Royal battle lines drawn in Sussexs’ new documentary
The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex will be pitted against one another in the Sussexes’ forthcoming Netflix documentary, amid claims that they were treated differently by palace and press, insiders fear.
The Princess and Duchess, who shared a working team at Kensington Palace, are expected to be shown in contrast in the documentary to illustrate the claim by the Duke of Sussex and his wife that they had no choice but to leave royal life. The media’s treatment of the royal sisters-in-law is set to be examined, along with claims about the alleged lack of protection the Sussexes felt over negative coverage.
Sources said the six-part programme, Harry & Meghan, to be released on Netflix this week will leave audiences understanding why “leaving was their only choice”.
Members of the royal family and their senior aides are said to find the prospect of the documentary “very wearying”.
One royal source said: “Here we go again.”
The release of a short trailer has renewed fears the royal family will be in the firing line.
The only image of family members included was an unflattering shot of a stony-faced Princess of Wales, then the Duchess of Cambridge, taken in 2019.
The Sunday Telegraph understands the film-makers have examined the coverage of the Princess and the Duchess, with the aim of demonstrating different treatment.
On-screen interviewees are expected to expand on Prince Harry’s previous claims of an “invisible contract” between palace and press, under which the Sussexes felt undefended.
The glossy Netflix trailer opens with the question: “Why did you want to make this documentary?”
Yet as Harry and Meghan prepare to once again unleash their “truth” on audiences, it appears unlikely we will ever get the real answer.
For as the couple fawn all over each other in a series of Vogueish black and white photographs, there remains an undeniable truth at the heart of the “Megxit” project that the oversharing Sussexes appear reluctant to own up to.
Far from simply being about setting the record straight, the oneminute trailer finally confirms this cash cow of a documentary (like the rumoured £35 million ($67m) Harry received for his autobiography Spare) appears to not only be motivated by money — but also revenge.
Otherwise, why would a pair so fiercely protective of their privacy give the online streaming giant behind The Crown seemingly unfettered access not only to their lives but also their family photo album?
Meghan asks “when the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear the story from us?”. Well, it certainly makes more spondoolicks.
As is ever the case with Harry and Meghan, a couple always in a hurry, timing is everything. It cannot have been coincidence that this trailer has been released at the end of a period of sustained self-promotion, involving handbag giveaways and women’s empowerment prizes in the very week William and Kate are in the US.
It will now be for viewers to decide if they subscribe to reality TV royals, or real ones. — Telegraph Group Ltd