The docuseries billed as an “unprecedented and in-depth” look at the lives of two of the most talked about people on the planet, formed part of the couple’s multi-million-dollar content creation deal signed with streaming giant Netflix when they moved to California.
The show generated wide-ranging media coverage based on claims made by the royal couple, from Prince William screaming and shouting at Harry during the “Sandringham summit” to Meghan’s experiencing a miscarriage being partially attributed to a stressful legal battle with a British tabloid.
Here, Newsweek runs down the ten biggest bombshells from Harry & Meghan:
Princess Diana Spoke Her “Truth” in Panorama Interview, Despite William’s Claims
One of the early bombshells from Prince Harry in the Netflix series came as he addressed one of the royal family’s other most controversial media projects of the past century—Princess Diana’s contentious BBC Panorama interview of 1995.
Following an investigation in 2021, it was found that BBC journalist Martin Bashir had used deceitful tactics in order to convince the princess to take part in the interview. After these results were published, Prince William called the interview a “false narrative” and called for it never to be aired again.
That Harry should include clips of the interview in his docuseries was controversial enough but his later contradiction of William’s “false narrative” viewpoint was even more so.
Kate Was Formal at First Meeting “Barefoot” Meghan
Many viewers of the docuseries expected Meghan to elaborate on the claim she made in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that Kate Middleton had made her “cry” before her wedding day, despite media reports that had the situation the other way around.
“I think we all now know that she was deceived into giving the interview but at the same time she spoke the truth of her experience.”
The duchess did not mention this in the series, instead revealing that she somewhat jarred Kate at their first meeting by being a “hugger.” Meghan was also wearing ripped jeans and was “barefoot” at Kensington Palace.
Meghan’s Media Treatment Dismissed by Royals
A large focus of the six-episode docuseries was Meghan’s treatment at the hands of the British media following her relationship with Harry becoming public knowledge in 2016.
“Even when Will and Kate came over and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner and I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. It’s like I was a hugger, I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits…
“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through to the inside…that there is a forward-facing way of being and then you close the door, and you go ‘Oh…ok we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.”
In the show, Harry discussed his family’s reaction to the negative side of the reporting, with the prince telling viewers that the abuse faced by Meghan was unlike anything faced by other royal brides marrying into the royal family because of the “race element.”
Engagement Interview Was “Orchestrated Reality Show”
During the third episode of the series, Meghan gave an insight into her popular engagement interview with Harry given on November 27, 2017, at Kensington Palace, shattering the illusion of the scene by calling it an “orchestrated reality show.”
“What people need to understand is that as far as a lot of my family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well.
“So it was almost like a rite of passage, and some of the members of the family [were] like ‘right, but my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she get protected?’”
Harry “Ashamed” of Nazi Uniform Decision
One of the biggest clouds of criticism hanging over the head of Prince Harry is his 2005 decision to wear a Nazi uniform to a friend’s costume party, a decision he would later apologize for.
“[The interview was] an orchestrated reality show, yep. It was, you know, rehearsed. So we did the thing out with the press, then we went right inside, took the coat off, sat down and did the interview. So it’s all in that same moment…We weren’t allowed to tell our story because they didn’t want…”
In the docuseries, the royal did not shy away from the controversy surrounding this event saying that sometimes the royals can be “part of the problem rather than part of the solution.”
Queen Suggested Meghan Write Leaked Letter to Dad
In the fifth episode of the Netflix docuseries, Meghan discussed her legal battle with the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a private letter she wrote to her father in August 2018.
“It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I felt so ashamed afterwards. All I wanted to do was make it right. I sat down and spoke to the Chief Rabbi in London, which had a profound impact on me. I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor.
“I could have just ignored it and got on and probably made the same mistakes over and over again in my life. But I learnt from that…
“In this family, sometimes you’re part of the problem rather than part of the solution and there is a huge level of unconscious bias.
“The thing with unconscious bias is it’s actually no one’s fault but once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right.
“It’s education, it’s awareness and it’s a constant work in progress for everyone including me.”
Speaking for the first time at length about the letter since winning the legal case in December 2020, Meghan revealed that she consulted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles about what to do with her father who was making disparaging remarks about the royals in TV interviews.
Harry Blames Mail for Meghan’s Miscarriage
The legal battle over the published extracts of Meghan’s private letter was dragged out for over two years, and during this time the royal fell pregnant and experienced a miscarriage.
“I reached out to Her Majesty and was like ‘This is what’s going on. What do you want me to do? I want…whatever advice you have.
“But ultimately, it was suggested by the queen and the Prince of Wales [now King Charles] that I write my dad a letter…”
Speaking to viewers, Harry expressed his belief that his wife had miscarried their child—something Meghan revealed in a November 2021 article for The New York Times—as a result of the Mail’s lawsuit.
Meghan Accuses William of Authorizing Aid to Give Evidence Against Her
Another bombshell reveal came during the privacy lawsuit, as recorded footage from the time of the legal battle showed Meghan and Harry’s reaction to the news that their former press secretary (then an advisor to Prince William) had supplied evidence to the high court in relation to the case including private text messages between himself and the duchess.
“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what The Mail did. I watched the whole thing.
“Now, do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was created, caused by that? Course we don’t. But bearing in mind the stress that that caused, the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy, how many weeks in she was, I can say from what I saw that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.”
In the footage, Meghan intimates that William must have authorized the aide, Jason Knauf’s, cooperation with the court, adding that she didn’t want to comment about her husband’s brother explicitly.
Prince William Screamed and Shouted at Harry
One of the biggest bombshell revelations made in the series came in the fifth episode, where Harry addressed the meeting he had with Prince William, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II dubbed by the press the “Sandringham summit,” in January 2020.
“How do we deal with that? Like…How on earth…
“It’s your brother. I’m not going to say anything about your brother, but it’s so obvious.”
This meeting saw Harry take the decision to step fully away from his role within the British monarchy, having been told there was no half-in half-out option available as a working royal.
The prince gave viewers an insight into the relationships between himself, his father and his brother at the time, revealing he was terrified of William and that his father told lies.
Harry Never Knew About “Joint” Bullying Statement
Following the discussion of the “Sandringham summit,” Harry addressed another report at the time of his royal exit with Meghan to the U.S., that his brother had bullied him out of the royal family.
“I went in with the same proposal that we’d already made publicly but once I got there I was given five options. One being all-in, no change. Five being all out. I chose option three in the meeting. Half in, half out. Have our own jobs but also work in support of the queen. But it became very clear very quickly, that goal was not up for discussion or debate.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren’t true and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”
Though Harry did not confirm or deny these rumors, he did tell viewers that his name had been put on a statement at the time denying them without his approval or consent. He then accused the palace establishment of lying to “protect” William but not him.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace has commented on the docuseries or its content.
“That day a story came out, saying that part of the reason why Meghan and I were leaving was because William had bullied us out and once I got in the car after the meeting, I was a told about a joint statement that had been put out in my name and my brother’s name squashing the story about him bullying us out of the family.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that. And I rang M [Meghan] and I told her, and she burst into floods of tears. Because within four hours, they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
