Harry & Meghan: How the palace is fighting back

Prior to the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series, the palace said there would be no comments in response. But that isn’t what happened.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of insulting the late Queen’s memory and wanting to bring down the monarchy as the fallout from their Netflix docu-series continues.

Hours after the first episodes dropped, King Charles toured a charity in London’s Kings Cross, meeting staff members and saying nothing about the latest firestorm of controversy engulfing the House of Windsor.

While the new King was reportedly in good spirits, it was the sort of monarchal turn practised and perfected by Queen Elizabeth during her long reign: dignified, dutiful, and above all, discreet.

Prior to the release of Harry & Meghan, the palace stated it would not be commenting on any revelations in the series. And yet the past 24 hours have seen a number of stories featuring unnamed “insiders” and “palace sources” slamming the couple for “running a royal circus” (Daily Mirror), “wanting to bring down the monarchy” (Daily Mail), leaving the royal family in a “state of sadness” (The Sun), and trashing Elizabeth’s legacy (The Telegraph).

“Some of this is deeply offensive to … the late Queen’s legacy,” the Telegraph quoted its royal source as saying. “The real risk is that people are learning about the Commonwealth for the first time through hearing this.”

Another said it was a “good job” the late Queen was “not here to have to see this”.

The palace’s position – commenting but not actually commenting – was just one of a flurry of ironies.

The Sussexes decrying media intrusion in their private lives while sharing their intimate moments with a global audience of millions; that was a supreme contradiction. Critics slamming the couple for their histrionics, while getting pretty hysterical themselves over a TV show; that was another.

Twenty-four hours has allowed more members of the public to catch up with all three episodes released so far, and decide for themselves what has been fair criticism of the rogue royals, and what has been simple vitriol.

Harry and Meghan in a still from their Netflix docuseries. Picture: Netflix

Some critics expressed outrage about Prince Harry’s comment in episode one that a “group of friends” in Africa “literally brought me up”, perceiving the remark as an unforgivable slight against King Charles.

Other viewers had more sympathy for Prince Harry, as he placed his experiences in Africa in the context of a childhood forever traumatised by the death of his mother, Princess Diana. (It should also be noted he described his childhood as “filled with happiness and laughter”.)

Similarly, some commentators were aghast at Ms Markle recreating her first curtsy to Queen Elizabeth in episode two, seeing it as a sign of jawdropping disrespect towards the much-loved monarch. Others just thought it was cute.

The Duchessess’s episode two revelations about Kate Middleton – that she was frosty and awkward when Meghan tried to hug her upon their first meting – did not go down so well.

The novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer seemed to speak for many when he said: “I have sympathy for Kate. Who hugs someone the first time they meet them?”

The pair’s longtime hater-in-chief, the British broadcaster Piers Morgan, was merciless in his criticisms, labelling the show a “grotesque whine-a-thon”, “dull” and “less classy” than Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Ms Markle, meanwhile, was “obnoxious, self serving and hypocritical” and a “ruthless social climber,” Morgan said.

King Charles III meets Jess Rodewald, holding 7-month-old baby Matthew, during a visit to King's House, a community hub founded by King's Cross Church (KXC), on Thursday. Picture: Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Nimco Ali, OBE, a Somali British social activist and writer, said the rhetoric around the series left her feeling “uncomfortable.”

“It’s the rhetoric around it that is uncomfortable, not the racism claims, but why do we have to make an enemy of William and Harry?” she said.

“These are two people who are just doing their duty as part of the monarchy so I think there has to be some kind of reality check on a lot of us who are trying to take sides.

“And as much as they send a wrong message in the documentary, this is still a family issue.”

Speaking to Good Morning Britain breakfast television, she added “ I’ve got my OBE from Prince Charles and I know how much he loves his family.

“We should bear in mind that this is still a family grieving for their grandmother, mother, Queen.”

Royal commentator Jennie Bond said she wished Harry had not rushed into getting married.

“William was right, he warned Harry not to rush into anything when he first met Meghan. I wish I had heeded the warning. Every member of the press, every royal correspondent, has been slurred in this documentary and unfairly,” she said.

“The level of unpreparedness for life within the Royal family is astonishing. She (Meghan) didn’t understand formality, hierarchy, our manners, our culture.”

Harry and Meghan - they may be polarising, but there’s no doubting their ability to grab attention.

The response to the series so far suggests Prince Harry and Ms Markle will not succeed in winning many viewers over to their point of view, but the worldwide interest – including all those newspaper covers – does point to their incredible selling power.

Shortly after the first episodes dropped, the hashtag #HarryandMeghanNetflix topped Twitter in both the UK and US, while in some regions Netflix subscribers were left fuming as the number of viewers tuning in simply overloaded the system.

The second and final bunch of episodes will be released next Thursday, the timing coinciding with a concert of Christmas Carols at Westminster Abbey, hosted by the Princess of Wales. The comparisons to be made next week between the royal family and the royal rogues are so inevitable they could almost be pre-written.

With three more episodes to come, and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare to follow in early January, and then the coronation of King Charles in May, it’s clear we will all be talking about Harry, Meghan and the royal family for a long time to come. Oh, you’re over it already? Too bad. This is just revving up.

Originally published as Harry & Meghan: How the palace is fighting back