The first three episodes of Harry and Meghan, a Netflix “global event” (their words) that chronicles Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tabloid-ridden love story, from the royal couple’s first date to their marriage, offered few surprises. We delved into their personal histories—Meghan’s early years negotiating her mixed-race upbringing in the Valley; Harry’s trauma over the loss of his mother, Princess Diana—and the Suits actress’ dismay when it comes to royal customs. So little was gleaned from the docu-series’ first three hours that the only rank loyalists could seize on The Firm to criticize their favorite punching bag was an out-of-context clip in which Meghan jokingly recounts her first attempt at punching short.
Related: How to Watch the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Documents Online
Perhaps the only interesting revelations were Harry admitting his great shame about that Nazi uniform he wore to a costume party as a teenager, and Markle’s estranged father Thomas peddling pictures to the British tabloids of him ghosting Meghan and Harry in the run up to their royal wedding. Some inclusions in filmmaker Liz Garbus’s doc, such as Meghan viewing her lifestyle website as a thriving, boundary-pushing business, or her continued insistence that she absolutely knew nothing about prince harry before their coupling stress credulity. And the whole project feels like it came a year and a half late, given that gargantuan Oprah interview, those plodding Spotify podcasts, and Harry’s little-seen Apple TV+ health docs The Me You Can’t See.
where is the tea Should Harry and/or Meghan finally unmask the mysterious royal who questioned how dark their child’s skin could be, or King Charles III and Prince William’s attitude towards Meghan, or the gossip feud between Meghan and Kate Middleton, or whether the palace Was Meghan scapegoated to cover up Prince Andrew’s Epstein scandal, or those royal affair rumors in its final three episodes, which drop on December 15? Is it really worth six-plus hours of your precious time?
Sort of. After a flurry of Meghan-friendly PR, including highlighting her work with Grenfell Tower fire victims and talking heads praising their ability to “speak so effortlessly to another generation.” Harry and Meghan delve into the relentless tabloid attacks on Meghan – tearing apart her supposed “diva” behavior, calling her a “gangster”, alleging unsubstantiated links to terror suspects, comparing her unfavorably to Kate Middleton, and dumping her into raging Black Woman tropes.
“It was like it would all stop if I wasn’t here. And that was the scariest thing about it—is that clear thinking,” Meghan says of her suicidal ideation.
Her mother, Doria Ragland, fought back tears as she recalled how Meghan came close to taking her own life and the sense of helplessness she felt. According to Meghan, the royal family would not allow her to get treatment because it would appear, and Harry expressed deep regret for prioritizing his royal role over that of a loving husband.
“Looking back on it now, I hate myself for it,” he says.
In the fifth episode, Harry recalls a heated meeting between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family at Sandringham House on January 13, 2020, where they discussed their decision not only to move to Canada, but “half-in , half- out” as far as royal duties are concerned.
“It was terrifying to have my brother yelling and screaming at me, and my father saying things that just weren’t true, and my grandmother just sitting there calmly taking it all in,” Harry complained.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan’
Netflix
Harry further accuses his older brother and The Firm of releasing a joint statement from the royal brothers poop-poop reports that William was guilty of “bullying” Harry and Meghan out of the royal family – without Harry’s approval.
It’s hard to feel also too bad for Harry and Meghan, as the documentary covers the famous couple holed up in Tyler Perry’s enormous California mansion with its rolling hills, hiking trails and outdoor pool at the height of the coronavirus pandemic – “there are people dying,” to quote Kourtney pick up Kardashian. (Perry also reveals himself as godfather to Harry and Meghan’s daughter, Lilibet.) Meghan’s miscarriage, which the couple partly blames on stress from her messy lawsuit against the Daily mailis heartbreaking.
We learn that Beyoncé texted Meghan the day after the couple’s big Oprah interview with Meghan, saying, “She said she wanted me to feel safe and protected. She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability, and thinks I have been chosen to break generational curses that must be healed.”
In one rather tense scene, Meghan confronts Harry and accuses William of knowing about leaked text messages between her and her former communicator about a personal letter she wrote to her father, which is at the center of the Mail lawsuit.
In general, however, Harry and Meghan sees the semi-royals take the high road—refusing to address much of the drama and family feuds that led them to Santa Barbara, thousands of miles away from Buckingham Palace. Maybe good old Harry is saving it for the memoir.
