Meghan Markle has admitted that her engagement to Prince Harry felt like an "orchestrated reality show".
The three episodes of the Sussexes' new Netflix show, Harry & Meghan, dropped this morning, and delves into archive footage of the pair being interviewed about their engagement, writes The Mirror.
Footage is then show of the 2018 interview they took part in following their engagement, Meghan describes her betrothal to the royal as an "orchestrated reality show". The camera then cuts to Meghan now, saying 'it was rehearsed' and she then elaborates on how the couple were prepped and told what they had to do.
Footage is then shown of various royals, including Kate and Camilla, talking about how happy they were at the engagement news, and Harry and Meghan describing William and Kate as 'wonderful' and helpful.
Meghan then adds: 'My point is, we weren't allowed to tell our story."
Harry then agrees by saying "We've never been allowed to tell our story" to which Meghan replies "That's true, until now."
Prior to the Netflix series coming out, a friend close to the royal family stressed that the situation concerned "real people" and that there was a "great deal of sadness" collectively at the fraught state of affairs.
The bombshell trailer dropped last week, while the Prince and Princess of Wales were in the US ahead of William's Earthshot Prize ceremony.
After the trip, William rushed back to London to hold crisis talks with his father King Charles ahead of the show coming out.
The friend said: "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."
King Charles and Prince William, along with Queen Camilla and Princess of Wales Kate, are not expected to personally watch the show, but royal staff will will watch the series, and consider any possible response to allegations.
Today, the royal family will be carrying on with royal duties as normal, while millions are expected to tune into Netflix for the first three episodes of 'Harry & Meghan '.
The Sussexes signed deals thought to be worth more than £100 million with Netflix and Spotify after leaving royal life behind in 2020.
The monarchy found itself in crisis after the Sussexes sat down with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, where they accused an unnamed member of the family of racism towards their son Archie before he was born, and the institution of failing to help the suicidal duchess.
Harry said he felt let down by his dad, and "there's a lot of hurt" that's happened in their relationship.
Following the Oprah interview, the Queen issued a statement saying "while some recollections may vary the issues would be taken very seriously, but dealt with privately as a family".
But on a podcast and a mental health Apple TV series, Harry went on to accuse his family of 'total neglect' and appeared to criticise the parenting skills of Charles and the Queen and Philip, suggesting he had suffered "genetic pain".
The second set of the Netflix episodes will be released at the same time next week and are expected to feature even more drama - with the date set to clash with the Princess of Wales's carol concert in memory of the late Queen.
A senior royal source said: "There is a completely united front from the King and his family concerning the numerous attempts to privately make peace with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which sadly have once again resulted in the other side wishing to air their repeated grievances to the world.
"If there is a need to respond to anything in the upcoming series then you can be assured that response will be swift and robust."
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