Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release new statement amid documentary ... trends now

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release new statement amid documentary ... trends now
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release new statement amid Netflix documentary ... trends now

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release new statement amid Netflix documentary ... trends now

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry today denied they quit royal duties and emigrated to the US because they wanted privacy as they justified their Netflix documentary charting the most intimate moments of their courtship and marriage.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared dozens of pictures, as well as footage, of themselves and their children Archie and Lilibet at home, photographs from their first dates and even footage of Harry proposing which Meghan apparently 'live-streamed' to a friend.

The couple handed over 15 hours of personal video they had recorded in the early months of 2020, according to director Liz Garbus, who dodged questions about how much control the Sussexes had over the shows - calling the completed series a ‘collaboration’.

Experts have claimed their decision to give up royal duties was a sign they wanted to live more privately. Harry himself said Megxit, he hoped, would lead him and his family 'into what I hope will be a quieter life' and the couple have launched several high-profile privacy court cases in the UK.

Duke of Sussex's airport monologue when he emigrated opens the Netflix documentary and raises many questions about when they first decided to film it

Duke of Sussex's airport monologue when he emigrated opens the Netflix documentary and raises many questions about when they first decided to film it

Harry & Meghan docuseries' video diary with Meghan

Meghan on what she says is her first video diary entry

Meghan is also featured in a number of video diary segments in the first three episodes, often on the verge of tears

But their spokesman Ashley Hansen has ridiculed the suggestion that Megxit was ever about privacy, and told The New York Times: '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. They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them'.

The Netflix series raises questions over when they planned to make a documentary.

Harry's introductory monologue was him staring down his mobile phone lens from Heathrow Airport's VIP Windsor Suite as the couple ended their royal duties in March 2020 and emigrated to North America. 

Ms Garbus, who took over from documentarian Garrett Bradley after she left the project, said: 'You're right there with Harry in the Windsor Suite processing the fact that he's leaving the royal family for the first time in his life.

'Then there was another clip with Meghan at home, alone, fresh out of the shower, her hair in a towel, no makeup, processing on her end what their life might actually be like.

'It's very personal and raw and powerful, and it made me appreciate the incredible weight that went into their decision. It also affirmed the choice I had made about wanting to unravel how this historic break came to be.'

The row over privacy will no doubt be debated again when Harry's memoir 'Spare' is released in January.

During a speech given in London just hours after Megxit was announced in January 2020, Harry addressed a charity event where he said that he had taken the decision for his family so they could 'take a step forward into what I hope will be a quieter life'.

Before Megxit, major events were dominated by privacy rows.

The Wall Street Journal called it a 'Royal Pity Party' and added: 'A viewer really has to be on board the royal soap-opera bus not to be bored out of one¿s mind'

The Wall Street Journal called it a 'Royal Pity Party' and added: 'A viewer really has to be on board the royal soap-opera bus not to be bored out of one's mind'

Variety's critic said the couple's documentary was a rehash of 'the Royal-Family Drama, One More Time'

Variety's critic said the couple's documentary was a rehash of 'the Royal-Family Drama, One More Time' 

'Netflix Docuseries Takes a Lot of Time to Reveal Very Little', said the Hollywood Reporter, whose reviewer said the series so far 'offers too little that feels fresh enough to merit its luxurious six-episode sprawl for all but the most fervent royal watchers'

'Netflix Docuseries Takes a Lot of Time to Reveal Very Little', said the Hollywood Reporter, whose reviewer said the series so far 'offers too little that feels fresh enough to merit its luxurious six-episode sprawl for all but the most fervent royal watchers'

IndieWire's scathing review calls the docuseries a 'dull diary entry' and a 'Netflix vanity project'

IndieWire's scathing review calls the docuseries a 'dull diary entry' and a 'Netflix vanity project'

Slate says the initial episodes are 'a bit of a mess' and, like other critical reviews, notes that many of the revelations from the docuseries are simply repeats of what's been said previously

Slate says the initial episodes are 'a bit of a mess' and, like other critical reviews, notes that many of the revelations from the docuseries are simply repeats of what's been said previously

US media slam Harry and Meghan's $100M 'snoozefest' Netflix docuseries as 'a hypocritical attention grab' 

The reviews are in for Harry and Meghan's hotly-anticipated, $100m Netflix tell-all - and US critics are less than impressed.

Descriptions range from 'A Royal Pity Party' to a 'Dull Diary Entry'. One summary is less diplomatic: 'A hypocritical attention grab'.

The reception is a hammer blow to the couple, who presumably imagined the world would be enchanted by the inside story of their departure from Britain's royal family.

Viewers at home have also written off the series in no uncertain terms. Rotten Tomatoes showed a measly audience score of just 15 percent on Friday morning after nearly 1,000 reviews - most of them one star.

Descriptions from armchair critics ranged from 'unbelievably boring' and 'dog toffee' to 'vomit inducing' and 'raging narcissism'.

Variety's review expresses surprise at 'just how narrow their vision of their fame is, how pinched and unimaginative their presence on the world stage has become'.

Under the headline 'Harry & Meghan Rehashes the Royal-Family Drama, One More Time', the couple are described as 'honor-bound to keep reciting their personal story until we eventually lose interest'. 

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In May 2019, when Archie was born, they delayed the announcement so they had the chance to 'celebrate privately as a new family'. 

The Queen's former spokesman Dickie Arbiter said at the time: 'The birth of Archie was a complete disaster. The secrecy made a mockery of the whole thing'.

Meghan told Oprah in 2021: 'I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic. We're not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn't expect'. 

But she denied Megxit was about privacy itself, pointing to their statement that talked about financial independence from the royals so they could 'embark on the next chapter in our lives'.

It emerged that the couple had started filming themselves and giving interviews as far back as March 2020, and continued until August this year, just weeks before the Queen's death. 

A source said: 'This was all being filmed while both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen – Harry's grandparents – were suffering from serious ill-health and in the last few months of their lives.

'They even came over to mark Her Majesty's Jubilee while colluding with the filmmakers, without telling her what they were doing.

'That's shameful and cowardly. There are a lot of people who are glad the late Queen is not here to see it.'

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