Netflix on Thursday morning released the first teaser trailer for its behind-the-scenes documentary detailing how Meghan Markle and Prince Harry fell in love and later withdrew from frontline royal duties.
The hotly anticipated film titled Harry & Meghan will undoubtedly send shockwaves through the British royal establishment as it reveals how the couple’s rift with the royal family developed, in their own words.
Buzz about what secrets the series might divulge comes at what was already an acute moment of scrutiny on Buckingham Palace. Prince William and Kate Middleton are currently visiting the U.S. in a trip that has already been eclipsed by a racism row involving the Duke of Cambridge’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, who stepped down from her role in the royal household on Wednesday in the wake of the scandal.
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The brief documentary trailer released by Netflix on Thursday sees Harry being asked why he wanted to make the series. “No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” he answers. “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
Images featured in the promotional clip also show the pair looking upset, including several appearing to show Markle in tears. “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?” the Duchess of Sussex adds.
The trailer does not disclose when the series will be released, though previous reports have suggested it will begin streaming Dec. 8.
It’s just one of several media projects launched by the royal couple that have left royal PR staff reaching for the aspirin in recent months. The British press has run breathless coverage about Markle’s jabs at the monarchy in her chart-topping Spotify podcast Archetypes since its first episode was released in August.
And feverish speculation has swirled about the contents of Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir, Spare, which will hit shelves in January. Insiders told the Telegraph that the book will “take aim” at members of the royal family and wax lyrical on the “genetic pain and suffering” that Harry has experienced as King Charles III’s son.
But the Netflix series could prove to be the crowning jewel in the Sussexes’ media embarrassments for the monarchy. Arguably the most damaging accusations the couple has made so far against the royal family came in their 2021 TV special with Oprah Winfrey in which Markle described being treated callously by palace officials during mental health struggles and how an unnamed member of the royal family had asked Harry what color his son, Archie, would be when he was born.
On Thursday, a source close to Prince William told The Daily Beast that the heir to the British throne will “keep calm and carry on” with his Boston visit despite the racism scandal engulfing the palace in London. When asked if that meant William would pretend Lady Hussey’s racist comments hadn’t happened, the source answered: “He condemned the remarks in no uncertain terms. He just won’t be going on Oprah to talk about it.”