‘Never about privacy’: Harry and Meghan’s shock response to Netflix backlash
Harry and Meghan issue stunning denial of ‘hypocrisy’ after their Netflix series revealed private archive of baby photos, video diary footage and palace bombshells.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a stunning claim after being slammed for the “hypocrisy” of releasing a trove of baby photos, private diary video footage, and palace secrets in their explosive Netflix docuseries.
Questioned why Prince Harry and Ms Markle made a documentary after leaving the United Kingdom to lead a more private life, their spokeswoman Ashely Hansen said quitting the Royal Family had nothing to do with wanting privacy.
“Their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties,” Ms Hansen told 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.”
In the January 2020 statement posted to their Instagram account, the couple announced they were stepping back from the official duties of senior royals and moving to the United States “to become financially independent”.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter,” the statement said.
The seeming flip-flop comes less than a day after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell-all six-part series dropped, threatening to further destroy the exiled royal’s relationship with his father King Charles and brother Prince William.
The first three episodes of Volume I focus heavily on the couple’s fear of paparazzi, and of “history repeating itself”, as Prince Harry said of the death of his mother, Princess Dianna.
The couple immediately faced calls of hypocrisy after releasing 15 hours of personal video diary footage filmed during the “Megxit” from the United Kingdom, as well as never-before-seen photos of their two children.
They were also accused of misinformation by using officially sanctioned photos as an example of “palace intrusion”, while themselves being the subject of a formal written complaint for taking an unauthorised photographer into the “private quarters” of the Queen in Buckingham Palace.
In the first episode, Prince Harry said they filmed their exit from the United Kingdom after a “sensible” suggestion from a friend to document the process. It turned out to be precisely the footage that the documentary director, Liz Garbus, needed to tell their story.
“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,” Ms Garbus told The New York Times.
“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,” she said. “It also affirmed the choice I had made about wanting to unravel how this historic break came to be.”
When grilled on whether Prince Harry and Ms Markle had final approval over the series, telling the outlet “it was a collaboration”.
“You can keep asking me, but that’s what I’ll say,” she added.
UNSEEN PHOTOS OF HARRY, MEGHAN, ARCHIE
Unseen footage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their children featured in episodes of the couple’s Netflix docuseries.
Special moments included cuddles with their mum as well as joining their father outside with animals.
A video of Prince Harry watching hummingbirds with Archie, seemingly filmed by Ms Markle who can be heard off-screen, is shown in episode two.
Prince Harry said to Archie: “We won’t get a chance to be this close to hummingbirds ever again.”
To which his son asks: “Why?”.
His father answers in a whisper: “Because they’re scared of you”.
But the young royal doesn’t seem interested in the birds, instead looks down at his feet and says “I’ve got a dirty foot mama”.
The Duke and Duchess laugh at their son’s comment.
“Poppa is a bird-watcher so this is a really big moment for him”, Ms Markle said.
Other family moments include vision of the Duke reading a book to Archie and the Duchess hugging and kissing one of their children.
Some of the vision was used in episode two as Prince Harry spoke about his family and how he wants to protect them from racism.
“My son, my daughter, my children are mixed race and I’m really proud of that,” he said on camera.
“When my kids grow up and they look back at this moment and they turn to me and they say what did you do in this moment I want to be able to give them an answer,” he says on camera, moment after references were made to death of George Floyd in the US.
“I think it’s such a responsibility as human beings that if you bring a small person into this world that you should be doing everything you can to make the world a better place for them.”
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