Sources close to Prince William and Princess Kate have apparently nicknamed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “the Kardashians” in a sharp response to the trailer for their new Netflix documentary series.
The Times report that “royal insiders” believe that Harry and Meghan “deliberately torpedoed” William and Kate’s visit to the US by allowing the streaming giant to release the first look of the documentary during the US visit.
William and Kate’s trip was “derailed for the second day running by external events,” the outlet said.
On Wednesday, the big royal news story was the resignation of royal household member Lady Susan Hussey following her “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” to a Black charity boss.
A source told The Times that Harry and Meghan had been nicknamed “the Kardashians” because “they want all the attention they can possibly get”.
“They are two people who are accepting awards for themselves, talking about themselves, doing programmes about themselves,” the source said, adding that William and Kate are “active members of the royal family who have a job to shine a spotlight on other people, give awards to other people. That’s the contrast”.
One source told The Times that the timing of the trailer release was “definitely deliberate, without any question. But not at all unexpected”.
The paper also reported that the feeling among the group surrounding William and Kate was “one of resignation, even amusement, rather than anger”.
Echoing The Times, source told the Daily Mail that it was “hard not to make the comparison” to the Kardashians.
“One can only conclude this is a concerted publicity drive on their behalf to stoke up interest in this documentary and is designed to clash with the Wales’ visit this week,” another source told The Mail. “The prince and princess’ high-profile trip to the States to shine a light on community projects in Boston and the environmental crisis is being apparently used as a platform for the Sussexes to create the drama and attention they so clearly crave on a personal level, as well as content for the multi-million dollar deal they have signed since quitting as working royals. While the Waleses will carry on with their duties, Team Sussex appears determined to remind America of their own ‘compassionate activism’—one lucrative contract at a time.”
The Telegraph reported a source as saying that “you can see the contrast between the royals focusing attention on the communities of Boston and the Earthshot Prize, and others busy talking about themselves and making money”.
In the trailer, Harry says: “I had to do everything I could to protect my family”.
Netflix issued a statement saying that “Harry & Meghan is an unprecedented six-part documentary series that explores the span of their relationship, from the early days of the couple’s courtship to the challenges and controversies that prompted them to step back from the royal family,” according to The Daily Beast.
