Key moments from Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary
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Neither Palace officials nor members of the royal family were approached for comment over the content of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix docuseries, it has been alleged.
It was suggested that representatives for Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, as well as the royals themselves, were not offered the opportunity to reply to the accusations lodged by the couple during the first three episodes of their highly anticipated series.
This accusation is now being challenged by reports that both palaces were contacted, but only via email from an unknown organisation claiming to be a third-party production company.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tell-all documentary began streaming on Thursday, with Harry accusing the royals of having a “huge level of unconscious bias” and Meghan saying the media wanted to “destroy” her.
In the first installment of the six-part show, Meghan also claimed “salacious stories” were “planted” in the lead-up to their wedding, with the couple “playing whack-a-mole” as the articles appeared.
A senior source in the royal household countered the written statement of “Members of the royal family declined to comment on the content within this series,” which appeared on a black screen at the start of episode one.
The second part of Harry and Meghan’s docuseries will begin streaming on 15 December.
Review: Intimate, self-aggrandising and wildly entertaining
At some points, it’s hard to tell if the couple are naïve or disingenuous. But, at other times, the couple are endearing or deeply sympathetic. Read this review by Jessie Thompson:
‘What? Why? How? Who does that?’ are just some of the questions you’ll ask yourself watching part one of their love story
During the early days of the couple’s relationship, Meghan also revealed the important rule that she and Harry followed: that they had to see each other at least once every two weeks.
According to Harry, during this time, it was easier for Meghan to visit him. “It made much more sense for her to come to me so that then she can come and stay with me on Kensington Palace grounds,” he recalled, adding that the couple would take walks together around Frogmore.
The couple ultimately announced their engagement in November 2017.
You can read more about Meghan’s thoughts on their engagement interview, which she described as a “orchestrated reality show,” below.
‘We weren’t allowed to tell our story because they didn’t want [it],’ Meghan said
In another scene, the couple fondly looks back on their first dates, and the week they spent together in Botswana in 2016.
The pair embarked on the trip after having only met twice before, with Prince Harry revealing that he was “astonished” Meghan said yes.
“This woman, that I’ve really met twice, she’s coming to Botswana and we’re gonna be living in a tent for five days,” he recalled, before noting how important that time together was. “We had to get to know each other before the rest of the world, before the media sort of, you know, joined it,” he added.
In 2019, the couple shared a never-before-seen photo of a trip they took to Botswana together, in which they could be seen working together to place a satellite collar on a bull elephant.
The docuseries also contains many sweet moments, including footage of Meghan showing the couple’s son Archie a photo of his grandmother, Princess Diana.
The Duchess of Sussex had a sweet moment with her son in the first episode of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan
As for the reaction to Meghan and Harry’s Netflix docuseries so far, fans were divided, with some grateful to see the insight into the early days of the couple’s relationship, while others found the first three episodes “boring”.
From Meghan’s shock upon realising the “formality” of the royal family, even behind closed doors, to the couple’s first date, these are some of the biggest talking points.
The first three episodes of the documentary have arrived on the platform – here’s what we’ve learnt so far
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex covered a lot of ground in the first three episodes of their Netflix docuseries, however, more is yet to come, as the last three episodes are set to be released on 15 December.
As for what we can expect from the couple in volume two, Kate Ng reports below.
The first three episodes are available to stream now
During the candid docuseries, Meghan also opened up about the conversations about her family that took place in the lead-up to her and Prince Harry’s royal wedding in 2018.
According to the duchess, she was told by Palace aides not to invite her niece, who she described as being like a “little sister,” to the weddding because of her tense relationship with her niece’s mother, Samantha Markle.
Details about the Palace’s guidance, and her niece’s reaction, can be found below.
The claim appeared in the Sussexes’ Netflix show, which included an interview with Meghan’s half-sister’s daughter Ashleigh Hale
What were Harry and Meghan paid for their Netflix documentary
This is the first project to emerge from the multi-year deal the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed with Netflix in 2020, made shortly after they stepped down as working members of the royal family.
So how much are Meghan and Harry getting paid? Peony Hirwani reports.
This is the first project to emerge from the multi-year deal the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed with Netflix in 2020
‘She has this warmth about her’: Harry compares Meghan to Princess Diana
Prince Harry said that Meghan Markle has the “same compassion”, “empathy”, and “confidence” as Diana, as he opened up about how he wanted to “protect” his family from his mother’s tragic fate.
Kate Ng has more of what the prince revealed in his Netflix docuseries.
The duke opened up about how he wanted to ‘protect my family’ in episode of Netflix’s docuseries
Harry recalls ‘panicking’ after turning up 30 minutes late to first date with Meghan
In their Netflix docuseries the couple recalled their first date in 2016 after being set up by a mutual friend.
The couple discuss their first date in widely anticipated Netflix documentary that is expected to rock the royal family
