Whatever your opinion, there was one sentence in the trailer for Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary that was unarguably true. “When the stakes are this high,” Meghan says simply, “Doesn’t it make sense to hear our story from us?”
Any judge and jury in a courtroom hears both sides before making their judgement. That’s how justice works. So although many find the couple preachy and self-publicising, and see this as them invading the very privacy they were so adamant they wanted to protect, everyone has the right to tell their story.
If their royal roles made them so unhappy, they were clearly right to walk away.
Meghan, a mature, successful, professional woman used to living life on her own terms, was undoubtedly stifled by the strict, old-fashioned palace protocol. And Harry was terrified for her after what he saw his mother endure.
By the sounds of it, many behind the scenes in royal circles have been secretly briefing against them – at least Harry and Meghan are saying what they think in public, right to everyone’s faces.
Plus, surely that’s one of the bonuses that comes with stepping down from their positions – they don’t have to doggedly stick to the stiff upper lip, never complain, never explain family motto.
They have the freedom to do things on their terms, guided by their personal beliefs and morals rather than being silent martyrs, imprisoned by the institution, and the way things have always been done. Why wouldn’t they take advantage of that?
They can’t possibly get a fair hearing if they’re not allowed to put their version of events across – and if Netflix is willing to pay, reportedly, $100million for that version, who in their right mind would turn it down?
After all, Harry and Meghan are accustomed to a certain standard of living, they now have to pay for their own protection, and without financial security, wouldn’t be able to pursue the charitable causes they’re committed to, such as the Invictus Games.
Those who view this documentary as an unforgiveable breach of royal tradition are also conveniently overlooking the fact that Harry is completely following in the OG Princess of Wales ’ footsteps.
She had her say in both Andrew Morton’s book and the Panorama interview. Maybe this documentary is a tribute to his mother, to being the kind of man she raised him to be, a human being before a royal.
Those objecting the loudest to the documentary, the most offended by it – despite, let’s not forget, having seen only two and a half minutes of it – seem to be missing an important point. We do all have a choice in this matter.
No one will be forced to watch it at gunpoint. And even if we do watch, it isn’t then a legal requirement that we unquestioningly believe every word that Harry and Meghan say.
They’re giving us the option to hear what they really think. What we do with that is up to us.
