It is a step that is surprising: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have been accompanied by cameras for the Netflix streaming service for months. But how does that fit with their desire for privacy? Apparently, the decision could be related to the fear of a different media processing of their lives.
When they left royal duties in 2020, it was also out of a desire to fly under the radar as a couple and small family in the future. Two years and some sensational interviews later, Duchess Meghan, 41, and Prince Harry, 38, have apparently filed the idea. Nevertheless, the Sussexes want to decide for themselves how they are portrayed in public. Apparently, this also includes a documentary about her life, which is currently being produced by a streaming service. However, royal observers now suspect that the deal with Netflix was a strategic attempt to prevent their story from being exploited by others.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry: Does the documentary deal save them from “The Crown” debacle?
It’s about the hit series “The Crown”, which was a thorn in the side of the royal family from the start. Above all, the presentation of the story about Princess Diana, † 36, made her two sons Prince William, 40, and Harry increasingly concerned. With the new season, the life paths of the two royals will probably also come into focus. A scenario that will give the siblings sleepless nights.
For the Sussexes, however, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. In September 2020, the couple signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. The deal with her company Archewell Productions includes production for documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programs – and could also be a loophole for the couple to avoid an unpredictable performance in The Crown the British journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti suspects.
“I wonder if one of the reasons Prince Harry and Meghan haven’t taken a firm stance on Netflix by refusing to do their series is because that kind of approach to ‘The Crown’ hasn’t changed ” Sacerdoti speculates to “Express”, and substantiates his thesis: “I wonder if it could be some kind of arranged deal that they have – spoken or unspoken – so that they are largely left alone on ‘The Crown’, when they deliver their version of their story.”
Sussexes convey an impression of self-determination
On the outside, the Sussexes’ agreement to have their everyday life documented seems very autonomous at first. “It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story,” Meghan assured recently in an interview with “Variety”.
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But the impression of doing damage limitation is appropriate. As things stand, the son of King Charles, 73, and his wife would only have to worry to a limited extent that the series about the royal family will examine their difficult role within the monarchy structure.
“The Crown” makers already have an eye on the end
Peter Morgan, the creator of “The Crown”, has since confirmed that the series will end with the sixth season and only cover the events up to the early 2000s. Nevertheless, the Sussexes may have decided to prevent further developments. A stroke of luck for the streaming service. “I certainly don’t think it would be desirable for Meghan and Harry to have recent events described in ‘The Crown,'” Sacerdoti said. “I know the producers have said they’re not interested in going to date, but maybe that’s why they’re so keen on this Netflix series. It could complete their extra piece of the puzzle that they’re in [Harry und Meghan, Anmerkung der Redaktion] tell their story.”
In the meantime, however, Royal fans are eagerly awaiting the fifth season of the award-winning fictional reappraisal of the history of the Windsors. This will outline the events of the 1990s, including one particularly memorable year. “1992 is not a year that I will look back on with unalloyed joy. It has turned out to be an ‘annus horribilis’ (in English: horrible year),” said Queen Elizabeth, † 96, in her speech on November 24, 1992 at a official lunch on the occasion of her Ruby anniversary, which was relatively emotional for her circumstances.
She had not exaggerated: Shortly before, a disastrous fire at Windsor Castle had destroyed more than a hundred rooms. Three of their children were about to divorce: the then heir to the throne and his wife Diana went their separate ways after the so-called “Camilla Gate”. Charles’s affair with his current wife Queen Camilla, 75, has become one of the biggest scandals in the royal family. Prince Andrew, 62, and Sarah Ferguson, 63, had already made public the failure of their marriage in March, and Princess Anne, 72, after 19 years together, drew the line under the marriage to her then husband Mark Philipps, 74, and said so few months later “Yes” to Commander Timothy Laurence, 67.
How safe are Meghan and Harry?
It remains questionable whether these sensational stories from the life of the royals will actually mark the irrevocable conclusion of “The Crown”. Material for further seasons was supplied in abundance by the Windsors in the following years. A tempting option for TV makers, without a doubt. Maybe Harry and Meghan actually acted with wise foresight with their decision to have their lives documented for a bit. Whether this move will thwart the creators of “The Crown” in terms of their roles in another sequel remains to be seen.
Source used: express.co.uk