Harry and Meghan drop trailer for their bombshell Netflix

2022-12-01

Harry and Meghan drop trailer for their bombshell Netflix documentary as he says ‘no one sees what’s happening behind closed doors’ just as Kate and William face second day of US visit under shadow of Buckingham Palace race row

The first trailer for Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Netflix show dropped today – just as William and Kate began the second day of their crucial US visit under the shadow of a Buckingham Palace race row.

The advert opens with a producer asking ‘why do you want to make this documentary?’ before a reel of black and white photos are played, including the duchess cradling her baby bump and dancing with Harry dance at their wedding.

Harry’s voice is heard saying, ‘no one sees what goes on behind closed doors’, before viewers are shown an intensely personal image of Meghan on the phone with her head in her hands – apparently crying.

‘I had to do everything I could to protect my family’, the duke later says.

The Sussexes have been paid a rumoured $100million (£88million) for the fly-on-the-wall series, which has left the Royal Family braced for more damaging accusations from the couple.

It comes at an unhelpful time for the Prince and Princess of Wales – whose US tour got off to a tricky start yesterday after a scandal over ‘racist’ comments made by Lady Susan Hussey at an event hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.

Ngozi Fulani said she felt ‘interrogated’ by Lady Susan about what country she came from, despite being born in the UK and stating multiple times that she was British. Officials said they were taking the incident ‘extremely seriously’.

The series if expected to air next Thursday.

As the Sussexes unveiled their glitzy publicity push, William and Kate’s troubles deepened today as one of the UK’s leading lawyers claimed that Lady Susan Hussey also interrogated him about his heritage at the same function.

Nazir Afzal, 60, Chancellor of the University of Manchester and ex-chief prosecutor of the CPS under Sir Keir Starmer, reacted to the row by declaring: ‘Racism is never far away’.

Ms Fulani has made headlines around the world after Buckingham Palace was engulfed in a toxic race row that saw the late Queen’s chief lady-in-waiting – and also Prince William’s godmother – resign after asking her ‘which part of Africa are you from?’

Mr Afzal tweeted: ‘I was at the Buckingham Palace reception at which Lady Hussey questioned the heritage of a brilliant DV expert Ngozi Fulani. She only asked me my heritage once & seemed to accept my answer – Manchester currently!’.

The Royal Family will be braced for further negative headlines when the Sussexes’ Netflix show airs next Thursday.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their deal with Netflix just six months after setting up home in California in March 2020, saying they wanted to provide ‘hope and inspiration’ by teaming up with the streaming goliath.

The Duke and Duchess said their company, unnamed at the time but now known as Archewell Productions, would make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.

The timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan’s bombshell documentary series

September 2020 – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s production company, Archewell Productions, signed a reported $100million deal with the streaming giant.

July 2021 – Meghan announces first project with Netflix – an animated series called Pearl. She was taking on the roles of ‘creator and executive producer’ – marking the first time the former actress and Suits star would work in the position of EP.

September – Spotted filming in New York at the Global Citizen Live event

April 2022 – Spotted filming at the Invictus Games in the Hague

May – Reports emerge Netflix are hoping for an ‘at-home with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex-style’ docuseries

Meghan’s animated series Pearl is dropped by Netflix as part of a wave of cutbacks prompted by the streaming service’s drop in subscribers.

June – Couple were told they wouldn’t be able to film while attending Jubilee celebrations

August – Meghan hints that the documentary could focus on their ‘love story

September – The Queen dies. Reports emerge the the couple want to ‘downplay’ what they’ve said about the royal family in the documentary

October – It was reported how the Duke and Duchess were ‘at odds’ with the production staff on their Netflix docuseries because the ‘panicked’ couple wanted to make ‘such extensive edits’ that the team believe the project could be ‘shelved indefinitely’.

Meghan then appears to try to distance herself from the project during an interview.

She suggested that its direction was in the hands of left-leaning filmmaker Liz Garbus ‘even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it’.

At the end of the month, it’s announced Prince Harry’s memoir will be released on January 10 and will be called Spare.

November – It was reported Prince Harry was trying to get Netflix to postpone the documentary until after Christmas so it was released at around the same time as his bombshell memoir.

It is claimed Prince Harry and Meghan first hired Oscar-nominated director Garrett Bradley for the series – before they had a falling out and she left.

Meanwhile Netflix face heavy backlash over the fifth series of The Crown, and reports suggest the streaming platform might push back the release date of Harry and Meghan’s series in response.

However, it is then revealed the couple will release the documentary on December 8.

December 8 – Documentary is set to be released

January 10 2023 – Prince Harry’s memoir Spare is due to be released

In a statement, the Sussexes said: ‘Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.

‘As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.’

They added that Netflix’s ‘unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.’

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer and co-chief exec, said at the time: ‘We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere.’

After putting ink to paper on the deal, the Sussexes were said to have welcomed cameras into their luxury Montecito mansion for a reality-type documentary, Page Six reported.

While it’s unclear on exactly how much of their home life the couple were prepared to share, they certainly did let Netflix cameras trail them on public appearances in 2021 and 2022.

When Harry and Meghan jetted to the Global Citizen Live event in New York in late September 2021, a camera crew accompanied them.

And just over six months later in the Hague, in April this year, the Duke and Duchess were filmed at the Invictus Games, hugging Team United Kingdom competitor Lisa Johnston and meeting competitors and chatting to the crowds.

One of the organisers at the event said the Netflix team arrived in six people carriers with caseloads of equipment.

The film crew were given maroon bibs to help them stand out from the dozens of photographers covering the games and given exclusive access to the couple with behind close door meeting with the athletes.

However, when it came to the Queen’s Jubilee in June – just a few months before the late Monarch died on September 8th, the couple were firmly told they wouldn’t be able to film while attending the celebrations.

Indeed, Meghan and Harry took a low key role in the national event, missing out on key moments on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, which only senior roles were allowed to attend.

Even before it’s release, the show has made waves on both sides of the Atlantic and it is expected to cause fresh turmoil for the Royal Family. Harry also has his memoirs, named ‘Spare’, on the way.

Royal experts have claimed in recent weeks that these two bombshell projects will further set back any prospect of a meaningful reconciliation between the couple, who live in a $14.65million Montecito mansion with their two children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, with King Charles and Prince William.

This summer, Meghan hinted that the documentary could focus on their ‘love story’.

Speaking in an interview with The Cut, the Duchess said her five-year-long romance with Prince Harry is one of the ‘pieces of her life’ that she has not yet been able to share with the public.

The Duchess continued: ‘The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story.’

But after the Queen’s death the Sussexes were said to have wanted to ‘downplay much of what they have said about Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales’ in their documentary series, according to a previous report.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary will be released on 8 December

Harry and Meghan had been working on the series as part of their rumoured $100 million (£88million) deal with the beleaguered streaming giant. But there has been toing and froing over when it will be released

The race row is a major blow to William and Kate’s tour of the US, pictured watching the Boston Celtics last night

Camilla, the Queen Consort, close to Ngozi Fulani (circled in red) with Nazir Afzal in the background (also circled). Both Ms Fulani and Mr Afzal have said Lady Susan Hussey ‘interrogated’ them about their heritage

Ms Fulani (pictured centre at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday) was asked by Lady Hussey: ‘What part of Africa are you from?’

Mr Afzal, 60, Chancellor of the University of Manchester and ex-chief prosecutor of the CPS under Sir Keir Starmer, reacted to the row by declaring: ‘Racism is never far away’ (Pictured: Mr Afzal at the Palace with Yasmin Khan, national adviser to the Welsh government on gender abuse)

Nazir Afzal, 60, Chancellor of the University of Manchester and ex-chief prosecutor of the CPS under Sir Keir Starmer, reacted to the row by declaring: ‘Racism is never far away’. He revealed he spoke to Lady Hussey

It was then reported how the Duke and Duchess were ‘at odds’ with the production staff on their Netflix docuseries because the ‘panicked’ couple wanted to make ‘such extensive edits’ that the team believe the project could be ‘shelved indefinitely’.

One Hollywood industry source said the couple were facing doubts about the series following the Queen’s death.

They said: ‘A lot of conversations are happening.

‘I hear that Harry and Meghan want the series to be held until next year, they want to stall.

‘I wonder if the show could even be dead in the water at this point, do Harry and Meghan just want to shelve this thing?,’ they added.

A Netflix insider also claimed: ‘Netflix has been keen to have the show ready to stream for December. There’s a lot of pressure on (Netflix CEO) Ted Sarandos, who has the relationship with Harry and Meghan, to get this show finished.’

However the source added that the streaming platform was ‘standing by the filmmakers’ who want to keep the content in the project, and that it will still be ‘going forward.’

Insiders reportedly told US website Page Six earlier this year that the couple were ‘having second thoughts’ on the project.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had turned to Garrett Bradley, director of the critically acclaimed Netflix series about tennis prodigy Naomi Osaka – but they reportedly clashed over the direction of the show

Filmmaker Liz Garbus, who directed the last season of The Handmaid’s Tale, was hired following Garrett’s exit from the project. In October, Megan told Variety Magazine, she admired Garbus’ work

‘Harry and Meghan are panicked about trying to tone down even the most basic language.

‘But it’s their story, from their own mouths,’ one Netflix source told the website last month.

Another said: ‘They’ve made significant requests to walk back content they themselves have provided’.

‘They want to be in the spotlight at any cost!’ Royal biographer slams Harry and Meghan for accepting prestigious human rights award

A royal biographer has slammed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for accepting a prestigious human rights award, claiming the ex-royal couple ‘want to be in the spotlight at any cost.’

Next month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be honoured with the Ripple of Hope Award at a gala organized by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation.

The charity is named after former President Kennedy’s younger brother, who was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign.

Its gong has previously gone to former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Desmond Tutu, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Apple CEO Tim Cook, anti-apartheid bishop Desmond Tutu, Colin Kaepernick and George Clooney.

But royal biographer Angela Levin told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that she believed Harry and Meghan’s charitable credentials were ‘fantasy laced with persuasion’ and questioned: ‘Are they really up there with earlier award winners?’

‘Whichever way you look at it, their alleged achievements seem fantasy laced with persuasion and who knows what else, rather than fact,’ Levin said.

‘Meghan and Harry have found it difficult to get close to A-list celebrities. They haven’t received invitations to all the right parties so perhaps the next best thing for them was to get on award lists where A-listers abound.

‘Meghan especially is giving the impression they will stop at nothing to get to the top. She should be careful as it could all crumple.’

And Prince Harry faced claims that he was trying to get Netflix to postpone his controversial fly-on-the-wall documentary until after Christmas so it was released at around the same time as his bombshell memoir.

Hollywood news website Deadline previously said that ‘rattled’ Netflix bosses ‘blinked first’ and decided to push back the original December release date after the US company came under heavy criticism over its bombshell fifth series of royal drama The Crown.

Meghan even appeared to distance herself and Harry from their upcoming and controversial Netflix documentary around a month after Her Majesty’s death.

The Duchess of Sussex suggested that its direction is now in the hands of Left-leaning filmmaker Liz Garbus ‘even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it’.

She said in a magazine interview: ‘It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.

‘It’s interesting. My husband has never worked in this industry before.

‘For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.’

Garbus, who was also due to work on the Duchess’ series Pearl before it was scrapped by Netflix, is a documentarian and filmmaker and also helmed the last season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2021.

The TV drama is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, which became an instant feminist classic following the story of a woman named Offred, who is forced to live as ‘handmaid’ producing children against her will in a totalitarian North America.

Garbus has been involved in a host of other TV and film projects about oppressed women, notably including Girlhood, which follows two female inmates – victims of horrific violence and tragedy – who are serving time in a juvenile detention centre.

She has also had control over a documentary about the life and legend of singer, pianist and civil rights activist Nina Simone as well as a film called Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech.

Meanwhile the director’s Instagram page is openly political, with recent posts urging for women’s abortion rights and comments about ‘brilliant’ Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Biographer Tom Bower previously said the Sussexes’ Netflix series would be helpful publicity for Harry’s book.

‘Viewers and readers can expect scathing comments about their treatment by Harry’s family.

‘Wallowing in self-pity, the Sussexes will portray themselves as victims of uncaring charlatans,’ he said.

William, Kate and wife of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari, pose for a picture courtside

The royal couple also stopped to shake hands and hug Celtics supporters in the crowd

In a previous statement announcing the deal, Penguin said the book it would cover Harry’s ‘lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father’.

The contents of Harry’s book are likely to be kept top secret and palace aides have revealed that no members of the Royal Family have been offered the chance to see any of it before it becomes public. When the publishing deal was announced in July 2021, only the Queen was given advance warning.

It comes after The Mail on Sunday reported that Harry launched a last-minute bid to tone down his bombshell autobiography amid fears his final draft ‘might not go down too well’ in the wake of the Queen’s death.

The memoirs had been signed off ready for an expected autumn release, but the Duke – who is writing the book as part of a near £40million three-title deal – has asked to make some significant alterations.

His request may be seen as a sign that he is ready to take a more conciliatory approach to the rest of the Royal Family, but could cause problems for his publishers.

The Wales’ also appeared on the jumbotron at TD Garden and waved to the crowd in the arena

‘Harry has thrown a spanner in the works,’ a source said. ‘He is keen for refinements in the light of the Queen’s death, her funeral and his father Charles taking the throne.

‘There may be things in the book which might not look so good if they come out so soon after these events. He wants sections changed now. It’s not a total rewrite by any means. He desperately wants to make changes. But it might be too late.’

Publishing sources suggested that the Duke might have limited ‘wriggle room’ given he was handed a seven-figure advance.

Publishers Penguin Random House had already demanded a rewrite after the first draft was deemed ‘too touchy-feely’ and placed too much focus on mental health issues, The Mail on Sunday reported.

All we know about Harry and Meghan’s Netflix show: £88 million project airing next week will feature fly-on-the-wall footage of their home life and public outings – but they claim: ‘It’s our story through someone else’s lens’

By Jo Tweedy for MailOnline

It was a picture perfect moment in The Hague – Meghan and Harry warmly embracing Invictus Games competitor Lisa Johnston, who was draped in a Union Jack, after the former army medic and amputee had just competed in an event at the Games the Prince founded in 2013.

In the background of the photographs, it’s clear to see the moment being caught on film; one of several times since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a rumoured £88million deal with Netflix that a camera from the streaming service has been by their sides on a public outing.

The TV giant, say industry sources, is set to unleash the fly-on-the-wall documentary on the royals’ lives and work next week on 8th December.

This is despite reports that the couple had tried to push it back to 2023 – unnerved by both Series 5 of The Crown sparking controversy on both sides of the Pond, and the release of Harry’s tell-all memoir on the way in January.

And, in an interview with Variety in October, Meghan made it clear their story has been told ‘through someone else’s lens’.

Here, FEMAIL looks at everything we know about the Netflix project so far…

No postponement: A fly-on-the-wall documentary about Harry and Meghan, part of the rumoured £88million ($100 million) deal the couple signed in September 2020, looks set to be next week despite claims that the couple had been keen to stall the project until 2023 (Pictured: Meghan and Harry film a message for Elton John’s Farewell concert in November)

SIGNING THE NETFLIX DEAL: A £88 MILLION GOLDEN HELLO

Back in 2020, the couple gushed that signing the Netflix deal would help them provide ‘hope and inspiration’ through content

Just six months after the couple set up home in California in March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced a shiny new deal with Netflix, saying they wanted to provide ‘hope and inspiration’ by teaming up with the streaming goliath.

The Duke and Duchess said their company, unnamed at the time but now known as Archewell Productions, would make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.

In a statement, the Sussexes said: ‘Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.’

They added that Netflix’s ‘unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.’

CAMERAS BEGIN TRAILING THE COUPLE – BUT NOT TO THE QUEEN‘S JUBILEE

After putting ink to paper on the deal, the Sussexes were said to have welcomed cameras into their luxury Montecito mansion for a reality-type documentary, Page Six reported.

While it’s unclear on exactly how much of their home life the couple were prepared to share, they certainly did let Netflix cameras trail them on public appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hug Lisa Johnston, a former army medic and amputee, who celebrates with her medal at the Invictus Games venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, April 17, 2022

When Harry and Meghan jetted to the Global Citizen Live event in New York in late September 2021, a camera crew accompanied them.

One of the organisers at the event said the Netflix team arrived in six people carriers with caseloads of equipment.

However, iwhen it came to the Queen’s Jubilee in June – just a few months before the late Monarch died on September 8th, the couple were firmly told they wouldn’t be able to film while attending the celebrations.

Indeed, Meghan and Harry took a low key role in the national event, missing out on key moments on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, which only senior roles were allowed to attend.

‘TRUSTED’ LIZ GARBUS COMES ON BOARD – AFTER REPORTS OF A CLASH WITH PREVIOUS DIRECTOR GARRETT BRADLEY

After first signing their deal, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex turned to Garrett Bradley, director of the critically acclaimed Netflix series about tennis prodigy Naomi Osaka – but they reportedly clashed over the direction of the show, it was claimed earlier this month.

A TV insider told the New York Post how the collaboration unravelled: ‘Garrett wanted Harry and Meghan to film at home and they were not comfortable doing that. There were a few sticky moments between them, and Garrett left the project.

‘Harry and Meghan’s own production company captured as much footage as they could before Liz Garbus was hired.’

Filmmaker Liz Garbus, who directed the last season of The Handmaid’s Tale, was hired following Garrett’s exit from the project. In October, Megan told Variety Magazine, she admired Garbus’ work

Garbus, who was also due to work on the Duchess’ series Pearl before it was scrapped by Netflix, is a Left-leaning documentarian and filmmaker and also helmed the last season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2021.

But a Netflix source added that the streaming platform was ‘standing by the filmmakers’ who want to keep the content in the project, and that it will still be ‘going forward’.

In October, Megan told Variety Magazine that she was delighted to be working with Garbus, saying she was ‘a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired’.

The royal added: ‘It’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.’

DISTANCE? MEGHAN NOW SAYS ‘IT’S OUR STORY THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE’S LENS’

There have been mixed reports in the US about when the Netflix documentary about the couple’s lives will now air, but the general consensus is that there will now be no postponement and ‘the show will go on’ in December.

There have been mixed reports in the US, with Deadline insisting the show will be delayed until the new year citing bosses being ‘rattled’ and ‘blinking first’ because of the backlash over Season 5 of The Crown.

The show has made waves on both sides of the Atlantic and it is expected to cause fresh turmoil for the Royal Family. Harry also has his memoirs, named ‘Spare’, on the way.

In October, the Duchess of Sussex, in an interview with Variety magazine, praised the work of director Liz Garbus…but said any work by Netflix about the couple would be through ‘someone else’s lens’

Royal experts have claimed that two bombshell projects – Harry’s novel ‘Spare’, which is published in January and the documentary – have prevented any reconciliation with King Charles or Prince William

Certainly Meghan herself seems to be distancing herself from just how involved the couple have been. In her interview with Variety magazine, she said: ‘It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it.’

However, she appeared to add a disclaimer, saying: ‘But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.’

Previously, one Hollywood industry source said the couple were facing doubts about the series following the Queen’s death. They said: ‘A lot of conversations are happening. I hear that Harry and Meghan want the series to be held until next year, they want to stall.

‘I wonder if the show could even be dead in the water at this point, do Harry and Meghan just want to shelve this thing?,’ they added.

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