghan, the first extracts of which have already reignited tensions between “Sussex” and the rest of the British royal family.
• Also read: “No one knows the whole truth”: Pressure mounts with documentary about Harry and Meghan
• Also read: The documentary series about Harry and Meghan is expected to be available on Netflix on December 8th
“Nobody knows the whole story. We know the whole story,” Harry says dramatically in a clip released Monday by Netflix announcing the December 8 release of the first three episodes of the soberly titled Harry & Meghan series. The other three will be released on December 15th.
Criticism of the press, accusations of racism, denouncing the suffering of the “company”: Exactly three months to the day after the death of Elizabeth II, the big-budget series tears open the wounds of discord between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, the Harry and Meghan left in 2020 largely over British tabloid harassment.
The 2018 marriage between King Charles III’s youngest son and American actress Métis, however, was seen as a breath of fresh air for an aging monarchy. “And then everything changed,” the couple describes in the trailer.
Harry emphasizes the “hierarchy in the family”, a lawyer close to the couple Jenny Afia denounces “a war against Meghan to fulfill other people’s agendas”. “It’s about hate, it’s about race,” stresses a friend.
Harry, 38, denounces “leaks” and stories in the press and deplores “the pain and suffering of women who marry within the institution” as images flash by of his mother Diana, who was killed in a car accident in 1997 while she was being married by Paparazzi was followed.
“I was scared, I didn’t want history to repeat itself,” he adds.
Contacted by AFP, Buckingham did not comment, but sources at the palace quoted by the tabloid The Chron this weekend said Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are “a little tired” from these incessant attacks.
The documentary’s revelations could be “worse than the royals are expecting”. “It’s going to be explosive,” a Netflix source told The Mirror newspaper.
Harry and Meghan, who have since settled in California, gave a shock interview on American television last year in which they accused a member of the royal family of racism for questioning their son Archie’s skin color before he was born. The royal family was “absolutely not racist” and had to defend Prince William, today’s heir to the throne.
Since then, the break between the two brothers and their wives has come to an end. The once “Fantastic Four” called themselves after the death of Elizabeth II. Trouble: they met publicly in Windsor, but without speaking to each other.
The very fragile hope of a reconciliation was showered by the first trailer for the series released last week, amid a visit by William and Kate to the United States, a trip also marred by a racial controversy in Buckingham.
New Kardashians?
Black and white photos of Harry and Meghan set to dramatic music follow in this very pretty clip. A single shot shows William and Kate looking particularly hostile, shortly after a picture of Meghan visibly crying.
“Sabotage,” “Declaration of War,” “Harry, why do you hate your family so much?” headlined the British tabloids, who with impeccable dutifulness see William and Kate as the perfect couple, as Harry and Meghan are compared to the Kardashians, who are dating capitalize on the big unboxing in their personal lives.
Since leaving the royal family, Harry and Meghan have signed lucrative deals – valued at more than $100 million – with Netflix and Spotify. Harry will also be releasing his memoir entitled The Substitute in January.
The Sun newspaper has denounced the couple’s “obsessive self-pity” and “apparent contempt” for the royal family and believes they should be stripped of all their honorary degrees.
They are the most unpopular royals in the UK after Prince Andrew, while William and Kate have 81% and 75% support respectively, according to a recent YouGov poll.