Harry & Meghan's Netflix Series Is Like a "Declaration of War"

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published 6 December 2022

For all the talk of a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family in recent years, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries looks like it's going to seriously deepen their rift.

Following the release of a second teaser trailer for Harry & Meghan on Dec. 5, royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti tells Marie Claire, "We haven’t seen much of Prince Harry for a while, so it’s good to see the documentary makers captured the moment he came to realize there’s a hierarchy in the Royal Family. It's original, philosophical insights like that that will be of deep interest to royal historians of the future."

With that said, Sacerdoti is critical of the series as a whole, and predicts the worst for royal relations in the months after its release. "This seems to be an open declaration of war within the Royal Family," the expert comments.

Specifically, the commentator believes the royal couple's media appearances is at odds with the desire to live a more low-key life they've expressed in the past, as one of the reasons for their royal exit.

"Harry and Meghan could easily escape what they try to portray as press intrusion into their lives if they just chose to live the quieter life people understood them to want," Sacerdoti says.

"If they don’t want photographers in their life, they could stop hiring them.

"Instead they’ve been spotted constantly trailed by photographers and video crews, and one of the trailers for their Netflix reality show even has a photo in it which was taken in Buckingham Palace, reportedly by their unauthorized private photographer who they brought with them.

"Private photographers in the Palace needed to be cleared by the Queen at the time, but the Telegraph reported they did not seek her permission and said that palace staff were surprised by the photographer’s presence."

Sacerdoti concludes, "Meghan and Harry could maintain a more modest, low-key existence, supporting causes and charities they think are important, or actually training in new skills and getting regular jobs. But they are choosing not to do so. This is a clear decision, and one the public will judge them for, for good of for bad."

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.