Harry & Meghan Netflix series reaction: Buckingham Palace says it was ‘not given chance to decline anything’

Netflix’s dramatic opening statement in Harry & Meghan documentary – that the Royal Family declined to comment – has been debunked by palace communication teams.

Prince Harry, King Charles III (centre) and Princess Anne follow Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it arrives at the late queen’s committal service at St George's Chapel inside Windsor Castle in September. Picture: AFP

Netflix’s dramatic opening statement in its six part documentary Harry & Meghan, claiming that the Royal Family declined to comment for the series, has been debunked by palace communications teams.

In the first backlash from the monarchy, it has emerged that no one from the press office of Queen Elizabeth and then King Charles at Buckingham Palace was approached by the filmmaker to comment about various claims made in the series.

The first three episodes of the six-part series are loaded with barbs about the royal family.

These include:

• Criticism’s of Charles’s parenting;

• That Harry was not supported after the death of his mother, Princess Diana;

• That there were mysterious censorships about what the couple could reveal at their engagement;

• That one of Meghan’s family couldn’t attend the wedding because of “the optics”, and;

• That Harry had warned the royal family that Meghan needed special protection because of her “race”.

Harry also claimed that others in the family had married women who “fit the mould”, whereas he was different and married for love.

Harry and Meghan appear in the Netflix series. Picture: Netflix

Netflix said in the opening credits: “This is a first-hand account of Harry and Meghan’s story, told with never before seen personal archive footage. All interviews were completed by August 2022. Members of the royal family declined to comment on the content within this series.”

But palace sources say they had not been given any chance to decline anything.

Kensington Palace, which is the home of the communications team of the Prince and Princess of Wales, revealed they had received an email from an unknown third-party production company, not Harry and Meghan’s Archewell foundation or Netflix. The email didn’t address the entire series, just some aspects of it.

The aides then contacted the Sussexes and Netflix seeking verification about the authority of the production company and received no reply.

It is understood that in the absence of this verification, the palace was unable to provide any response.

The credibility of the “documentary” is under scrutiny because of the lopsided nature of the series, featuring footage filmed by Harry and Meghan, interviews with paid members of the Sussexes’ production staff, many of Meghan’s friends including Serena Williams, one friend of Harry’s and some historians.