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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are embarking on another nonfiction project, but that doesn’t mean the production is drama-free. It’s time to talk about Harry & Meghan.
The Sussexes are the primary subjects of a docuseries directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus. Rumors about the status of the project abound, especially amid reports that the unofficial release date was delayed. Some said the couple was unhappy with their portrayal; others report that Meghan and Harry wanted to walk back some comments about the royal family in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The resulting media circus could arguably rival that of Don’t Worry Darling.
Here’s everything we know so far about the docuseries, which both Netflix and the Sussexes have been pretty tight-lipped about:
What will it cover?
Speaking with The Cut earlier this summer, Meghan Markle denied that the project is a “reality show.” According to writer Allison P. Davis, the duchess then noted “a difference between a historical documentary and a reality docuseries.”
As for what the show will portray, Meghan said viewers can expect “the piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see—our love story.”
We have a trailer!
On December 1, Netflix revealed the first teaser trailer for the series, which features a series of black-and-white photos of the couple that appear to be intimate shots from their relationship, as well as professional photos.
The documentary opens with an off-camera voice asking, “Why did you want to make this documentary?” Toward the close of the minute-long trailer, Meghan answers, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
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On December 5, Netflix shared a second trailer, this one painting a picture of the moment “things changed” for Meghan in the royal family.
“You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories,” Harry says. An unnamed woman adds, “There was a war against Meghan to suit other people’s agendas.” The streamer also revealed that the series will be shared in two parts.
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When is it coming to Netflix?
Harry & Meghan: Volume I will be released on December 8, followed by Volume II on December 15. Netflix finally shared the news on its Twitter account on December 5, just three days before the premiere, after months of speculation.
Back in the fall, it was reported that the streamer pushed the documentary to an unknown date in 2023 because of backlash to some of the storylines on season five of The Crown.
Here’s the summary of events, according to Deadline: On October 15, former British prime minister John Major complained about an episode in which Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) complained to Major (Jonny Lee Miller) about how long he’s had to wait to become king. Major claims that no such conversation ever happened.
While The Crown is based on true events, it is a fictionalized version of those events and has never positioned itself as nonfiction. That said, following the backlash, executives at Netflix were reportedly “rattled,” according to Deadline’s anonymous source. “They blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary.”
And yet another report from October stated that Deadline’s story was false and that Netflix would still air the docuseries in December as planned. Now we know!
Part one is now streaming!
To read everything Meghan and Harry revealed about their romance in part one, click here…and here…and here. To stream the first three episodes for yourself, click here.
Meghan and Harry put out a statement following criticism of part one.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex deny that their Netflix series goes against their values and a supposed request for “privacy.”
“Their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties,” spokesperson Ashley Hansen said in a statement to The New York Times. “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.”
A trailer for part two is here!
Meghan opens up about their 2018 wedding reception in a new clip. “I just really wanted the music to be fun. Even our first dance,” she said before revealing photos of the couple’s dance to “Land of 1000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett.
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Meghan Markle doesn’t seem to be the series’ biggest fan.
Prior to the series’ release, gossip circulated that Meghan and Harry were not happy with the final product. On October 4, Page Six reported that the Sussexes were demanding edits in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death in September. According to the rumors, the couple wanted to walk back some of what they said about Charles and Camilla, now king and queen consort.
In an interview with Variety released October 19, Markle implied that the documentary is not exactly what she envisioned. “It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story—a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired—even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” she said, referencing director Liz Garbus. “But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
When was it filmed?
The Sussexes finalized a multiyear deal with Netflix in September 2020 for content focused on documentary projects, feature films, television series, and children’s shows, per The New York Times. Since then, cameras have been spotted following them around, meaning that the doc will most likely focus on their lives over the past two years, post–royal family.
Who is the director?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s docuseries is directed by award-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus.
Garbus has directed documentaries including the Oscar-nominated The Farm: Angola, USA, which followed the lives of inmates at a prison in Louisiana. Garbus also directed films about public figures including Marilyn Monroe (Love, Marilyn), Nina Simone (What Happened, Miss Simone?), and chess champion Bobby Fischer (Bobby Fischer Against the World).
This post will be updated.
