Harry & Meghan: Why The Netflix Docu-Series Is Causing So Much Controversy! Everything Explained
The documentary Harry & Meghan has been available on Netflix since 8 December, a journey through the life of the Dukes of Sussex, from meeting through social media to choosing to raise their children in the United States, far from the media hubbub that the British royals attract on himself at home. The product of the streaming giant (co-produced by the company of the two, Archewell) promised a unique point of view on the life of H and M, as the couple tenderly call each other, and actually, the documentary (of which the first three episodes, the last three will arrive on December 15) presents the viewer with a new perspective on the intimacy of the two, correlated by photographs, “amateur” videos of family everyday life and even messages that the two exchanged and exchanged. As we explained in our Harry & Meghan review, what makes you turn up your nose is the feeling of a pre-planned narrative, lacking the naturalness and spontaneity required by a product of this type.
The documentary’s arrival on the platform has sparked quite a few controversies, not only for the glossy and constructed aura it transmits but also for the narration that the two protagonists make of the relationship with the royal family which, according to what we are told, is been asked but did not want to participate (although the official version of Buckingham Palace is that no one has been contacted by Netflix). On social media, viewers have underlined how much H and M, in the documentary, show little respect for the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, who died so recently, and for Diana herself.
Harry & Meghan: Comparison with Diana
I had to protect my family so that this didn’t happen again. I am like my mother, I make decisions with my heart. And Meghan also reminds me a lot of Diana: she has the same compassion, empathy, and confidence.
Let’s start with the latter: Harry’s mother, Lady Diana, is mentioned over and over again in the first episode of the documentary, underlining the similarity between her and Meghan, both “black sheep” in the world of the English monarchy, and both persecuted by tabloids throughout their life as royal consorts (Diana remained in the sights of the press even after the separation, until she died in 1997).
What infuriated the spectators the most is precisely the association between the two figures, in the opinion of the most forced and not very fitting. The fieriest controversies arise precisely from the fact that Meghan is known for having repeatedly sought the attention of the English tabloids, seeking – according to her most ferocious detractors – herself the comparison with the Princess of Wales to build her image of her. The same operation was carried out by Netflix, even assuming that the two rightly want to report their version of the story – as Meghan herself says: “When the stakes are so high, it no longer makes sense to hear our story told by us?”, seems to go a bit in contradiction with the intention of the dukes not to attract even more media attention to their family.
Returning more specifically to Diana, one of the reasons why there has been a rampage online is also the use in the documentary of excerpts from the famous interview given by the princess to the BBC (to which much space was dedicated in one of the episodes of The Crown Season 5, and which we told you about in our review of the series ), in which in addition to talking about the “crowded” marriage with Carlo, she underlined how the press had made her life extremely difficult for many years. William himself has always categorically opposed the reproduction of the infamous interview, with the desire to protect the memory of his mother and family from further controversy.
Bow to the Queen
Among the documentary’s most reproduced and cited moments is one in particular: the sequence in which Meghan recounts her first meeting with the queen, to whom, following court etiquette, she had to curtsy. Harry explained: “My grandmother was the first senior member of the family Meghan met and she didn’t know how our system worked, she was a little shocked”.
Then the Duchess of Sussex said: “The meeting at Royal Lodge in Windsor was decided at the last moment. Until a moment ago, I didn’t know I would meet her. We were in the car, and she asked me if I knew how to curtsey, I thought it was a joke “. And here’s the part of the episode that made viewers turn up their noses the most: “I was beginning to realize that it was an important thing. I thought the Americans would get it, we have medieval dinners and medieval games. And that was it, I curtsied like this”. Meghan mimicked her gesture that day, leaning forward and spreading her arms, laughing. “Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty”.
It is easy to understand why the episode has infuriated those who have seen the documentary so much, many have defined it as incredibly disrespectful to the Queen, and derisive of royal traditions. Many then noticed Harry’s expression at that moment and appeared visibly annoyed by his wife’s gesture.
The Clash with Kate Middleton
The controversies were not limited to the first three episodes of the documentary, those made available up to now by the platform, but also to what could be discussed in the next three (which are thought to be the “juicier” ones, to which they were destined the hottest statements), based on what was extrapolated from the trailers. In particular, many have commented on the portrait that, from what one could deduce, will be made of Kate Middleton. The trailer features a photo of the woman in a “grim pose” during a religious ceremony, in which Meghan is also present in the background.
The cover of a tabloid with Kate as the protagonist is then shown in the same magazine, and this is what suggests that we could speak more directly of the Princess of Wales, there were some rather controversial photos. Photographs dating back to 2007, when she was attending university, in which the woman seems to be in a state of inebriation returning from a night out. At the time, when these images were made known, they caused quite a stir and a wave of negative publicity for William’s young bride. To find out what statements will be made in the next few episodes, and if these will directly have to do with Kate Middleton, just wait for the documentary’s second part to arrive on Netflix in a few days.
Photos Taken out of Context?
The trailer of the series also made headlines for another reason: in fact, there appeared a photo in which the unhealthy pressure of the tabloids suffered by the couple was underlined. However, to do so, as declared by the New York Post, a photo taken out of context and reworked seems to have been used: we see dozens and dozens of paparazzi rushing to take a picture, but instead of on one of the occasions in which the dukes appeared together in public it seems to have been taken at the premiere of one of the Harry Potter films, an occasion that took place many years before the couple met.
A Truth Without Contradiction
Returning to what was said at the beginning, among the most serious “sins” of the Netflix documentary there seems to be above all the fact of presenting a glossy truth built without the necessary – speaking precisely of a product of this kind – contradictory. Even the famous episode in which Harry is photographed at a masquerade dressed as a Nazi SS is dismissed in a few scenes, without a deeper analysis and that minimum of introspection that the Duke of Sussex could have given to give the story narrated a different thickness.
Harry & Meghan intend to tell us the story of a couple “like all the others” from their point of view, in total honesty: the reality of the facts, however, is that – in addition to not being a couple like any other! the two provide an edited and controlled version of their life together. Which follows a bit the discussed interview of the couple with Oprah, in which many of the themes at the center of the Netflix documentary had already been touched upon. All the material in the documentary seems to have been carefully selected, both in unedited footage and interviews with friends and relatives. The Oscar-nominated director Liz Garbus, who directed the six episodes, did not declare whether the dukes were able to veto what was told and declared, the impression of the public, however, is, as we said, that of a product that is far too celebratory and unnatural.
