With the release of Harry & Meghan on Netflix, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received criticism over their decision to make a docuseries about their lives, after leaving the highly publicized royal family. The show documents the couple’s relationship and their decision to move to the United States. However, this criticism about them leaving for privacy and making a show about their lives has been clarified by one of the couple's representatives, saying when Meghan Markel and Prince Harry took a step back from their royal duties they did not cite privacy as a reason for leaving.
The statement was released to ET from the Duke and Duchess’ Global Press Secretary, it said:
The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back. 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.
This is true, privacy was not mentioned in the couple's official statement announcing their departure that was posted to the Sussex Royal Instagram in 2020. It talked about how the couple would be stepping away from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family, and they explained that their son was one of the big reasons for taking this step back. They also wrote about splitting their time between the United States and UK, writing:
This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.
You can read their full statement from 2020 here:
The Global Press Secretary continued their statement, saying the couple is “choosing to share their story, on their own terms,” and that “the tabloid media” has caused “an entirely untrue narrative.”
This docuseries has generated a lot of attention, similar to the attention Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey got last year.
Trailers for Harry & Meghan, as well as the first episodes, use old footage, like a controversial interview of Princess Diana, to show viewers how harshly they were treated by the media. Along with their decision to step away from the Royal family, and highlight how the press treated them, some of the other big takeaways from Harry & Meghan revolve around how the couple met, the impact Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana had on him, and the couple’s relationships with other members of the Royal Family.
Volume One of Harry & Meghan is available to stream with a Netflix subscription now, while part two is on the 2022 TV schedule and will be released on December 15.
