Netflix | Harry & Meghan according to Harry and Meghan

The announced war will not take place. The shattering revelations that the British monarchy expected, following the broadcast of the first episodes of the highly anticipated series Harry & Meghan, are not so shattering after all. Shame ? Not really. Because the series about the terrible couple of the British monarchy remains pure candy for gossip lovers in general, and the rich and famous in particular. Five-point decryption.

1. A deal worth tens of millions

Remember that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed a contract worth several tens of millions of US dollars with Netflix, in order to tell their story here, “their version”, of an otherwise highly publicized story. The story of their meeting, their reality, and why and how they went into exile. “It is my duty to protect my family”, also repeats prince Harry, several times in the series. Directed by Liz Garbus, to whom we owe several works of the genre (Love, Marilyn and What happened, Miss Simone), in addition to the fourth season of Handmaid’s Tale, Harry & Meghan is packed with never-before-seen photos, intimate videos and testimonials from loved ones. Friends of Harry, but especially of Meghan, so far neither seen, nor known, nor heard. Everything will be broadcast in two stages: the first three episodes were released on Thursday, the last three will be released next Thursday, the 15th. haven’t finished hearing about royalty. Indeed, Harry will publish his memoirs in a few weeks: Spare (or the spare, from Penguin Random House).

2. Update on their meeting

All the interviews were completed before last August, and “the royal family refused to comment on the documentary”, it is indicated, at the very beginning of the first episode. False, reacted a source to the washington post, that no one at Buckingham Palace was approached. Let’s move on. Because then comes the crusty, with the story of the very first meeting (on Instagram, photos, exchanges, and supporting videos, in addition to the story of what we guess their very first night, under a tent at the Botswana) of the two lovebirds. And it must be said, this is how they present themselves, relentlessly, sitting wisely, although always accomplices, in front of the camera. “And it’s visually very polished, and very professional”, reacts André H. Caron, professor emeritus in the communications department of the University of Montreal, about this “mockumentary”, or rather ” rebranding by the princely couple, who have taken refuge in California since 2020. Because if the tandem does indeed denounce the constant and relentless violation of their privacy, they paradoxically expose here a rather large piece of it, admittedly carefully edited. “As if they were people like everyone else, who want to protect their children. […] But that’s a bit wrong! », slips our observer.

3. The relationship with the media

Through the portrait of their meeting (“who is this girl?” Harry wondered when he saw a first photo of her, wearing dog ears!), like a fairy tale, the series dissects the relationship particular that the royal family has with the media. A report that we guess twisted, both to transmit its messages and to remain present in the news. Undoubtedly the most new element, or unpublished, of this beginning of series, for the North American spectator at the very least. We thus learn that the royal family maintains a sort of system, offering certain newspapers (the Mirrorthe DailyMail, and a handful of other tabloids), a cover, in short, so-called “inside” information. “They control the perception […] of our history,” Harry even says. Who ? “Experts from the royal family”. “And anyone can be an expert, he continues, and they can write anything! “It’s very clever, comments André H. Caron here. The series never attacks Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, but the organizational structure. Institutional communications. […] It’s pretty smart, because we don’t scratch anyone. “All with the help of several historical back and forth, memories of Harry and the tragic fate of his mother, Princess Diana, of course.

4. Meghan, her story, and the race question

What gets, or doesn’t, Meghan had to learn on the job, from the national anthem to the art of curtsy to the royal dress code. The second episode, which begins with an interview with her mother Doria (“the last five years have been difficult”), tells the story of the childhood of a bright young girl, raised by her (black) mother during the week, her (white) father ) at the weekend, for whom the ethnic question has never been an issue. Quite a contrast, when we know (and we see again) how the British tabloids (an industry of white men, remember) welcomed it. Interesting detail: all this was happening in the middle of Brexit, and other tense debates surrounding the question of immigration. We discover to what extent the actress (in the series Suits, at the time of meeting her prince) also loved her work. His freedom. Quite a contrast, bis, when we see her surrounded by the paparazzi, forced to hire an expert driver in dodging to sneak through Toronto, where she lived at the time. “Terrifying”, she repeats too. However, it is in the third episode that the racial question is analyzed in greater depth, scouring the institution of the Commonwealth, based on colonialism.

5. What’s next?

Many things have already been discussed: Harry’s childhood, several of his escapades (his consumption, his Nazi costume), and all his progress today. Not to mention his social commitment, shared with Meghan. The escapades on the side of Meghan’s father (who was not at the wedding, remember) are also told. Shelled. And we will also learn the underside of this pitiful story. The third episode ends on the eve of the wedding, precisely. We can expect, in the expected sequel, to have the underside of D-Day. But several aspects remain to be developed: the relationship between Harry and his brother William (Meghan and Kate?), barely mentioned, and what about his father, the new King Charles III, whose name has not even been spoken yet? Be that as it may, André H. Caron believes that the whole thing will be very well received, on this side of the Atlantic as on the other. “Because we haven’t touched sensitive things.” Anyway not yet. To be continued.

On Netflix