Furious ex-Palace staff slam Netflix for using footage of Katie Price trends now
A former royal employee has slammed Netflix for 'making up' scenes of the Sussexes being hounded by the media in trailers for their documentary - but allies of the couple have insisted the clips 'tell a story' and 'aren't meant to be literal'.
In teasers for Harry & Meghan, Prince Harry, 38, claims he and Meghan had suffered from leaks and planted stories that backed up the Royal Family 'hierarchy', as a tearful duchess says: 'I realised they're never going to protect you.'
The trailers included several clips meant to show the Sussexes being hassled by photographers but actually depicted different events entirely, including a Harry Potter premiere and Katie Price arriving at court in Crawley.
Pointing to the footage, a former member of staff told The Times: 'She never confronted scenes where she was mobbed because we did so much to protect her... so they've had to make them up.'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Ripple of Hope Awards in New York last night, where they received a 'human rights' award
The trailers included several clips that were meant to show the Sussexes being hassled by photographers but actually depicted different events entirely, including Katie Price arriving at court in Crawley
But a source close to the Sussexes insisted the use of stock footage was 'standard practice', telling The Daily Telegraph: 'You use stock images to tell a story. It's not meant to be literal in a trailer.'
The source added that the Sussexes did not have editorial control over the trailers.
Harry said in the second trailer: 'No one knows the full truth. We know the full truth.'
But a former employee said today: 'They always use vague terms ''the truth'', ''my truth'', but nothing concrete is said.'
Instead, Meghan, 41, uses allies such as the journalist Omid Scobie, who was briefed by royal officials on the duchess's orders while writing his book Finding Freedom - to put forward her allegations that the royal household was racist, the source believes.
The ex-staffer, who claims to have been bullied by Meghan, also called for the palace to take a stand and release courtiers from their confidentiality agreements so they can speak publicly and 'reject their lies'.
The first three episodes of the duke and duchess' 'docuseries' will cover their love story and allegations that members of the royal household briefed against them to the media, it was reported.
This image, which was used in the trailer, showed photographers outside a Harry Potter premiere
In this image, a scrum of photographers surround Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, as he heads to prison in New York
Volume one of the series, which comes out tomorrow, will also detail the Sussexes' difficult relationship with the media, the suggestion they were not supported by the Palace and claims the duchess was a victim of racism.
A second tranche of three episodes released the following Thursday will then cover their decision to quit as senior royals and their new life in California, according to The Times.
Royal sources have insisted it was 'absolutely wrong' to suggest the couple had been briefed against, and insisted 'unprecedented steps' had been taken to support them.
One insider told the Telegraph that royal staff were instead 'bending over backwards to work with them'.
They added it was 'non-stop on their behalf' when it came to defending them against negative stories - which began when rumours emerged of the couple's behaviour towards staff.
