A stop to it. King Charles’ response to Harry and Meghan’s documentary is anything but supportive. The newly-crowned King is trying to stop the Sussexes from saying anything bad about the British monarchy.
In the trailer of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, aptly named Harry & Meghan, the two talk about the royal family hierarchy and the troubles they faced during their marriage with tabloids, rumors and with their own family members. “It’s really hard to look back on it now and go, ‘What on earth happened?’” Harry said in a voiceover. “There’s a hierarchy of the family. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.” “It’s a dirty game,” he said. “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution—this feeding frenzy,” as footage shows his mother Princess Diana and Kate Middleton being followed by paparazzi. Meghan then says, “I realized, they’re never going to protect you.” Volume One of the documentary was released on December 8, 2022, while Volume Two of the documentary was released the following week, on December 15, 2022.
How did King Charles respond to Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s documentary?
How did King Charles respond to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary on Netflix? A source told Us Weekly on December 7, 2022, that Charles is “concerned” at the “damage” Harry and Meghan’s documentary could cause their relationship with the British royal family. “The docuseries has left a bad taste in Charles’ mouth,” the insider said. “He’s more worried about it than anyone.” The source explained that Charles does not want to deal with “drama” after he took over the throne from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022. “While he’s putting on a brave face, behind closed doors he’s concerned that the docuseries will cause irreparable damage to the Monarchy,” the insider said.
According to several royal sources who talked to The Mirror UK, the Royal Family is trying to push back what Meghan and Harry are saying, “There is a completely united front from the King and his family concerning the numerous attempts to privately make peace with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which sadly have once again resulted in the other side wishing to air their repeated grievances to the world.” They continued, “If there is a need to respond to anything in the upcoming series then you can be assured that response will be swift and robust.” The site also said that royal insiders called the Sussexes “The Kardashians” because “they want all the attention they can possibly get”.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly that Harry’s relatives are “horrified” at what the documentary could reveal. “I think they’re still holding their breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, there are two shoes that are gonna drop because it [airs in two parts],” he observed. “I just think the sense of betrayal is shifted over now to genuine combat mode because this is a war between the two [sides].”
Courtesy of Netflix
A source told Radar Online that Charles thinks that the whole ordeal is a “money grab” for Harry and Meghan. “Harry’s father, King Charles III, knows Harry and Meghan struck a $100 million deal with Netflix,” said a source. “They’ve done this show purely for financial gain, and it’s full of lies. Charles understands that Harry feels he could have been a better father, but at the same time, he doesn’t think he and the rest of the family deserve to be attacked and shamed like this. Harry and Meghan have hit the point of no return.” Another source told the outlet, “As far as Charles is concerned this is the last straw. But Meghan and Harry insist they needed to do the docuseries, said the insider. “Of course, there are people who are going to say the pair are selling out the royal family. But Harry and Meghan have a right to share their account of what happened — warts and all.”
However, another source told People that though there is still tension, Charles still has some love for his son. “The door [to reconciliation] is always open where the King is concerned, and he would certainly rescue the situation if he could. He would love this to stop. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the magazine, “There is always a way for reconciliation if both sides want it. The King can’t do anything more than play a waiting game and let it ride.”
As to whether Harry would be invited to Charles’ coronation, Andersen speculated he would be, but Harry would face heavier consequences depending on what Harry & Meghan shows. “I think they will go in May unless everything blows up [in] everyone’s face and irreparable damage is done. … The titles, the charities and whatnot—there’s a lot left that Charles could do to punish Harry again. That includes the possibility that Charles could “absolutely” strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles, though it’s more likely the monarch will take the “keep calm and carry on” approach as Queen Elizabeth II so often did before her death.
Courtesy of Netflix
The documentary comes after a year after Oprah’s bombshell interview with the Sussexes as they talked about why they left the British royal family in January 2020. At the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on their Instagram at they decided to take a step back as “working” members of the royal family to move from London to North America.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple wrote in a statement at the time. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
In one instance in the interview, Meghan revealed to Oprah that while she was pregnant with Archie, various royal family members expressed “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born.” Meghan continued, “There are several conversations, potentially and what that would mean or look like.” Harry also revealed that the lack of support the royal family gave to Meghan when it came to racism and social media bullying was one of the main reasons the couple left. He added that it had the potential to get very scary. “I think the biggest turning point for me was this union, us, me having a girlfriend, was going to be a thing. Of course, it was,” he said. “[We left because of] lack of support and lack of understanding.”
Harry also revealed that Charles “stopped taking [his] calls” after he and Meghan announced their decision to take a step back as senior members of the royal family. Harry denied that he “blindsided” his father or his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, with his and Meghan’s announcement.
Courtesy of Netflix
The series was announced in 2020 when Harry and Meghan’s company Archewell Productions struck a deal with Netflix rumored to be worth around $100 million. According to the streaming company, “the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution. With 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, 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 series is directed by documentary director Liz Garbus, who also directed Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Bobby Fischer Against the World, Love, Marilyn, and What Happened, Miss Simone? “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,” Meghan revealed in her Variety cover story. “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.” In her interview with The Cut, she further praised Liz’s work. “What’s so funny is I’m not trying to be cagey. “I don’t read any press. So I don’t know what’s confirmed. I will tell you Liz Garbus is incredible.”
The Archetypes podcast host also talked about the process of making the series in her Variety interview, “It’s interesting. My husband has never worked in [the entertainment] industry before,” she said. “For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”
A month after the documentary’s release, Prince Harry will debut his memoir, titled Spare. Spare will be released on January 23, 2023. From the publisher, the book is described as a “landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.” The memoir reveals the memories of “two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.”
Courtesy of: Random House
For more about Prince Harry, read his upcoming memoir, Spare. Told for the first time in his own words, the book takes readers through the Duke of Sussex’s life with the British royal family, from the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 to how the moment led to his decision decades later to move to America with his wife, Meghan Markle, and leave Buckingham Palace for good in 2020. “With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief,” the publisher’s description reads.
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