Watch: Trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix Docuseries
Yesterday, Netflix dropped the first official footage from Harry & Meghan, the forthcoming docuseries (out December 8) about the journey of former royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. While Meghan is a former actress, having starred on the legal TV drama Suits for seven seasons, this is her husband’s first foray into the film industry. The couple now lives a relatively quiet life together in Montecito, a town in Santa Barbara, California.
The new teaser trailer doesn't reveal much about the doc's content — but what it does present is titillating. “Why did you want to make this documentary?” a solemn voice seemingly queries the couple as a series of candid photos flash by. “No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” Harry, 38, replies. As the trailer continues, we see images from the pair’s public life as working members of the British royal family — including dozens of cameras clicking furiously, newspapers churning out headlines, and a shot of what looks to be Meghan wiping away tears in an interview.
The series was directed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus, and the press release promises an “unprecedented and in-depth documentary” that “explores the clandestine days of [Meghan and Harry’s] early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution. … The series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
The show’s six episodes will also include “commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press,” according to the press release. The only recognizable members of the royal family featured in the teaser are Prince William and Princess Kate, and they're only seen in a photo from the notorious Commonwealth service in 2020; this event was Harry and Meghan’s last official royal engagement, and tabloid gossip at the time claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall ignored the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during the service.
In an interview with Variety last month, Meghan discussed filming the doc and the amount of good faith that it required. “It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” she admitted. “But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
As of now, no members of the British royal family — including King Charles III or Prince William — have commented on the Netflix show. The question on everyone's mind is: How far will the docuseries take it? Will it reveal any unknown or illicit truths about the rift between the married ex-pats and those still living in Buckingham Palace? Will Harry and Meghan be openly critical of the royal family? Will the series detail the late Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy? We can’t wait to find out on December 8.
