Royal couple tell their story on Netflix’s Harry & Meghan

In Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, the prince and duchess get to respond to the many rumors centering around them.

Prince Harry and Duchess Megan Markle made the decision to stop family rumors and create a documentary as the Royal Family continues to make press appearances. Harry & Meghan debuted on Netflix in December 2022.

Meghan and Harry talk about how their relationship began and give viewers an inside peek at their reality and how everything played out for them, from their initial Instagram conversations to their first encounter. 

What viewers find more intriguing, however, is how Prince Harry opens up about his mother, Princess Diana, and how her passing affected him tremendously. “I don’t have many early memories of my mum,” Prince Harry states. “It was almost like entirely I sort of blocked them out.”

Markle states her opinions on the paparazzi and the royal family followers on how they were “criticizing” her not only because of her being biracial but also because of her approach towards being accepted into the royal family. “I wasn’t just being thrown to the wolves; I was being fed to the wolves,” shares Markle. 

News about Markle’s father came out stating that he had “posed for paparazzi pictures before suffering a heart attack.” Messages from his phone to Meghan after he fell ill would say things that did not sound like him, such as putting her full name instead of Meg. The unfortunate thing about all of this is Meghan found out about all of this information from fresh sources and gossip websites, leading to the subsequent speculation that those texts were being delivered from a different source.

As the series progresses, viewers learn the details of the couple’s wedding day and their many recollections of it. With Markle becoming the center of attention in the media, many noticed the comparison between her and Princess Cathrine, Prince William’s wife. As the media started to put out reports of Markle’s pregnancy steps, the gossip sites began pitting Markle against Princess Catherine. For example, the avocado gift from William to Kate was deemed beloved, but for Meghan, it was linked to human rights abuse and droughts. Not only that, but Markle became the center of disadvantage and started to be named: Duchess Difficult.

With a 5.5 out of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Harry & Meghan has received much negative feedback from the audience with comments ranging from “six hours of your life you won’t get back,” to “sorry, but this was really awful.” 

For some viewers, however, it was beneficial in that it gave the couple a chance to respond to their critics, with one viewer commenting, that the documentary portrays “a great perspective of their life.” 

Olympic Heights sophomore Roshini Padala agrees, commenting, “I believe that if the truth should be told to the people. It should not be only one-sided, but told from two different viewpoints.”