All the Controversies Surrounding Netflix's Harry & Meghan, Explained
The first three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, debuted to much fanfare. Volume I, as episodes one through three were collectively named, followed the royal couple's relationship story as they met, fell in love, got engaged, and prepared for their royal wedding. As T&C Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy wrote, thus far Harry & Meghan has been high on charm and low on revelations.
Despite the little news to emerge out of the first three episodes—minus some very cute new photos of Harry and Meghan's kids—there's still controversy swirling around the show.
Ahead of volume three, which drops tomorrow and is expected to cover the Sussexes' wedding, exit from the royal family, and their life in California, here's everything you need to know about the drama surrounding Harry & Meghan—from supposedly misleading trailers to debates over privacy.
Were the Netflix trailers for the series misleading?
In the teasers for Harry & Meghan, stock footage of photographers is used to illustrate Harry and Meghan's experience with the paparazzi. In one still, a shot of photographers from a Harry Potter premiere is used.
"In the Netflix trailer it’s implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple—but that’s nonsense," Doug Seeburg, a photographer who is in the picture, told The Sun. "For a picture from that premiere to turn up in this trailer about Harry and Meghan seems like lazy picture research."
However, a source "familiar with the project" told Page Six, "You use stock images to tell a story. It’s not meant to be literal in a trailer." The source added the Sussexes had no editorial control, and that this is "standard practice in documentary and trailer production."
There was pushback, too, against a still that shows a photographer focusing their lens on Harry, Meghan, and baby Archie. "This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty," reporter Robert Jobson tweeted. "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."
In another trailer-related controversy, reporters pointed out that in the subtitles on the second trailer on Netflix's YouTube, Harry says, "They were happy to lie to protect my brother." On the Netflix website, however, the subtitles for the trailer say, "The British media are happy to lie to protect my brother."
The misunderstanding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's desire for "privacy."
Commentators online have questioned: If Harry and Meghan wanted privacy, why did they make an entire Netflix docuseries?
This week, the Sussexes responded to this narrative directly:
"The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back," their Global Press Secretary said in a statement. "This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence. In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series."
"They are choosing to share their story, on their terms. The tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion," the statement continued. "The facts are right in front of them."
Were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle allowed to use a photo from inside Buckingham Palace?
A photo from episode one (above) was seemingly taken inside Buckingham Palace. When the photo was part of the trailer, the Telegraph reported that "the presence of the photographer was the subject of a written palace complaint at the time, as aides noted that the couple had not asked permission to shoot inside the Queen’s home." They added, "The Sussexes are not thought to have been made personally aware of the warning."
Why did Prince Harry OK the use of footage from Princess Diana's 1995 Panorama interview?
In Harry & Meghan, a clip from Princess Diana's controversial 1995 interview with Martin Bashir on Panorama is used. In the docuseries, Harry says, "I think we all know she was deceived into giving the interview, but at the same time, she spoke the truth of her experience."
After an investigation into the interview, BBC said it would not re-air the interview, and Prince William said in a statement, "It is my firm view that this Panorama program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again." Therefore, Netflix's usage of the footage—presumably with Prince Harry's OK—is controversial.
Was the royal family contacted?
At the start of the series, a disclaimer reads, "Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within the series." A Netflix executive told the New York Times that the filmmakers contacted communications representatives for King Charles and Prince William, after a palace source initially said neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace had been contacted. Spokespeople later clarified saying a "third-party production company" reached out, and they attempted to verify the email through Archewell Productions and Netflix and were unable to do so, so they did not respond.
The outrage over the mere existence of Harry & Meghan
Last, there are critiques of this Netflix docuseries more broadly.
"If you are being trolled by the media, the royal family gave you the advice to say nothing because that’s the advice that most very famous people are given. If you add gasoline to a fire, the fire blows up even bigger. It feels like they — and Meghan in particular — just keep wanting to tell us more," Bethenny Frankel, a former Real Housewives of New York star, said on TikTok.
British tabloids, too, accused Harry and Meghan of damaging Queen Elizabeth's reputation and her support of the Commonwealth.
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