'Harry & Meghan' docuseries does not say anything that we already don't know

Racism. Check. Blaming the media. check. Speaking in pronouns about the British royal family. Check. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new docu-series 'Harry & Meghan,'which had unsettled the British press and reportedly even the royal family with just a trailer, premiered the first three episodes on Netflix on Thursday. Considering the hype around the show, I'd hoped that the couple would perhaps go all out in narrating their story on why they decided to step away from the family (they kept calling it the institution throughout the show). But the first three episodes (each an hour long) did not offer anything new. The couple did not mention anything that we already didn't know about the British royal family or even the paparazzi culture in the UK.

At one point in the first episode, Meghan Markle says, “When the stakes were this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?” And what did we get to know from them? That they had a whirlwind romance that spanned over two continents, that they had first checked each other out on Instagram, and that they loved documenting their meets, dates, walks, and family time like most millennial couples do in the age of social media. Wow, such a big revelation!

The couple spoke in vague pronouns while mentioning the royal family and the media blurring the lines on who they were really putting the blame on. That British media and the royal family have had a love-hate relationship over decades is a known fact. Harry only reiterated it once again, recalling how his mother, the late Princess Diana had fallen prey to it and how he felt the need to protect his family from the same toxic behaviour.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Ironically, it is the same media that's helped the royal family to build an image and create a bridge with the public over the years carefully brushing past its horrifying colonising history. In an era where monarchy the world over is in redundancy, the curiosity and craze around the British royal family continue - primarily because it is fuelled by the media.

Unfortunately, Meghan and Harry have had a very public life- both individually and as a couple. Had Meghan not married Harry, she perhaps would have continued a career in showbusiness which again is aided to a great extent by the media. The two feed off each other.

There's no doubt that the press has been vile on many occasions towards Meghan Markle. Especially bringing unnecessary details about her dysfunctional family in the US, to public focus in the UK. When the couple made the hard decision to step out of the royal family to live a life away from the public eye, I, like many felt it was rather a brave move on their part, especially Harry's. A man who was a product of a broken marriage, but who was shielded by wealth, comfort, and royalty - Harry did take a brave step to move to the US, away from the shadows of his prominent family, attempting to create his own identity. But in the past two years, the only time Harry and Meghan have made headlines is when they have dragged or blamed the British royal family. They are feeding off their past glory, isn't it?

The couple has also had a rather public life post-Megxit. A deal with Netflix, a podcast, books and memoirs, and a life that cannot really be called private, Harry and Meghan are still very much part of the public discourse. So much for wanting privacy.

In pics:Harry and Meghan royal saga! Everything big revealed in their Netflix docuseries

The three episodes also highlighted how Meghan, who is of mixed parentage, was made aware of her colour post-marriage by 'them'. Meghan pointed out how her colour was not a matter of concern for her until she married Harry. The couple had spoken about facing racism in the royal family during a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Back then they had not specified who that member was who had raised concerns about their son, Archie's skin colour. A year down the line, when so much has been written about their accusations, they still steered clear of naming anyone. So how was this really an explosive docu-series?

Harry and Meghan also appeared tone deaf in the addressal of racism and discrimination. Harry comes from a family that had for centuries colonized half of the world. They may have redeemed themselves over the years with carefully curated images in the public eye but the fact of the matter is that the family still hasn't ever openly addressed the horrific past or the grievous mistakes the ancestors had made in so many of the countries. While the episodes do touch upon the family's colonising history, Brexit which made Britain even more secluded, and racial injustice, it never really had Harry talk about the stoic silence that the family maintained all throughout.

The hype around the docuseries also speaks a lot about the audience and the media which has for decades hyped up an establishment that needs to be completely redundant in modern times. Monarchy is dead and so should the interest in royal families. Maybe it is time to introspect- why can't we shrug off our own colonial past and ignore the royal family? I am all for cheering Harry and Meghan if they bring social change to society, but why is it needed to get into details of a family and its internal problems?
The first three episodes of 'Harry & Meghan' are streaming on Netflix.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE