LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Netflix docuseries about the life of the quasi Duke and Duchess of Sussex, ‘Harry & Meghan’ debuted the much-anticipated Part 2, on December 15, 2022, shocking the public by revealing some harsh realities about the royal family and major media organizations. The Liz Garbus-directed bombshell docuseries includes interviews with various people such as celebrities like Serena Williams and the couple’s childhood acquaintances, who all describe the misery of Harry and Meghan Markle in great depth and talk about the agony their marriage went through. The documentary also provides a justification for the couple’s resignation from their royal duties, along with some digs at the British royal family.
While the first three episodes delved deeper into Meghan and Harry’s courtship and the world’s discovery of said courtship, they served as the base for the more significant revelations made during the latter three episodes. The couple touched upon major details that followed their marriage, including details about the pair’s mental health. In a heart-wrenching scene, Meghan explains that the British media’s constant jibes and vindictive headlines made her wish she were dead. Even Harry opened up about a tragic incident with his older brother, Prince William. The information about the conflict between Prince William and Harry was quite upsetting as the quasi-royal claimed that his older brother sided with the ‘institution’ and allegedly yelled at him during a meeting in Sandringham.
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One of the key takeaways from the documentary’s second half is that the rogue prince’s brother’s office would provide stories about the Sussexes to the British press to divert negative attention away from Prince William. “There’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories,” Harry claimed. He continued, “If the comms team want to be able to remove a negative story about their principal, they will trade and give you something else about someone else’s principal.” His brother’s office also released a joint statement on behalf of the squabbling brothers, squashing rumors about Prince William bullying Harry and Meghan out of the family. At that moment, Harry realized that his approval had not even been considered before such drastic action that he decided it was time the couple moved out. Harry said he knew he had “no other option at this point.” He and Meghan had to leave London and step back as senior royals.
But there are also plenty of moments in this documentary that make you yawn at the snoozefest of self-pity. Meghan and Harry’s privileged complaining over trivial matters also does not help the pair with being at the center of the royal family loyalists’ mocking. When Meghan cribbed about living in Kensington Palace’s Nottingham cottage, the internet erupted at the two for calling their residence “small.” But on the bright side, genuinely sweet pictures and video clips show the happy family with their adorable children, Archie and Lilibet, indeed managed to melt all our hearts.
Harry and Meghan also touched upon the Daily Mail lawsuit, the Australia tour that “changed things,” and the birth of their son Archie. As per Harry, the pair received backlash for “not serving up their child up on a silver platter.” There were also plenty of comparisons of Meghan to the late Princess Diana, as Harry noted that the former actress was just as compassionate as the people’s princess. There was even a moment when the couple discussed the likeness by recalling an incident of Meghan receiving more coverage than the other royal family members, a similar fate that Diana suffered. At times though, it was still hard to feel too sorry for Harry and Meghan as the docu-series showed the couple hiding out after their royal escape in Tyler Perry’s exuberant California mansion during the peak of the covid pandemic.
But at least we know one thing: while Meghan struggled for validation from the Queen of England, she most definitely had Queen Bey’s preference. Around the end, viewers are told that Beyonce texted Meghan the day after the couple’s big and intense Oprah interview as Meghan recounted the pop star’s words to her, “She said she wants me to feel safe and protected. She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed.”
Overall, it seemed as if ‘Harry & Meghan’ saw the couple refusing to address much of the drama and family conflict that’s led them thousands of miles away from Buckingham Palace, but gave the audience a good ol’ history lesson of their past. Up next for the couple is Harry’s new memoir. It is reported that Harry is “taking control of his narrative” after the bombshell Netflix documentary and the Oprah interview and is publishing his memoir detailing pretty much the same story. While the book was set to release in time for Thanksgiving 2022, it is delayed, and as per royal author Tom Bower, it will probably debut around Easter in 2023. It’s rumored to include a chapter about the late Queen’s funeral.
‘Harry & Meghan’ premiered on December 8 on Netflix, while Part 2 of the docuseries was released on December 15 on the streaming platform.