Bill Simmons, head of podcast innovation and monetization at Spotify, made the comments Friday on his own podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast, just one day after news broke that Spotify and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had ended their deal.
Harry and Markle signed a $20-million deal with Spotify in 2020 and launched a 12-episode first season of Archetypes, which heard Meghan interview friends and celebrities including Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Trevor Noah and Serena Williams, among others.
After its August 2022 launch, it rose to the number-one podcast in seven international markets, including Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. It also won the top podcast award at the People’s Choice Award in L.A. just six months ago.
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In a profanity-laced tirade, Simmons laid into the couple, calling them “f–king grifters.”
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The F–king Grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” Simmons said on the June 16 episode of his podcast. “I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories … F–k them. The grifters.”
In a January 2022 episode of his podcast, Simmons said: “You live in f–king Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the Royal Family and you just complain about them.”
Spotify and Archewell Audio, Harry and Markle’s production company, said in a joint statement on Friday that the decision for the split was mutual.
Royal Roundup: Harry & Meghan’s latest legal troubles
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” the statement read.
As of now, it’s unclear why the podcast will not go ahead with a second season on Spotify, or if Archetypes will pop up on another streaming site.
However, a representative from WME, the talent agency that the Duchess of Sussex signed with earlier this year, gave fans hope that Archetypes will continue on in the future.
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“The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform,” the spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal last week.
Both Spotify and the Duke and Duchess have faced their share of troubles in recent months.
Six months ago, Spotify announced that it would cut six per cent of its global workforce, approximately 600 jobs, and earlier this month it announced another 200 positions would be eliminated.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has been in court recently, battling it out with the publisher of the Daily Mirror, whom he has accused of using extreme, often illegal practices to obtain scoops on his personal life.
A joint statement from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s production company Archewell Audio and Spotify said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
The royal couple signed the lucrative, $20-million deal with the streaming giant in late 2020, just months after stepping down as working senior members of the British Royal Family and relocating from the U.K. to California.
The first episode of the Archetypes podcast, hosted by Markle, aired in August 2022 and after two days was the number-one podcast in seven international markets, including Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
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Throughout the 12-series first season, the Duchess spoke with different high-profile guests, exploring the stereotypes that have held women back. Guests included Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Trevor Noah and Serena Williams, among others.
But despite Archetypes winning the top podcast at the People’s Choice Award in L.A. just six months ago, it has not been renewed for a second series.
“I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative. And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them, and with each of you listening,” Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said at the time.
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As of now, it’s unclear why the podcast will not go ahead with a second season on Spotify, but this likely wasn’t the plan from the start — when the deal was first signed it was supposed to be a multi-year partnership.
Both Spotify and the Duke and Duchess have faced their share of troubles in recent months.
Six months ago, Spotify announced that it would cut six per cent of its global workforce, approximately 600 jobs, and last week it announced another 200 positions would be eliminated.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has been in court recently, battling it out with the publisher of the Daily Mirror, whom he has accused of using extreme, often illegal practices to obtain scoops on his personal life.
Prince Harry takes the stand in tabloid trial
Harry has accused Mirror Group Newspaper of invading his privacy on an “industrial scale,” including hacking his phone to illegally listen to his voicemails. In court last week, he told the courtroom he’s “experienced hostility from the press since I was born.”
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Reaction to the end of the partnership was decidedly mixed on social media.
Some celebrated the “phenomenal” podcast and said that waiting for each episode was like “waiting for Santa.”
Meghan created a phenomenal podcast with Archetypes. Gave space to women to freely talk about topics that affect us on a daily basis and I’m sure she will continue to connect us with more educational conversations on a different platform 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/aKwel4plCx
— Cₕᵢₗdₗₑₛₛ wₒₘₑₙ gₒₜ y’ₐₗₗ ₘₐd😎 (@Blu_Alexia_) June 16, 2023
Thank you, Meghan, for 12 brilliant episodes of #Archetypes. Every Tuesday felt like waiting for Santa. I’m looking forward to what comes next. pic.twitter.com/VcmuVfamK3
Others, however, weren’t so generous and called the podcast “not very interesting” and “self-serving.”
Yes I agree. Pure spin to soften the blow of the fact that #Archetypes was not very interesting. Megs used #Archtypes to feed her ego. She couldn’t even interview her guests- just talked about herself. Don’t forget she tried to copyright the name Archetypes too & it was declined
What happens with the podcast remains up in the air at this point, but a representative from WME, the talent agency that the Duchess of Sussex signed with earlier this year, gave fans hope that Archetypes will pop up elsewhere in the future.
“The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform,” the spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.
Royal Roundup: Harry & Meghan’s latest legal troubles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will have to give testimony under oath as part of a defamation case brought by Samantha Markle, the Duchess’s half-sister, a judge has ruled.
The couple filed a motion to block their depositions in the case, in which Samantha is seeking damages over what she claims are “malicious lies” told about her during Harry and Meghan’s 2020 televised Oprah Winfrey interview and the 2020 biography Finding Freedom.
Presiding district court judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell dismissed the motion Tuesday, ruling that Meghan “does not show that unusual circumstances justify the requested stay, or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the Court does not impose a stay,” Britain’s PA Media news agency reported, as cited by CNN.
“Defendant Markle does not satisfy the high standard required to stay discovery pending the resolution of a dispositive motion.”
A deposition is a formal testimony from a witness or someone involved in a case, given outside of court but under oath.
Samantha, 58, is suing Meghan for US$75,000, claiming defamation in the interview when her younger half-sister said she grew up as “an only child.”
FILE – Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle’s half-sister, is interviewed on U.K. show ‘The Wright Stuff.’.
The Wright Stuff/YouTube
The “false and malicious lies,” the filing says, subjected Samantha “to humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale,” and spread “lies worldwide” about their father, Thomas Markle.
Samantha additionally accuses Meghan of misrepresenting their sibling relationship, alleging that Meghan gave the impression that they were “virtual strangers” growing up and that Samantha had “no relationship whatsoever with her sister Meghan.”
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The claim contends that Meghan had “frequent and regular contact with her sister Samantha throughout her childhood,” reports BBC, and that Meghan constructed a “false rags to royalty narrative” that was damaging to both Thomas and Samantha.
Key takeaways from Prince Harry’s explosive memoir ‘Spare’
She also denies Meghan’s claim that Samantha changed her last name to Markle after news first broke in 2018 that Meghan and Prince Harry were dating.
Peter Ticktin, a lawyer for Samantha, told The Independent on Tuesday in a statement that, “as to whether we will need Harry’s deposition, that decision is yet to be made.”
“Obviously, if the Duchess should want to call him, we would need to take his deposition,” he said. “Otherwise, we will probably still want to inquire as to some issues.”
The planned depositions come following the Sussexes’ Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, and the publication of Harry’s revealing memoir Spare last month.
In the documentary series, the former Suits actor claimed she hadn’t seen Samantha “for over a decade” and had little to no relationship with her.
“I don’t know your middle name. I don’t know your birthday,” Meghan told the cameras. “You’re telling these people you raised me, and you coined me ‘Princess Pushy?’ I hadn’t had a fallout with her. We didn’t have a closeness to be able to have that. And I wanted a sister!”
Prince Harry reveals reason for sharing how many people he killed in Afghanistan
** NOTE: This article contains spoilers from the ‘Harry & Meghan’ docuseries on Netflix. **
The first three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary didn’t ruffle too many feathers at Buckingham Palace, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upped the ante in Episodes 4, 5 and 6, detailing how jealousy, betrayal and the palace’s refusal to protect Markle from a rabid press increasingly led to an untenable situation that, they say, ultimately forced their hand.
The second instalment of Harry & Meghan went live Thursday, offering up a deeply personal — and sometimes shocking — account of how the couple’s relationship with the Royal Family began to circle the drain following their 2018 wedding, eventually causing them to step down as working members of the royal institution and leave for the United States.
Harry, in particular, levelled some pretty serious accusations against his brother, Prince William, father, King Charles III, as well as the palace’s press offices, detailing animosity among the senior-most members of the family and how his wife suffered most as a result.
While Volume 2 of the docuseries opened on a sweet note, with the couple sharing the darling details of their nuptials, it quickly took a dark turn, delivering on Netflix’s promises of a behind-the-curtain look at an increasingly toxic situation. Here are five of the most dramatic revelations uncovered in the final instalment of the series.
Prince Harry “hates himself” for the way he handled Markle’s suicidal thoughts
In Episode 4, Harry and Markle expanded on the escalating vitriol and racism they faced at the hands of the U.K.’s tabloid newspapers in the year following their wedding, which eventually drove an increasingly depressed Markle to contemplate suicide.
Meghan Markle.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File/CP Images
“It was like, all of this will stop if I’m not here,” she said. “And that was the scariest thing about it because it was such clear thinking.”
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Harry, reflecting back on that period, said he “was devastated.”
“I knew she was struggling,” he said. “We were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage — and the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed.”
The Duke said, due to his upbringing, he “dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry.”
“What took over my feelings was my royal role,” he said. “I had been trained to worry more about, ‘What are people going to think if we don’t go to this event? We’re going to be late,’ and looking back on it now, I hate myself for it.
“What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”
Doria Ragland, Markle’s mom, also spoke about how helpless she felt watching her daughter struggle.
“To be constantly be picked at by these vultures — just picking away at her spirit — that she would actually think of not wanting to be here … that, that’s not an easy one for a mom to hear,” Ragland told the camera through tears.
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Doria Ragland.
Netflix
Markle and Harry both said that despite being fully aware of how bad things had gotten, the palace was unwilling to help them.
“They thought, ‘Why couldn’t she just deal with it?’ As if to say, ‘Well, everyone else has dealt with it, why can’t she deal with it?’ But it was different. This was different,” said Harry.
“I wanted to go somewhere to get help, but I wasn’t allowed to,” said Markle. “They were concerned about how that would look for the institution.”
Harry accuses his father’s office of leaking private correspondence over plans to move to Canada
In Episode 5, Harry said he and Markle were contemplating a move to Canada between December 2019 and January 2020, while spending Christmas on Vancouver Island with their son, Archie.
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“We thought it would be good to give ourselves some breathing space, but also we were really passionate about continuing our work throughout the Commonwealth, to support the queen,” Harry explained, adding that the royal rota reporters wouldn’t have access to them in Canada, which would alleviate the pressure on his wife.
The couple also planned to make their own money in Canada, which would give the press little reason to pry into their private affairs, as they would no longer be bankrolled by the taxpayer.
However, Harry said when he approached his dad (then-Prince Charles) about the arrangement, Charles asked him to put the plan in writing before he signed off on it. Harry claimed he wrote Charles several emails over the course of the first three days of January –– one of the emails mentioned that “we would be willing to relinquish our Sussex titles if need be. So that was the plan.”
Meanwhile, Harry said, he contacted his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, about a meeting to discuss the plan. She was enthusiastic about having Harry and Markle come stay with her for a night, he said, adding that the queen told him her schedule was free that week.
Meghan recalled that a few days later they were returning to the U.K. when her husband learned he wouldn’t be allowed to see his grandmother, as her schedule was suddenly full.
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Royals ‘happy to lie’ to protect William, Prince Harry claims in new trailer
“That was certainly the opposite to what she had told me,” Harry said of his prior conversation with the late monarch. “Later that afternoon, we found out that this story was coming out — somehow the tabloids knew about this proposal (to move to Canada).
“It became clear that the institution leaked the fact that we were going to move back to Canada and the key piece of that story that made me aware that the contents of the letter between me and my father had been leaked was that we were willing to relinquish our Sussex titles. That was the giveaway,” accused Harry. “I was like, ‘Wow, like our story, our life literally got taken from underneath us.’ ”
Prince William allegedly broke a pact between the brothers
In Episode 4, Harry also charges that William broke a long-standing agreement between the brothers that they would never allow their press offices to trade negative stories about each other.
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Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, left and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, walk behind the coffin, during a procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.
(Richard Heathcote/Pool Photo via AP)
Although he did not name a specific past instance, he said, “William and I both saw what happened in our dad’s office and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.”
“I would far rather get destroyed in the press than play along with this game or business of trading,” he said, expressing his disappointment in the Prince of Wales, noting, “and to see my brother’s office doing the same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.”
Harry said overwhelmingly positive headlines about his and Markle’s successful first tour as a married couple in Australia drastically shifted when they came home, hinting that his brother’s alleged jealousy might have had something to do with the sudden change in tone from the press.
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“The issue is when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a supporting act is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this, that upsets people,” Harry explained of his American bride, who was a natural with Australian fans.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet 98-year-old Daphne Dunne during a meet and greet at the Sydney Opera House on Oct. 16, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.
Paul Edwards / Getty Images
“It shifts the balance because you’ve been led to believe that the only way that your charities can succeed and the only way that your reputation can be grown or improved is if you’re the front page of those newspapers.”
Harry says William screamed at him in front of the queen
In the penultimate episode, Harry discussed a 2020 crisis meeting at Sandringham estate where he claimed William screamed and shouted at him in front of their grandmother.
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“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and have my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother sit there and sort of take it all in,” Harry said in the fifth episode.
The meeting, which involved Harry, William, Prince Charles and the queen, was a high-stakes discussion to determine how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would continue to operate within the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth II as proud grandmother smiles at Prince Harry as she inspects soldiers at their passing-out Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy on April 12, 2006 in Surrey, England.
Tim Graham Photo Library / Getty Images
Harry said he and his wife had proposed to be “half-in and half-out” of the family, working to support the queen, but also having their own jobs and supporting themselves financially.
Shortly after the Sandringham meeting, said Harry, media reports emerged suggesting William was bullying the Sussexes out of their duties. Harry was then told by a palace press office that a joint statement was to be released by both brothers denying the reports.
But Harry said he didn’t sign off on the statement.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me to put my name to a statement like that,” he said. “I called (Meghan) and she burst into flood 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.”
Public has mixed reactions to ‘Harry and Meghan’ Netflix series
Markle and Harry both said this was the moment they knew their tenure as working royals was over.
Later in the documentary, Harry also revealed that he’s not holding his breath for an apology from his brother or father.
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“It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother and my father, (they) were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” he explained, referring to his and Markle’s decision to leave the U.K.
Exploring how and why the Netflix series ‘Harry and Meghan’ is so magnetizing
The Duke also said he doesn’t think William and Charles will properly address their issues.
“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology. My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next.”
Harry blames the stress of the court case against The Daily Mail for Meghan’s miscarriage
In 2020, Markle penned a deeply personal op-ed for the New York Times, detailing a miscarriage she had between the births of her children Archie and Lilibet.
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In Episode 6 of the series, Markle explains that after moving into their new home in Santa Barbara, Calif., she started experiencing “a lot of pain” and then collapsed to the ground while holding Archie.
Meghan Markle in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
She said, “I was pregnant, I really wasn’t sleeping. The first morning that we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried.”
Harry explained that at the time his wife was involved in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail, MailOnline and The Mail on Sunday tabloid newspapers. The Daily Mail had published a private letter the Duchess had sent to her father, Thomas Markle, without her permission.
Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the (Daily) Mail did,” Harry said. “I watched the whole thing. Now, do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of 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.”
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In the same episode, the Duke and Duchess also said lawsuits like Markle’s are a lucrative affair for the tabloids, explaining that the litigation process only gives the newspapers more fodder for their pages, meaning more readers and more revenue.
Markle eventually won the case against Associated Newspapers.
New trailer for Harry & Meghan doc puts royal rift at forefront
The first volume of the docuseries launched on the streaming platform Thursday, taking the British media to task for what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say is racist, intruding and unkind coverage of Markle over the years — and it’s sent many of the tabloid newspapers into overdrive.
Britain’s press did not hold back their outrage Friday, clearly taking umbrage with the televised dressing-down.
While none of the major tabloids used their front pages to address the specific claims levelled at them, some splashed angry headlines attacking the couple and channelling their ire into unflattering screengrabs from the series.
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The Daily Mail’s headline accused the couple of an “assault on the queen’s legacy,” and cited palace insiders who claim “it’s as if” the Sussexes “want to bring down the monarchy.”
The series, so far, takes a deep dive into the toxic but symbiotic relationship between the palace and the press. The palace relies on the media to share its messaging, but the tabloid newspapers also feel entitled to publish intimate (and sometimes false) stories about members of the Royal Family, since British taxpayers fund their lives.
This unwritten contract, Harry and Markle explain, often leaves members of the Royal Family feeling as though they have to “perform” for the media — they call it a “we pay, you pose” arrangement.
The Daily Express accused Harry of hurling “slurs” that it claims have made members of the Royal Family “deeply upset.”
So far, for the record, neither the palace nor any senior members of the family have officially commented on the contents of the documentary. They royals are notoriously tight-lipped, and it’s generally accepted protocol that they rarely publicly respond to matters of the press or politics.
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Front page: So hurtful! Royals ‘deeply upset’ by Harry’s slurs #TomorrowsPaperToday
The Mirror went a different direction, leading with the documentary but chastizing all parties — it included a photo of the Sussexes as well as a photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton — for sparring while the British people endure a cost-of-living crisis. “Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary Brits are choosing between heating and eating,” the subhead read.
Even the broadsheet newspapers, like The Guardian and The Times of London, featured the Sussexes on their front pages, though their coverage was decidedly less sensational and focused more on the series’ content than reaction.
Guardian front page, Monday 5 December 2022: ‘Sicker and poorer’: report reveals Britain’s widening health divide pic.twitter.com/j94txZzfBJ
Meanwhile, royal experts, critics and columnists across the U.K. have been offering their takes on the series, ranging from anger to pure indifference.
Nick Bullen, editor-in-chief of True Royalty TV, told Reuters it was the most “self-serving piece of television” he had seen in quite a while, describing it as more like a reality show than a documentary.
Lester Holloway, editor of The Voice, Britain’s only Black national newspaper, was more impressed, calling it a “love story” which talked about the struggles and challenges they have faced as a couple and their battles with the media.
Key takeaways from Harry and Meghan’s explosive new doc series
Other critics found it a satisfying glimpse into the private lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Does Meghan and Harry’s Netflix documentary live up to its no-holds-barred expectations?” wrote Jessie Thompson from British newspaper The Independent. “Well, within the first five minutes we’ve seen a makeup-less Meghan, hair wrapped in a towel, crying into her phone camera — so I’m going to say yes.”
Bob Seely, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party, said he would try to introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the couple of their royal titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Seely said Prince Harry was attacking important British institutions, “as well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption.”
Employment Minister Guy Opperman branded the couple “utterly irrelevant” in an interview with BBC and urged people “to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout at Trinity College during their visit to Dublin, Ireland.
Joe Giddens / Getty Images
King Charles declined to comment on the series during public engagements in London on Thursday or during a visit Friday to Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, where he met the team’s owners, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
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King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, meet with co-owners of Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, during their visit to Wrexham Association Football Club (AFC) on Thursday in Wrexham, Wales.
Arthur Edwards / Getty Images
Both said they had not watched the series, with McElhenney joking, “I’ve never heard of it.”
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
It has nothing to do with what the royal couple is planning to reveal during the much-anticipated docuseries, however. Instead, Netflix, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are being accused of using “misleading” stock footage and photos in the two teasers.
The trailers each paint a picture of the relentless intrusion the prince and his wife faced at the hands of the press after their 2018 wedding — a factor they say led to their decision to step back as working members of the Royal Family and move to California to pursue a more private life on their own terms.
Public has mixed reactions to ‘Harry and Meghan’ Netflix series
According to the BBC, at least three of the images used in the trailers are believed to have been taken from events that had nothing to do with Harry and Meghan. As well, there have been accusations of deceptive cropping of at least one photo and using a video to create an illusion of press intrusion when, if fact, the photographer who captured the footage was invited and known to the couple.
Neither the couple nor Netflix has publicly addressed or commented on these recent accusations.
U.K. newspaper The Sun first reported that an image used in the first trailer, showing a large group of photographers with long camera lenses presumably shooting a royal event, was actually from the movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two in 2011, long before Harry and Meghan met.
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This photo, taken at a 2011 movie premiere, is shown in the ‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer, but had nothing to do with the couple.
Netflix / TNI Images
Harry delivers a line in the trailer, right before the image flashes on screen: “I had to do everything I could to protect my family,” he says, giving the impression that it was a group of photographers taking photos in a royal context.
A photographer from The Sun, Doug Seeburg, is seen in the photo and told the publication that no royals were at the event that day.
“In the Netflix trailer, it’s implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple — but that’s nonsense,” Seeburg said.
Robert Jobson tweeted an image featured in the trailer, which shows a photographer taking a picture of the Duke and Duchess from above.
This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from a accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. H & M agreed the position. I was there. pic.twitter.com/nvjznlloLF
“This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty,” he wrote. “H & M agreed the position. I was there.”
Buzzfeed also points out that a short clip of footage meant to highlight the couple’s contentious relationship with the media is actually stock video of Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, getting into a vehicle to be transported to prison on May 6, 2019.
As well, the outlet reports that another clip of footage from the second trailer, meant to illustrate paparazzi harassing the couple, was actually taken when former model Katie Price attended a U.K. court to be sentenced for drunk driving in 2021. Over the footage, Harry can be heard in voiceover saying, “I was terrified. I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
Twitter user @Urban_Pictures also pointed out that the Price footage had been flipped horizontally.
Following accusations of fake footage in the first trailer, the NEW trailer for the @netflix Harry & Meghan documentary appears to use footage of @KatiePrice leaving Crawley Magistrates Court to suggest a mob of paparazzi hounding H&M. #HarryandMeghanonNetflixpic.twitter.com/NFKCedWnK5
Finally, a photo that appears to show Harry and Markle relegated to the fringes of the Royal Family has been cropped to support Harry’s accusation of a “hierarchy of the family,” the Telegraph reports.
The cropped photo, taken during the Trooping the Colour in 2019 where much of the extended Royal Family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF flypast, shows Prince William and Kate Middleton in the centre of the photograph.
However, the newspaper noticed, the arrangement of the family that day is not as it appears in the Netflix trailer. Rather, Queen Elizabeth II at was the centre of the original photograph and Harry and Meghan were actually standing closer to her than William and Kate.
The Netflix crop appears above and the actual photograph as it was taken appears below.
Netflix / Getty Images
In the aftermath of all of these accusations, it’s certain that royal watchers will be closely dissecting and scrutinizing all of the footage included in the Harry & Meghan documentary when it begins streaming on Netflix Dec. 8.
“It turns your stomach. Why do that? Are they trying to pretend crowds and crowds of people are coming to watch them? What are they saying?” she told the publication, adding it’s very likely Harry and Meghan were given a chance to review the trailers before they were released.
‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer
“They complain about the press manipulating things and not saying the truth and here they are doing exactly that. It’s very foolish,” Levin added. “They are risking their whole reputation. They must assume that we are all fools and we would not dare check on the pictures they have got because they have put them there.”
Royal expert Ingrid Seward defended the couple, saying they may not have realized the images were from events that did not include them. She did concede that using misleading imagery “weakens Harry’s comment about protecting his family.”
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Netflix promises “the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the Royal Family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
Queen Elizabeth death: Princes William and Harry greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
The one-minute trailer for Harry & Meghan, set to a slow and dramatic piano soundtrack, opens with a series of behind-the-scenes black-and-white photos showcasing the highs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private life — selfies while on vacation, holding hands while Harry cradles a guitar, canoodling in a photo booth, a silhouette of a pregnant Markle and a photo of the couple dancing at their 2018 wedding reception.
But as the video continues, the music intensifies and so do the visuals; there’s a photo of Markle crying while on the phone, one of a frosty-looking Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting separate from Markle during the Sussexes’ final official engagement in 2020 and a brief flash of Harry and Markle wiping their eyes during an interview.
“Why did you want to make this documentary?” director Liz Garbus asks the couple from behind the camera.
“No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” Harry says. “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
The trailer for the six-part docuseries is the first time Netflix has publicly acknowledged the project, and the streaming service is billing it as an intimate series that “explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
A serious-looking Markle looks directly into the camera at the end of the trailer and coolly asks: “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
Meghan Markle in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
The streaming service promises “a never-before-seen look at one of the most-discussed couples in history.”
While Netflix doesn’t disclose the official start date for the docuseries — a note on the trailer says it’s “coming soon” — several entertainment publications say we could see the series stream as soon as Dec. 8.
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No matter when the series airs, however, it’s sure to be a busy season for the Duke and Duchess. Royal watchers are also anticipating the Jan. 10, 2023 release of Prince Harry’s official memoir, Spare.
The trailer release comes at a slightly awkward time for the Royal Family. On Wednesday, Prince William’s godmother and royal aide Lady Susan Hussey resigned after making racist comments to a Black British-born activist at a royal engagement hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.
So both times William and Kate appeared on the @tdgarden big screen there were cheers but also some boos. Along with chants of “USA, USA”. Some say it was expected at the Boston team @celtics with such strong Irish roots. But, still, not something the Royals get very often pic.twitter.com/281rp6avWV
Prince William and Kate Middleton are also facing a mixed reception as they arrive in Boston to begin their first U.S. tour in years. According to an ITV News royal correspondent, the Prince and Princess of Wales faced cheers — but also “some boos along with chants of ‘U.S.A, U.S.A’” — at Wednesday’s Boston Celtics game when they appeared on the screen at TD Garden in Boston.
Queen Elizabeth death: Princes William and Harry greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
Last month’s outrage over Netflix’s fictional series The Crown reportedly had execs at the streaming giant a bit “rattled,” to the point where they planned to postpone the docuseries until sometime in the new year.
Season 5 of ‘The Crown’ receives mixed reviews
However, it now looks like the documentary will be out before the end of the year.
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The Crown, a fictionalized drama that follows the sometimes-true, sometimes-exaggerated history of the British Royal Family, raised eyebrows and ire amongst both the public and some of the show’s real-life subjects, after trailers for Season 5 allegedly painted a season full of invention and insensitivity.
Former British Prime Minister John Major is one of those who addressed the issue, saying The Crown’s portrayal of the then-Prince Charles trying to recruit him in a scheme to dethrone the queen was “malicious” and “a barrel-load of nonsense.”
A spokeswoman for The Crown told the BBC: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series five is a fictional dramatization, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family—one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”
The release of the docuseries will kick-start a busy season for the Duke and Duchess. Last month it was announced that Harry’s memoir, Spare, will be released on Jan. 10 – almost exactly three years to the day since he and Meghan announced they were stepping back from their duties as working members of the Royal Family.
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Prince Harry’s new memoir being released in January 2023
When Harry’s autobiography was first announced in July 2021, the prince said it would be “firsthand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful” — perhaps a dig at the British press, which has hounded him his entire life, and now his wife too, ever since their marriage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been at odds with tabloids reporting on their personal lives, even going to court over allegations of breached privacy.
The book has been billed as a tell-all and has been the subject of immense speculation, much like the docuseries. It is expected to cover the prince’s childhood to the present day, including his time serving in Afghanistan with the British military and his current life as a husband and father.
Harry’s memoir has already been delayed once, and much has changed since it was first announced. During that time, Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II died and his father is now King of the Commonwealth.
The book’s delay led to rumours that Harry was hesitating to say too much about the Royal Family, or was perhaps revising the narrative around Queen Elizabeth II. He has spoken of being estranged from his brother, William, although the siblings and their wives appeared in public together during the mourning period following the queen’s death.
“With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief,” the publisher wrote in a press release.
Spare will be released in 16 languages worldwide accompanied by an audiobook narrated by Prince Harry himself.
Outrage over Netflix‘s fictional series The Crown reportedly has the streaming giant a bit “rattled,” to the point where they’re planning to postpone an upcoming documentary about defected British Royal Family members Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Deadline reports that Netflix execs think “it would be foolhardy to stream The Crown in November followed by the Harry and Meghan documentary in December.”
The Crown, a fictionalized drama that follows the sometimes-true, sometimes-exaggerated history of the British Royal Family, has raised eyebrows and ire amongst both the public and some of the show’s real-life subjects, after trailers for the upcoming episodes allegedly paint a season full of invention and insensitivity.
Former British Prime Minister John Major is one of the people addressing the issue, saying The Crown‘s portrayal of the then-Prince Charles trying to recruit him in a scheme to dethrone the queen was “malicious” and “a barrel-load of nonsense.”
Deadline reports that particular episode, titled Queen Victoria Syndrome, was based on a poll conducted by the Sunday Times in 1991, which argued that Queen Elizabeth had grown stale as a monarch and should abdicate to her first-born son.
The barrage of criticism has forced Netflix to issue a rare defence of the show, reminding people that it’s a “fictional dramatization.”
A spokeswoman for The Crown told the BBC: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series five is a fictional dramatization, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family—one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”
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The Daily Beast points out that Netflix has refused to add a disclaimer to the show’s opening credits, warning viewers of the show’s fictional status; because of this many believe that the show’s events are overwhelmingly accurate.
‘The Crown’ cast: royal family live ‘innately fascinating’ lives
Although no broadcast date was ever set for the untitled documentary series, produced by Netflix and Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions, Netflix had said several times this year it intended to run The Crown and the documentary series back-to-back.
According to Cosmopolitan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex allowed camera crews into their life for more than a year, and were filmed while they travelled internationally. The magazine reports that the couple is “expected to talk extensively about other members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales.”
The Crown is grappling with a few overlapping real-life royal issues going into its Season 5 release next month — the show is trying to be respectful following the queen’s death, and is also getting set to shoot scenes that tell the story of Princess Diana’s death.
Prince Harry has largely remained mum on The Crown, despite his very vocal disdain for the press and photographers.
He told James Corden in an interview: “It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle — the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else — what can come from that.”
He continued: “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife or myself, because it’s the difference between fiction—take it how you will—and being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”
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New book details the tumultuous relationships and rifts within the Royal Family
The pushed-back date on the documentary comes after news earlier this month that a tell-all memoir penned by Prince Harry and scheduled to come out this fall will also be delayed.
The “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life is said to be delayed so the prince can reconsider some of the content in the wake of his grandmother’s death, as well as address the funeral and surrounding events as he returned to the U.K. with his wife to be close to his grieving family.
Queen responds to Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview
