Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are taking heat — once again!
If you’ve tuned into the couple’s new Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, you may have noticed several times the director, Liz Garbus, cut to home “video diaries” filmed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And they’re not just any old videos — they were filmed amid the couple’s exit from the royal family!! Which, you know, definitely had some people questioning the pair’s intentions!
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In the opening few minutes of the series, Harry is seen inside London Heathrow Airport‘s VIP Windsor Suite speaking directly into his phone’s camera, saying emotionally:
“Hi, so we’re here on, err, Tuesday, Wednesday, the something of March, we’ve just finished our two weeks. Our final push, our last stint of royal engagements.”
He goes on:
“My job is to keep my family safe. By the nature of being born into this position and everything that comes with it, the level of hate that has been stirred up in the last three years, especially against my wife and my son [Archie], I am genuinely concerned for the safety of my family.”
The 38-year-old also revealed why they were filming themselves in the first place, adding:
“A friend of ours actually suggested that we document ourselves through this period of time.”
Meghan, back in Canada at the time, was seen sitting on the floor after a shower, telling her camera:
“H is in London and I’m here. I don’t even know where to begin. Is this the first video diary? I don’t know. We’ve talked about it. We keep talking about it, because we know that, right now it might not make sense, but one day it will make sense.”
AKA — one day they might want to sell these videos?! Just like they did during their pricey deal with Netflix? This is the speculation that currently has them in the hot seat!
Coming to their defense on Friday while speaking to the New York Times, the director, Liz Garbus, claimed it was the 15 hours of footage she received from Harry and Meghan, which was filmed in the early months of 2020, that had convinced her to do the project. She reflected:
“You’re right there with Harry in the Windsor Suite processing the fact that he’s leaving the royal family for the first time in his life. Then there was another clip with Meghan at home, alone, fresh out of the shower, her hair in a towel, no makeup, processing on her end what their life might actually be like. It’s very personal and raw and powerful, and it made me appreciate the incredible weight that went into their decision. It also affirmed the choice I had made about wanting to unravel how this historic break came to be.”
But not everyone felt the same way. After watching the candid clips, many people on social media slammed the couple for releasing the personal footage despite once claiming they were leaving the royal family to seek more privacy.
First off, haters have called into question a speech Harry delivered in January 2020, just hours after Megxit was announced. In it, he expressed a desire for his family to live a “quieter life” as a result of the departure. Also, as Perezcious readers will recall, the father of two has embarked on several court cases in the UK over the privacy and security of his family. So, it’s not hard to see why some think the inclusion of the video diaries (and clips of their kids, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1,) was a bit hypocritical. Reacting to the videos on Twitter, upset viewers wrote:
“So let me get this straight. Harry and Meghan, who relocated to America over concerns about lack of privacy, have launched a Netflix series sharing ‘private’ text messages, photos from dates, video diaries and clips of their son. Got it.”
“Harry and Meghan recorded more than 15 hours of video diaries documenting Megxit, them exiting the U.K. The plan then always was to use it to make money.”
“For a couple who claim they care about their privacy, in less than half an hour Harry and Meghan have already shared with the world ‘private’ text message exchanges, ‘private’ photos from their dates, ‘private’ video diaries and ‘private’ clips of their son #HarryandMeghanNetflix”
“Harry and Meghan – the biggest attention whores of the century – want us to think they just want privacy and to live their lives. They made ‘video diaries’ from the start. ‘Don’t know why.’ Good grief. Really?”
“What a pathetic pair of narcissists”
Oof.
Related: Prince William’s Godmother Accused Of Racist Incident & Forced To Resign
The criticism has now gotten so bad, Harry and Meghan are speaking out! Via their spokesman Ashley Hansen to the NYT on Friday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex slammed the accusations, insisting:
“Their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series. They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.”
Fair point! At least by doing the Netflix docuseries, they have some control over how their story is told and what content is included. Also, they’ve shared footage of Archie in the past, so we don’t think that was ever a problem with them — so long as they granted permission for the content to be released. Also, Megxit was one of the biggest moments in the British royal family’s history, so it’s not surprising that they (or one of their friends) thought it would be smart for them to document the wild time! But including it does make it seem like they only signed on to the Netflix deal (and Harry’s upcoming memoir) as a cash grab! Even if the videos provide such a raw look at their emotions during those critical months. But what do U think?? Sound OFF (below)!
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