Harry and Meghan – as it happened: World reacts to bombshell documentary as royals stay silent on Sussex claims
Royal households accused of war against Duchess of Sussex to protect palace
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The Duke of Sussex has described how “terrifying” it was to have his brother, the Prince of Wales, shout and scream at him at the Sandringham summit in front of the Queen during the Megxit crisis.
The duke’s claim is one of many revelations outlined in the final episodes of the couple’s Netflix docuseries, which also saw the pair condemn the treatment of Meghan at the hands of the media, and speak openly about her mental health struggles during their time as senior royals.
The final episodes also included lighter moments, such as when the couple mock the size of Nottingham Cottage, the residence on the grounds of Kensington Palace where they lived temporarily after their royal wedding.
Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment on the latest episodes. However, the royal family put on a united front when they attended the Princess of Wales’ second annual Christmas carol concert Thursday evening (15 December), just hours after the final episodes of the Sussexes’ bombshell Netflix series aired.
On Friday (16 December), the Palace also reiterated its dedication to “inclusion and diversity” while revealing that the Queen’s former lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, apologised in person to Black charity founder Ngozi Fulani over comments she’d made two weeks prior.
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On social media, the reaction to the latest episodes has been split, with some praising the Sussexes for sharing their side of the story, while others have suggested the six-hour series did not include any new revelations.
“So I’ve just finished watching the Harry & Meghan documentary. And I think I must be watching a different programme to everyone else! I love them. Good on them for speaking up! Genuinely baffled at some of the comments I’ve been reading about them,” one fan tweeted.
As the Sussexes have concluded telling their story, business has gone on as usual for the rest of the royal family, who tonight reunited for the Princess of Wales’ second annual Christmas carol concert.
Following the concert, the Prince and Princess of Wales expressed gratitude to all who made the concert “so special”.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped make #TogetherAtChristmas so special, it was fantastic to celebrate inspiring individuals and outstanding organisations with you all,” a post from their official Twitter account reads.
From a “screaming” argument with Prince William to the revelation that Tyler Perry is Lilibet’s godparent, these are some of the biggest talking points from the final three episodes of the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries.
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At one point during the fourth episode, Meghan defended her extravagant New York City baby shower, with the duchess recalling how her friends had wanted to “shower her with love” during her pregnancy with Archie.
Meghan Markle defends her extravagant New York City baby shower
‘Why are you taking such a beautiful moment and trying to ruin it?’
The final episodes of the docuseries also see cameos from some of the couple’s famous friends, including Serena Williams.
While reflecting on the duchess’ 2018 baby shower, the tennis star explained that the hope had been to give Meghan a fun and intimate moment amid the attention on her pregnancy.
However, according to Williams, looking back, she doesn’t think she “understood that there was no intimate moment that one could have” in her friend’s situation.
The docuseries also includes fun moments, such as the time dedicated to the couple’s royal wedding in 2018.
At one point, Clare Waight Keller, the former Givenchy artistic director who designed Meghan’s wedding dress, spoke of the pressure for the gown to be “flawless”.
Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer recalls pressure to make dress ‘flawless’
‘It has to be flawless, it has to be perfect,’ the designer says in the Sussexes’ docuseries
Beyonce also makes a cameo in the final episodes, when the duchess reads out a text she received from the singer after her and Prince Harry’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.
As for what the message said, Meghan revealed that Beyonce texted to check in, and to tell that she “admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed”.
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Although a significant portion of the docuseries focuses on Meghan and Harry’s issues with the royal family and the institution, the Duke of Sussex admitted that there are things he misses about life in the royal family.
“I miss the weird family gatherings, when we’re all brought together under one roof for a certain time of the year. That I miss,” he revealed.
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In the new Netflix documentary ‘Harry and Meghan’, the duke was asked what he misses about being part of the institution
The docuseries also reveals that Prince Harry discussed the rift between him, his brother and their father when he returned to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
According to Harry, it was “hard” having to have those conversations.
“It was hard, especially spending time having chats with my brother and my father who just were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” he said. “So none of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather’s funeral, but we did.”
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’None of us really wanted to talk about it, but we did,’ Duke of Sussex says in episode six of Netflix documentary
Although it seems likely the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William will grow as a result of the claims outlined in the Sussexes’ docuseries, Whoopi Goldberg has expressed her belief that the brothers will “figure it out”.
The View co-host shared her take on the situation, while admitting that she hadn’t watched the Netflix series, during Thursday’s episode of the talk-show.
“I haven’t watched it. I have not - I got other stuff on my mind. You know, it just - family is family, and they’ll figure it out,” she said. “They’re not boys. They’re two men. They’re not children. So they have to figure out their own stuff. Charles can’t fix that for them.”
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