Harry and Meghan - as it happened: Duke of Sussex reveals he has internally ‘blocked out’ early memories of Diana

Reactions to Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries pour in as couple speak out on first dates, marriage, press intrusion and Meghan’s experiences of racism

Key moments from Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received mixed reactions over their new Netflix documentary series, Harry and Meghan, which dropped on Thursday (8 December).

Parts of the much-hyped programme, which has been split into “Volume I” and “Volume II”, were described as “moving”, but the first three episodes did not deliver any new explosive allegations against the royal family - who will no doubt be relieved by the lack of revelations.

The Independent’s Arts Editor Jessie Thompson wrote in her review of the series: “There are no major revelations here, nothing so incendiary that it will cancel King Charles’s coronation next year; in fact, certain quotes are becoming a bit pat.”

Meanwhile, the Sussexes’ staunchest critics wasted no time in excoriating the couple for some of the claims made in the show. Piers Morgan accused Harry and Meghan of trying to “brand Britain as a racist country”, while the BBC’s veteran royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell dismissed Meghan’s claims that the media wanted to “destroy” her as “absurd”.

Meanwhile, neither Palace officials nor members of the royal family were approached for comment over the content of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix docuseries, it has been alleged.

It was suggested that representatives for Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, as well as the royals themselves, were not offered the opportunity to reply to the accusations lodged by the couple during the first three episodes of their highly anticipated series.

The second part of Harry and Meghan’s docuseries will begin streaming on 15 December.

Key Points

• Harry says he has internally blocked out early memories of Diana
• Palace officials ‘weren’t contacted for comment’ over new Netflix series
• MP planning legislation to strip Harry and Meghan of royal titles
• Meghan Markle says her race was only ever ‘made an issue’ when she came to UK
• Prince Harry attacks ‘huge level of unconscious bias’ in the royal family
• Meghan discovered her father was not attending her wedding ‘through tabloid’

[9 December 2022 10:20 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Meghan and Harry are ‘utterly irrelevant to this country’, minister says

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been branded an irrelevance to the UK by a government minister, as they faced a call to be stripped of their royal titles.

Speaking on Question Time, Employment minister Guy Opperman said the couple are “utterly irrelevant” to the progress of the UK and the royal family.

Read this story by Press Association here:

[9 December 2022 09:00 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Meghan Markle shares Archie’s sweet reaction to photo of Princess Diana: ‘That’s grandma’

Meghan Markle shared a sweet moment of her and Prince Harry’s son, Archie, reacting to a photo of Princess Diana in the royal couple’s new Netflix documentary series.

In the first episode of Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex is seen holding her son when he was still a baby and looking at a black and white photo of Diana on the wall.

While Archie continued babbling at the photo, his mother asked: “Who is that?” He then reached his hand out and placed it on the picture frame.

Read the full story by Amber Raiken here:

[9 December 2022 08:42 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Viewers criticise ‘biased’ Nicholas Witchell for calling Harry and Meghan’s claims ‘absurd’

Long-time royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell has been dressed down by viewers after he branded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s claims in their new Netflix docuseries as “absurd”.

The first three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s highly anticipated programme, in which they promised to tell “the full truth” about the “other side” of their story, were released on Thursday (8 December).

Witchell, who appeared on BBC News at Six to report on the series, said that ”Volume I” of Harry and Meghan” was “relatively benign”, but added that the royal couple’s show “suggests there is what amounts to a conspiracy between [Buckingham] Palace and the press”.

“That is where I think credibility is really stretched beyond what is reasonable,” the veteran journalist continued.

Read the full story by Kate Ng here:

[9 December 2022 08:40 · Chelsea Ritschel]

If you are looking for a rundown of the biggest moments from the first three episodes of the couple’s Netflix docuseries, you can find one by Ellie Harrison below.

[9 December 2022 08:20 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Harry and Meghan viewers share reminder to critics while watching Netflix docuseries

Meghan Markle has opened up about her experiences of racism, in the new Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan.

Speaking in the second episode of the programme, which arrived on the platform on Thursday 8 December, Markle reflected on the first time she heard the n word in the US. She also talked about how, when she came to the UK, she experienced much more racism.

Read the full story by Meredith Clark here:

[9 December 2022 08:00 · Chelsea Ritschel]

The first three episodes also saw Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland speak out for the first time.

In the new series, Ragland, 66, is seen discussing Meghan’s childhood and her belief that Meghan’s race was a factor in negative press reports, while noting that she is “ready to have [her] voice heard”.

The appearance of the duchess’s mother in the documentary has been met with praise from viewers, with many happy to hear from Ragland.

[9 December 2022 07:40 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Viewers criticise ‘disrespectful’ curtsy scene in Harry and Meghan docuseries: ‘Is that meant to be funny?’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have divided fans with a scene in their new Netflix docuseries, in which the Duchess of Sussex joked about having to curtsy to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

In the second episode of the Netflix docuseries titled Harry & Meghan, Meghan recalled her first meeting with Prince Harry’s grandmother shortly after they began dating in 2016.

The duchess said she wasn’t prepared for the introduction to the British ruler and didn’t know she was going to be meeting the Queen until just “moments before”.

Read the full story by Chelsea Ritschel here:

[9 December 2022 07:20 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

ICYMI: Meghan Markle says her race was only ever ‘made an issue’ when she came to UK

Meghan Markle has opened up about her experiences of racism, in the new Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan.

Speaking in the second episode of the programme, which arrived on the platform on Thursday 8 December, Markle reflected on the first time she heard the n word in the US. She also talked about how, when she came to the UK, she experienced much more racism.

Read the full story by Ellie Harrison here:

[9 December 2022 07:07 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

MP planning legislation to strip Harry and Meghan of royal titles

Bob Seely, a conservative MP, has said he is planning to bring forward legislation that will strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles.

Mr Seely was quoted as saying by the Press Association that “there is a political issue. As well as trashing his family and monetising his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country.”

He said that he was considering proposing a private member’s bill even before the recent controversy over Netflix documentary.

[9 December 2022 07:00 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

After all the hype, was the Harry and Meghan documentary worth it?

As members of the royal family reportedly braced themselves for the revelations promised in Meghan and Harry, viewers were eager to see what the “full truth” – as promised by the Duke of Sussex – would entail.

Would the couple finally address their allegations from their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, in which Meghan claimed a member of the royal family raised concerns over “how dark” her son Archie’s skin would be before he was born? Would they set the record straight on bullying claims made against the duchess by Palace staff? Would Harry reveal the current state of his relationship with his father and brother?

Alas, as the first three episodes dropped, it quickly became clear that “Volume I” of Harry and Meghan, at least, contained little that the public were not already aware of.

Read the full piece by Kate Ng here: