Harry and Meghan, one of the most anticipated British royal documentaries of the year, premiered its first three episodes on December 8, 2022. Despite calling it a documentary, the New York Times described Harry and Meghan as looking more like a “media event”.
Harry and Meghan, one of the most anticipated British royal documentaries of the year, premiered its first three episodes on December 8, 2022. Despite calling it a documentary, the New York Times described Harry and Meghan as looking more like a “media event”.
The series also adds that members of the royal family “refuse to comment”, with only a few people close to Harry and Meghan, including Meghan’s mother, appearing in the first three episodes.
Although the film was filmed before the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, the series still timely updates with new information such as King Charles III is expected to ascend the throne in May. The next three episodes will be released. on 12/15. In the content of the first three episodes, Harry clearly showed his attitude to the paparazzi in particular and the media in general.
Harry’s battle against the media
The first episode tells the love story of Harry and Meghan, but also incorporates messages critical of British media. Harry said that the paparazzi have always influenced his life. Although he has very few memories of his childhood with his mother, the late Princess Diana, Harry says: “Most of my memories are of being surrounded by paparazzi. Rarely do we go on vacation without seeing someone jump out with a camera.”
Harry revealed photographers continued to stick around even after he went to school or started dating. This clinging sometimes upsets the lives of himself and those involved. When meeting Meghan, Harry said: ‘I am very afraid of her being attacked by the media, because the media has also taken a lot of people away from me. Harry’s comments were bolstered by Meghan’s mother, who said the British press was racist, treating Meghan negatively in part because she was mixed-race.
The couple also mentioned the British royal family, but without the “total” irony of the interview with Oprah Winfrey last year.
At the time, Prince Harry said he felt really disappointed in his father – King Charles III, for not supporting the couple. Meghan said, when she was pregnant with her first child, people talked about the color of the baby’s skin.
However, in the first three episodes of the documentary series, the two made more positive comments about the royal family, including Meghan recalling her first Christmas with her husband’s family. “It feels like the big family I’ve always wanted,” Meghan called back to tell her biological mother.
Much of the information in Oprah Winfrey’s interview has been determined to be untrue.
According to the New York Times, after all, what Harry and Meghan focus on is the press, not the Royal family. The Sussexes have long been “hostile” to British tabloid culture and have taken legal action against several newspapers for invading their privacy.
What do the media and the community say?
Not surprisingly, the Western press immediately put the story of the Sussex family on the front page at the time of the film’s release.
Germany’s Bild newspaper commented: “There is no way back.” The French newspaper Le Figaro was not surprised, and added that the film was somewhat “nonsense”. And The Hollywood Reporter is somewhat bored: “Audiences are not enlightened about anything really new in the first three episodes.”
The Italian newspaper Corriere also made a similar comment, saying that the film “harshly criticizes the press and tells about the inability to lead a normal life but without any new information, it seems to focus on more on the relationship between the two main characters and their intimate moments.”
Before the comments aimed at the media, many newspapers mocked the couple for their conflicting actions: “They want the media to let them enjoy life, but they also share everything in public.”
In addition to the reaction to the film’s content, many people are also curious about how the British Royal Family will respond to this “media explosion”. The most awaited response was from King Charles III, with some speculating King Charles III could strip the couple of their royal titles depending on the allegations they made to their relatives.
NBC reported that the couple had restarted the war with the British Royal Family. The New Zealand Herald said it was a “couldn’t have been worse” for the Royal Family, as the film was released exactly three months after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Comments from the press are generally not very positive, but if we need to find a candidate with a more “moderate” attitude, The Independent is one of them.
The site wasn’t harsh on comment but wasn’t exactly admiring either, with Jessie Thompson describing the three episodes as “intimate”, “self-promotional” and “extremely entertaining”. The bright spot lies in the love story of both and the way Harry protects his wife from the racist behavior of people around. Thanks to this love story “overcoming difficulties”, the couple touched the hearts of many moviegoers.
The press was harsh, but in terms of viewers, the Sussexes received more positive comments than expected. Thanks to the love story “overcoming difficulties”, the couple moved many viewers.
Partly because the love story in the Royal Family has always received the attention and anticipation of the public, as evidenced by the BBC’s report on the wedding of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, which became the most watched television event. two in British history.
“The UK media keep saying the #HarryandMeghanNetflix documentary attacks the Royal Family. And Harry & Meghan talk about their beautiful love story and how toxic the media in the UK is. Anyway, this is a lovely family,” wrote an account named ClaireXanda on Twitter. The post received more than 17,000 likes.
Many other comments on social networks expressed sympathy for Harry, who lost his mother at the age of 11, grew up under the scrutiny and prying eyes of the press. They think that, if we separate political issues and only look at the aspect of relatives and family, we understand why Harry protects Meghan and her children to the fullest.
Anyway, each viewer will have their own opinions and evaluations about the movie’s content. Some people find the content bland, unable to watch all 3 episodes, some are too tired of the couple’s complaints, but there are also people who feel sympathy for the attachment of the Sussex family. Comments are still being written, so stay tuned because the end of the series may open up a never-before-seen dialogue.