The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controversial documentary has aired on Netflix amid fears of bombshell allegations against the royal family.
Harry & Meghan – a six-part docuseries – dropped on the streaming giant at 8am in the UK on Thursday, with the Windsors steeling themselves for the revelations in the first three episodes.
In the opening scenes, began with a written statement on black background saying it was a “first hand account of Harry & Meghan’s story told with never before seen personal archive”.
It added all interviews were finished in August 2022 and then a statement appeared saying: “Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series.”
The poignant piano music began to play before showing airport shots and Harry filming himself at Heathrow airport in March 2020, saying: “We’ve just finished two weeks, out final push, our list stint of royal engagements.
“It’s really hard to look back on it now and go what on earth happened?”
Harry and Meghan signed lucrative deals, thought to be worth well over £100 million, with the streaming giant and Spotify, after quitting as senior working royals in 2020 following family rifts and struggles with royal life.
The “unprecedented and in-depth” docuseries, directed by Oscar-nominated Liz Garbus, is billed as a Netflix global event, with Harry and Meghan sharing “the other side of their high-profile love story”.
Harry, in a trailer for the docuseries, warned “we know the full truth” and spoke of a “hierarchy in the family”, a “dirty game” and “leaking” and “planting of stories”.
The first episode, which is 56 minutes long, shared the impact of Harry’s childhood in the public eye and their secret relationship in the early days.
Its Netflix tags were “Riveting”, “Investigative”, and “Docuseries”.
As the King and the Queen Consort breakfasted in their own home and the Prince and Princess of Wales dealt with the school run, royal fans, commentators and the British media were binge watching the tell-all show.
But a friend close to the royal family stressed the situation concerned “real people” and that there was a “great deal of sadness” involved.
“It’s really important to remember that these are real people. This isn’t a soap opera. They are human beings and a family and there’s a great deal of sadness,” the friend said.
Harry’s father Charles and brother William, along with Camilla and Kate, are not expected to be personally watching the series, but royal aides will be tasked with closely monitoring the output, and considering, if at all, how to respond.
The King and the royal family will be carrying on with royal duties as normal on Thursday, with the documentary also coinciding with the first circulation of coins bearing Charles’s effigy in post offices around the UK – symbolic of the adjustments still continuing in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Its premiere comes exactly three months after the death of Harry’s grandmother the late Queen, with the Windsors still grieving and the King less than 100 days into his reign.
The first episode shifts to what appears to be phone footage, filmed vertically, showing Vancouver Island, Canada.
Meghan appears with a towel wrapped around her hair, appearing to speak into her phone camera, saying: “H is in London and I’m here.”
She shakes her head and says: “I don’t even know where to begin.”
Footage of the couple introducing son Archie to the media then plays with Harry’s voice saying: “My job is to keep my family safe. By the nature of being born into this position and with everything else that comes with it and the level of hate that is being stirred up in the last three years especially against my wife, and my son, I’m generally concerned for the safety of my family.”
Meghan can then be seen again, towel wrapped around her hair, saying: “I just really want to get to the other side of all of this.”
There is a pause where she sits silently and then she appears emotional and says: “I don’t know what to say anymore.”
The third episode of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series saw Meghan describe the time around their engagement as an “orchestrated reality show”.
She said their engagement interview was “rehearsed”.
The episode also featured historian David Olusoga and writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch describing the UK’s history of slavery.
Meghan then disclosed her son Archie’s favourite song is Bennie And The Jets by Sir Elton John, a close friend of the couple.
The couple are seen listening to music by the veteran British artist with Meghan remarking: “Archie loves Bennie And The Jets. It is his favourite song.”
