The Duchess of Sussex gave a cover interview to Variety in which she spoke publicly for the first time about a long-rumored docu-series dealing with her and Prince Harry’s story, shot with director Liz Garbus.
Her remarks follow months of speculation in the British media that the show will tell the story of the emotional impact of royal rifts on the Sussexes, with some commentators going as far as calling for their children to be denied titles if it tarnishes the monarchy.
Meghan told Variety: “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.”
Roz Sheldon, managing partner of PR firm Igniyte, told Newsweek: “I think there will probably be nervousness definitely. The palace wasn’t expecting Oprah Winfrey, I don’t think they know what to expect and it’s been quite difficult.
“There are some nice comments about [Queen Elizabeth II] in the Variety interview but they haven’t been shy in coming forward either so there will be concern definitely.
“Meghan says they trust someone with the story so I guess they must trust Liz Garbus.”
Speculation about the series has been rife, with Deadline reporting the project had been kicked back into 2023 because Netflix was rattled about sensitivity in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Unnamed friends of the Sussexes denied the report to The Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, commentators in Britain have been debating whether the series will contain broadsides against royal family members, after widely publicized tensions with both King Charles III and Prince William, or whether any controversial elements will now be edited out.
Duncan Larcombe, a former royal editor at The Sun, told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat in September: “The Royal Family is being likened to the Kardashians in the way that Harry and Meghan are behaving: they’re being followed around by Netflix, they’re selling out all their Royal brand for the highest bidder.”
At the same time, Netflix has been left watching as criticism of The Crown ramps up in the British media before the new season has even been broadcast, with former Prime Minister John Major among those leading the charge.
The furor may give an insight into the reception Harry and Meghan’s show would receive if it was perceived as critical of the monarchy.
However, it is unclear whether the backlash has caused any genuine commercial damage to Netflix and The Crown, with one source recently telling Newsweek: “All this publicity attracts people to watch and when they watch it they are rather impressed with the care and accuracy.”
As for Meghan’s Variety interview, she was sure to pay tribute to the late queen: “Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like.
“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband’.”
Meghan also shared a series of light-hearted asides, listing some Netflix children’s shows that her son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor loves and singing a song from one of them, Storybots. The article itself was decorated with highly stylized images of the duchess.
Sheldon said: “This is a much more human interview but it is still a celebrity interview, it’s carefully crafted, the photos don’t necessarily reflect some of the other things she does.
“You saw her in soup kitchens before which go down a lot better with the public sometimes if one is curious about celebrity.
“They’ve put the story into someone’s hands which might not be their own perspective so maybe they are letting go a little bit.
“This piece is still quite carefully crafted but it is a bit more human she does touch on other things, she does touch on being a nerdy mom. I don’t know if we always see that, the human side.
“It still feels a bit self-indulgent and carefully crafted so it will be interesting to see if that documentary portrays them in a different light.”
