The true story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and their relationship with the rest of the British royal family has rarely been their story in their own words. Netflix’s new six-part documentary series Harry & Megan promises to take a full, unprecedented look at these two at the most volatile time in their lives, as they decided to step down from royal duties. Featuring new interviews and unreleased footage, the show promises to really take us into the life of the Sussexes.
opening shot: A black screen with white writing reads: “This is a first-hand account of Harry & Meghan’s story, told with a personal archive never before seen. All interviews were completed by August 2022. Members of the royal family declined to comment on the content of this series.” In just a few short sentences, we’re already aware that some of this show’s content will not only give us unprecedented access to the two royal runaways, but the rest from The Firm wants nothing to do with it.
The essentials: Here’s something I said out loud before I watched Harry & Megan when I discussed this assignment with my husband: “I honestly don’t know why people care so much about these people.” spread across international borders in recent decades. But why does the public and the media care so much about them and most importantly, why is there so much hatred of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle? I embraced racism, but also only people who feel responsible for it as public figures. As part of its narrative, the brand new Netflix documentary Harry & Megan attempts to answer some of these questions by explaining the origins and evolution of their relationship, as well as an in-depth look at how the media shaped “the Firm,” the moniker for the royal establishment, and how the Firm went along with it to benefit from the press.
Prince Harry, the second son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, has seen firsthand what the media does to the people in his family, and especially the women who marry into it. The first ten minutes or so of Harry & Megan is a lengthy preamble in which Harry and Meghan explain why they choose to speak publicly about their lives and their decision to excuse themselves from their royal duties before we really delve into the who, what and where of their marriage deal, but Harry uses these opening scenes to blame the media for the role they played in hurting his family. It’s hard for many modern celebrities to feel sorry for them when they claim to have been mistreated by the media, but we all know what happened to Harry’s mother, so he has a better reason than anyone to do so feel.
He also explains that what brought him and Meghan to this place is parenthood. We use the term “consent” a lot these days, but Harry’s family is unique in that they are some of the only people in the world for whom consent, as far as it appears publicly, does not exist. From birth they are the subject of speculation and gossip and Harry didn’t want that for his family. Trouble is, by abandoning his title, he created even more media frenzy for his family, and that’s how we got here.
But what the film makes clear is that the royal family aren’t people, they’re symbols, extensions of every British person, which is why it’s so important for Brits to see themselves in the royals and for Harry to turn his back on the establishment, is an insult. Also, a great deal of time is spent explaining that in order for the monarchy to remain relevant and popular, it has a symbiotic relationship with the press, they feed off each other in a mutually beneficial way. but is it actually for mutual benefit?
While a good chunk of the first episode is an account of Harry and Meghan’s meeting, most of it shows Harry alone talking about his childhood. Photographed since birth, Harry has never experienced life without cameras, and he explains how surreal it was to be forced into photo ops and interviews on family vacations and public appearances instead of just being able to enjoy them. Although Diana tried to protect him and William from the overexposure, she herself was no longer protected when Diana divorced Charles and the situation made her life a living hell. As a consequence, it made Harry very aware that any potential bride of his would face a similar experience, which startled him.
Nothing is off limits here, Harry talks about the death of his mother and how he was forced to play the role of a stoic king rather than allow him to be a publicly grieving son and the subsequent negative press he received as a teenager over his drug use and public scuffles with photographers who paint him in a negative light. And now, as an adult, it’s clear from everything he says on the show that he knows he was born into a flawed system (“a golden cage,” describes author Robert Hazell) for which he was quick to recognize that it was not healthy him or his wife and children.
What shows will it remind you of? There really aren’t any shows about the royals to compare Harry & Meghan to, because until now there aren’t any documentaries that have ever featured interviews with the royals themselves. If you specifically want more from Harry & Meghan, I suggest searching for it Oprah with Harry and Meghanthe interview the couple did with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
Our opinion: Old newsreels and paparazzi photos and even the infamous ones panorama Interview given by Diana Martin Bashir are not only acknowledged in the first episode but addressed directly Harry & Meganand Harry’s insight into what he was thinking or what was really going on behind the scenes during these events is fascinating and heartbreaking, it’s no wonder he doesn’t want that life for his own children.
As someone who has watched countless documentaries about the royals, I can tell you that one of the worst things about them is the fact that the only speaking minds who ever participate are distant relatives or disgraced former press secretaries: people with sleazy intentions that feel frivolous. There’s none of that here: While some of what Harry says is surprising, none of it is lewd or untrue or feels like he’s working towards an agenda, he simply provides context for situations we’ve seen on the news , as the person who lived her. If he brings that up panorama Interview, which he and William have publicly dismissed, he explains somewhat shockingly: “That panorama interview, I think we all now know that she was duped into giving the interview, but at the same time she was telling the truth about her experience.” (The inclusion of clips from the interview is surprising considering that William himself stated that it would never be aired publicly again. Harry never calls his brother about anything in this episode, except taking the clips and saying that they “tell the truth” might make it feel like he did Attach brother just a little bit.
gender and skin: none.
farewell shot: During the first episode we hear stories about Harry and Meghan’s courtship. Although they managed to keep it a secret for a few months, their relationship was exposed in the press in October 2016. “Naively I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” says Harry as we play a montage of scathing, racist, cruel tweets and newspaper headlines.
sleeping star: Harry is by far the most intriguing part of the series. There’s always been an air of mystery surrounding the royal family – as much media exposure as they get, it’s impossible to really know them. However, here Harry is talking about so many things that were previously taboo, and whether you like what he has to say or not, it’s a point of view we’ve never heard before and have only speculated about.
Most pilot line: “[There’s a] Difference between decisions made with the head and with the heart. My mother certainly made most, if not all, decisions from the heart. And I am my mother’s son,” says Harry as he describes the fact that most of the men in his family choose a woman based on how the women fit royal ideas and expectations. Harry chose Meghan, obviously, despite the love consequences.
Our appeal: STREAM IT! Harry & Megan feels like a real and honest story about what it’s like behind palace doors. Is it propaganda? I mean, insofar as it’s meant to put Harry and Meghan’s story in a positive light, yes, but more than a flowery, glitzy look at how great they are as a couple, or how brave they are to say the flaws of the monarchy, it provides context for why we’ve been conditioned to think the way we think about royals and seeks to shatter those myths.
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer based in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show chain reaction.
