With scary cameras pointed their way, why did Harry and Meghan point cameras at themselves?

With Christmas almost here, Joe Hildebrand argues what we ‘really wanted to hear’ was a millionaire aristocrat and a millionaire actor complain about how hard it is to be famous.

Well, it’s almost Christmas. And after three years of pandemic fears, lockdowns, job losses, border closures, social breakdown, skyrocketing costs, interest rate hikes and economic chaos, all I really wanted to hear was a millionaire aristocrat and a millionaire actor complain about how hard it is to be famous.

Normally, of course, such a prospect would be unthinkable. Even if someone were as rampantly, almost supernaturally narcissistic to entertain such thoughts, they would surely be able to muster the tiniest modicum of sanity or shame that would prevent them from uttering them publicly.

But, thankfully for the world, the runaway marketing vessel that is Harry and Meghan is as devoid of these two qualities as it is of all other properties, such as talent, humility, thoughtfulness and vocational skill.

And so, yet again, Harry and Meghan is the gift that keeps on giving even when we dare not hope for more.

The stakes are high for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry – and them alone. Picture: Netflix

The first trailer for their upcoming Netflix docu-series – whatever that is supposed to be – was so simultaneously vacuous and self-indulgent that it looked impossible to beat, climaxing with Meghan saying: “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make sense to hear our story from us?”

Who on earth is she talking about? The stakes aren’t high for anyone but them! There literally are no stakes for anyone but them! Do they seriously imagine viewers waiting with bated breath going: “Oh my God, I’ve got the house riding on Harry and Meghan! I better find out if they’re happy!”

Actually, they probably do. But as if that wasn’t already world-beating, then came the second trailer, which appeared to have no point whatsoever except that it was very scary to have cameras pointed at you the whole time.

This seems to me an odd reason to launch a six-part series involving cameras being pointed at you the whole time but, then again, I don’t have Harry and Meghan’s penetrating insight.

And this is why Netflix is right to describe this series as “unprecedented”. Never before in human history have two people been so overprivileged and so self-important, and yet so utterly, utterly un-self-aware. It really is the ultimate Christmas gift to us all.

Originally published as With scary cameras pointed their way, why did Harry and Meghan point cameras at themselves?