The final part of the Sussexes’ controversial Netflix documentary has aired, with claims the Palace briefed against Harry and Meghan to deflect attention from less favourable coverage of other royals.
In episode five, Harry details his account of an urgent meeting between senior members of the royal family at the Sandringham Estate in 2020. In the talk between the family members, a decision was made about the involvement of Harry and Meghan in royal life and their duties going forward.
During an interview, Harry claims: “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me.”
He added that his father, King Charles, allegedly said things that “simply weren’t true”, and that his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, “quietly sat there” to “take it all in”.
“Her ultimate goal and responsibility is the institution,” he said.
“I have such happy memories of Sandringham, it’s where we spent every Christmas,” he said. “And now I was back there in very different circumstances. I went in with the same proposal that I’d already made publicly. But, when I got there, I was given five options.”
“One being all in, no change, five being all out,” he explained. “I chose option three in the meeting; half in, half out.”
He said this meant he and his wife Meghan would “have our own jobs but also work in support of the Queen... “It became clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate,” he said.
The Independent has contacted representatives of Prince William and King Charles for comment.
In February 2021, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duke and Duchess would relinquish their royal patronages, as they would not be returning as working members of the royal family.
You can follow The Independent’s live blog of the Harry and Meghan docuseries here.
Later in episode five, Prince Harry claimed that the royal family “were happy to lie” to protect his brother, William.
In a trailer released on Wednesday, Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia alleged she had seen evidence of briefing from the Palace against the couple to suit other people’s agenda, calling her a “scapegoat for the Palace.”
The duchess herself was seen saying: “You would just see it play out, like a story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute and they’d go ‘We’ve got to make that go away.’”
