As of this moment (Thursday morning) I’ve watched the first two episodes of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan and I’m a few minutes into the third. Chronologically, I’m up to their engagement in 2017 and the start of Meghan being in the royal fold, because she wasn’t in the fold up until that point. I personally don’t find anything particularly scandalous so far, there’s no huge headline (for me) other than “Harry is a lot like Diana, and so is Meghan.” Harry knows he was drawn to Meghan because of the intangible way she reminded him of Diana – Diana’s confidence, her heart, her empathy, her sensitivity, all mirrored in Meghan and Harry in different ways. Harry says on-camera:
Meghan’s similarity to Diana: When I got to know Meghan more and more I was really like ‘I’m falling in love with this girl’ I just opened my heart to see what’s going to happen. So much of what Meghan is and how she is is so similar to my mom. She has the same compassion, she has the same empathy, she has the same confidence and she has this warmth about her.
He didn’t want Meghan to end up like his mother: I accept that there will be people around the world who fundamentally disagree with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family especially after what happened to my mom. I didn’t want history to repeat itself.
Harry is his mother’s son: I don’t have many early memories of my mum. It was almost like internally I sort of blocked them out, but I always remember her laugh, her cheeky laugh. I’ll always say ‘you can get in trouble just don’t get caught.’ I’ll always be that cheeky person inside. The majority of my memories are of being swarmed by paparazzi. Rarely do we have a holiday without someone with a camera jumping out of a bush or something. Within the family, within the system, the advice that’s always given is ‘don’t react. Don’t feed into it.’ There was always public pressure with it’s fair share of drama, stress and also tears and witnessing those tears. I always see it on my mum’s face. I guess those are the moments when I thought “What am I? Who am I? What am I part of?”
Choosing a mate based on his heart: I think for so many people in the family, especially men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit in the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with. The difference between making decisions with your head, or your heart. And my mom certainly made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart and I am my mother’s son.
There’s a part where Harry talks about what his girlfriends went through over the years and how they always tapped out because of the media interest and paparazzi harassment too. There was definitely that sense of him in 2015 and early 2016, as a man who was ready to settle down, ready to fall in love, ready to get married. Instead of just going for whatever convenient blonde aristocrat-second-cousin, Harry opened his heart and sought out Meghan after seeing her on a mutual friend’s Instagram. Yes, Harry apparently had a finsta and that’s how Meghan did a “background check” on him – she looked through his finsta. Harry got their mutual friend to set them up. He saw her and he was like “WHO IS THAT?”
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
‘I think for so many people in the family, especially men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit in the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with.’
This is going to get him eviscerated, both by the royals and the press.
But did he lie? Lol I think they might skip over that after their briefings with the palace and instead find something mundane to complain about. Like what they did with the stock photos
I really don’t think Harry cares at this point. He’s see it all, he’s been eviscerated countless times than he cares to count, there nothing more that can be done to him that scares him at this point.
Meghan is being slammed for describing W&K as ‘formal’ – LOLz because they are. She also apparently said good things about QE2 and Phil.
@Digital Unicorn, I thought everything they said specifically referring to family members — this, and how the “formality” also extends to when they’re behind closed doors — could be applied to more than one person, and definitely both Charles and William, not just William.
It’s just so funny how THEY give it away. If W&K were truly in love, their fans wouldn’t have freaked the fck out at that comment, since they wouldn’t have thought it even applied to them, everyone would have assumed it was about Charles & Diana.
It reminds me of when Meghan said, “Make sure to vote against hate speech” and everyone shrieked, “She attacked Tr*mp!” She said no such thing, but he is such a hateful human being, of COURSE that’s where everyone’s minds immediately went 🙄
Wootton is already screeching about it, LOL.
The biggest thing I’ve seen abotu the comment is that its clearly about Will and Kate, bc Diana did not fit the mold, but I think that misses the point that the royal family THOUGHT diana was going to fit the mold. that was the expectation, and the issue was that she did not fall in line like they thought she would. So its not as pointed about W&K as some are making it out to be.
That’s right Becks… Charles was pushed to marry diana and not camilla because they thought she would be more suitable than a divorcee woman..
Charles had the opportunity to formally court Camilla before she married Parker Bowles. He didn’t and said he did not want to get married when he met Camilla. He confessed this to dimbleby. I think he wanted Diana to turn a blind eye to his relationship with Camilla. I think he and Amanda knatchbull would have gotten married had mountbatten survived.
Absolutely – who was the last male member of the BRF to marry for love? Was it Edward VIII? – and look at the drama that ensued from that.
Diana was young, innocent, and virginal. That was the mold back then. They thought she was stupid and submissive too. Boy, were they wrong!
Amanda Knatchbull turned him down, Tessa. At least, that’s my understanding.
I disagree about Diana. She fit the mold perfectly. She was a young virgin, with literally no life experience, no dating history, no scandal that could crop up at some point. It was expected that the Shy Di persona would carry through and she would be demure, passive, and do what she was told. When she became a star in her own right, that’s when the House of Petty Windsor lost their damn minds. But going into that marriage, what Harry describes is exactly what his father did with Diana and likely what his brother did with Kate.
Brassy rebel yes Amanda turned him down after mountbatten passed on. If he had lived he may well have persuaded Amanda to marry charles.just imo.
@SarahLee that’s exactly my point lol. Diana fit the mold initially (or she seemed to fit the mold, maybe she never did.) so Wootton screeching about how this can only refer to Kate is off the mark.
Exactly, becks1! This can fit both women so getting defensive and making it about Kate is a choice. Says more about what DW thinks than anything Harry is saying.
I think H was absolutely referring to both his dad and brother. Diana said she’d only seen Charles about twelve times before he proposed. It didn’t exactly feel like a move from the heart. More like “she fits on paper, what are you waiting for?” Still, in my naive youth, I thought they loved each other.
Burger King waited ten years before proposing. Felt to me like his heart wasn’t on the verge of breaking if he didn’t get this girl to the altar and he lost her. I thought their wedding was cold. I felt sorry for Kate. If it was a true match from the heart W&K would never think the comment was about them.
Well, they can screech all they want but when you are required to request the queen’s permission about the person you want to marry, there’s some vetting going on to assess whether the person is “good enough” to pass muster. So, Harry’s right.
@Becks, Richard Kay also had quite a few thoughts
I mean, he’s not wrong!
But isn’t that what the media likes about Kate? How many articles a week do we get praising Kate for being “so regal” and a “perfect princess” because she doesn’t speak about her experiences or about anything else nor does she rock the boat? How many times have her own fans praised her for that exact same thing?
She is a stepford and is about dressing up and trying to look regal
Also she talks about being brood and pretends to be an expert on topics she never studied
I think his comment is great because it simply reflects the relationship between K+W! He didn’t marry her for love, he just married her because she’s just as boring, stupid, and vicious as the RF
Kate also is not interested in work and enabled William being lazy.
What an insightful docuseries. Insightful about their relationship, especially, there’s a deep love, joy in each other, and friendship seen through their commentary and interactions.
H&M are savvy and smart, there’s subtle hints and digs about people without calling them out. Wills and Kate formality lending itself behind closed doors, Meghan wanting a sister, a fantastic example if how close of a bond she formed with her nice even though she never had a relationship with Samantha. That was lovely to see, you get the sense, if Kate had opened herself up to a meaningful relationship with M, there would have been one. Also, healing for dear Ashleigh, I hope her and Meghan are back on good terms now following the wedding disinvite.
I think it was kind of him to not name names, because that seems to clearly describe Kate and William.
I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE that he said that, lol.
Isn’t that what was said or implied in Will and Kate’s engagement interview? That he had to make sure she was up to the job? So it was a 10 year job interview basically.
That explains the many divorces in the royal family
Oh dear, big BURN for Katey . She’ll be thinking does Billy truly love me? What’s the basis for his decision to marry Katey- heart or head?😉
Thank you! I can’t watch until tonight and this gives me a fix ❤️😊
Am just about to start watching it but based on the coverage here in the UK they are losing their sh!t over nothing TBH – its all about ‘they clearly planned this in advance’ about all the self shot footage that is featured. I dunno about that but its clear they wanted to document it in some way and I don’t blame them.
In the past week the press not only outed themselves, they also outed the Cambridges as being the ones behind the smear/bully campaign against Meghan – Harry didn’t need to spill any tea, the media did it for him. LOLz
A friend suggested they do a video diary which explains the footage of their time as they were about to officially step back.
Given what happened to his mother and how the press has rewritten her story, Harry and Meghan would have been crazy to not document everything especially after they decided to leave.
Yep, seeing how the press has rewritten Diana’s story, there is no way no how that Harry and Meghan wouldn’t document their own story. Whether people like it or not is outside of their hands, but they are adding to the historical record so that their lives are not just remembered as the versions written but Bower, Levin, and Brown.
so within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, they talk about how one of their friends told them to document everything starting in March 2020. So that’s why they have the video logs and such from that time forward.
also, Meghan is just an IG girl. Documenting things with pictures and quick videos and such is probably second nature to her, even if she doesn’t have an IG anymore.
She had a successful lifestyle blog, of course she was used to documenting her life. It was part of her very successful brand, pre-Harry. And thank god they kept receipts.
Isn’t that what most people do? Video and photos of their lives is not out of the norm. Have these RR’s never been on ordinary people’s SM?
^^ Exactly @Equality. Meghan had become very well versed and a great curator on Instagram by the time she met Harry. Suits producers had told the cast in the early days of the show, to get on socal media to help promotion. Meg was a natural at both promoting the tv series and just being herself, giving glimpses of her life in an engaging, casual, and yet still discreet way.
I really miss Meg’s original Instagram. It revealed a lot about her personality: very quirky, fun-loving, an optimist, a foodie, a sharer of wise quotes, a dog-lover, a girly girl, someone who had a lot of good friends, who worked hard, who had style, elegance, creativity, smarts, as well as juggling a very goals-oriented, busy life. I remember understanding back then why Harry was so attracted to Meghan. Cool that we’ve found out some interesting, unknown details about how they met.
So far I’ve only seen the first episode of the Netflix doc. But it confirms for me many things I already knew or suspected. At this point, unless they get into more depth and specifics about the smear campaign in Vol. 2, it appears that this is going to be centered mainly on M&H and their personal experiences and reactions to what happened to them, with some historical background cementing a clearer and very affecting picture of the sweep of connecting events.
As I’ve said before, I don’t see Harry interested in bringing down the monarchy. He likely wants to see reforms, but he’s away in a different life now, so that’s not up to him. His main goal is to protect his core family, and to tell some truths that might put a bit of pressure on the BM and the BRF to back the f’ off. If anything, Chuckles, Wills & crew are telling on themselves, which will end up causing their own downfall.
So, what’s the BM saying, that they are the only ones who are supposed to photograph the Sussexes? Just like the Sussexes are not supposed to tell their own story because the BM are the only ones who are supposed to write books and articles about them? Yeah, right.
I think no new revelations, but the media is losing their shit for a very good reason: This is a very good critique on tabloids and also the racism (as fuelled by the tabloids) still prevalent today. I’d say the media understands it as the assault that it is on them.
They never learn!!! They do it EVERY time, they were throwing each other under the bus and they didn’t even wait to see if it was necessary. I just hope Volume 2 is where it burns down.
they really are just perfect. their pics straight up make me emotional. cant wait to watch this later.
^^ Yes, I find the way this has been put together very affecting. A lot of things I knew or suspected, but this fills in some of the blanks in a warm and poignant snapshot way regarding how they met. I’d heard them say previously how everything felt so natural and comfortable with each other right away. The pictures at the restaurant are intimate proof. 🥰
I had already suspected from the beginning of getting to know Meghan on her Instagram, Tig, and interviews (print and video) that Harry must have seen similar qualities in her that reminded him of his mother, Diana. That’s not surprising, but it’s sweet hearing him say it, and getting to see details of the arc of M&H’s love story. Soooo lovely seeing some of the filmed snapshots of young Archie, especially when Meg is seen showing him a b&w photo of his grandma, Diana (probably when they lived at FC).
I wish she’d bring back the Tig! 😭
They’re going to attack her about some nonsense every damn day anyway, so she should just do whateverTF she wants.
The British press has egg on their face this morning. They said there were going to be bombshells and attacks. There really hasn’t been anything like an attack on the family so far. But I’m the press will find something to manufacture outrage about.
As ever, more projection than a multiplex.
@TWOZ, I’d never heard the phrase “more projection than a multiplex” before and I love it! Totally stealing that from you.
@Amy Bee: May I respectfully disagree.
– ” for so many people in the family, especially men ” = William, my brother
– ” an urge to marry someone who would fit in the mold ” = Choosing Catherine for convenience, for being a docile heir breeder
– ” as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with ” = Choosing Meghan out of love and special affinities
– ” making decisions with your head = Bullyiam, the conniving schemer and his calculations
– ” or your heart ” = I Harry, am more spontaneous and true to myself
– ” And my mom certainly made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart and I am my mother’s son ” = Diana had two sons but I am her one true spiritual heir. My brother’s frame of mind is alien to everything that made our mother so utterly likeable and relatable.
If you read between the lines, Prince Henry’s truths are missiles directed straight at Ragingham’s conceited egg face. Harry has learned to be shady, and I’m loving it. It was about time he stopped being the whipping boy.
I’m going to be honest-and will probably be dragged for this as I have the few times I’ve been semi critical-I don’t…see the point of this doc? I watched the first two eps…it’s very sweet and they are clearly in love. But it’s also basically just expanding/rehashing Oprah. It’s kind of getting old. The general public probably isn’t going to give much of a shit about Jason Knauf telling them who to invite…this just feels like it’s for a niche audience.
I wish they would explicitly condemn and name names. The BRF is full of racism and supported a pedo. I get it’s his fam, but as someone on twt said they ‘live off the teat of the British public.’ Instead, it’s this vague ‘they suck’…and that’s it and the same stuff more or less that we’ve heard.
The
Seems like you fell for the British press narrative. Meghan told us that it was going to be about their love story.
I think the doc is actually for a bigger audience than just a niche audience. Sussex supporters know a lot about what happened already. The average person who just reads headlines does not. And they’re hoping that average person will tune into this, at least for an episode or two, even if just to see that H&M are real people and not demons.
The problem is that people are putting their agendas on Harry and Meghan. But if you actually listen to their message they are all about compassion, love, healing, etc.
they were never going to go scorched earth…it’s just not them. Listen to what they say and not the drama the BM and even US media wants.
People need to step back and let them be who they are and stop projecting.
Also agree with this.
I think the first 3 episodes are setting the different elements for the next 3. They will only then speak about the internal workings against them. That’s why there was this pause for the picture of Jason Knauf and they explained how the communication works btw households
By ep3, they’ve named dropped Jason multiple times and even put his photo up on a picture with the households. Lolololol
Your opinion is valid but there’s part II next week and that may be where the real meat of the docuseries is. I’d say hold your reservations till then.
It’s what I expected. Part 1, their love story. Part 2, their horror story.
@snuffles same! i always thought we’d get the buildup, their fairytale in part I and then the horror show in part II. I’m not setting any expectations though. I know what I want to see and revelations to be uncovered but that may not line up with what they want to show. As a spectator, I have to be okay with that.
Yeah, I am one who wants them to burn it all down but I realize at this point its probably not going to happen. They’re better people than I am, lol.
I can understand this viewpoint and get why some might feel like that. I think the whole point of this doc is to show that they’re not these schemers/family ruiners that the British media has painted them out to be but just 2 dorks (I say that with love) in love and genuinely happy with each other.
I also think it’s important to note that the ones who like them (and I mean really like them to the point of following them/their work) and the ones who absolutely hate them are pretty much set. It’s the ones in the middle who aren’t on either “side” at the moment and probably never will pick a “side” that they’re probably trying to appeal to. They’re not going to turn into card carrying squad members but they can become people who go “well I don’t really care much about them but they seem nice from what I saw in their documentary).
I also came to this documentary as both a fan (but not stan) of the Sussexes, and a little confused/skeptical about the documentary–like, to my mind, their love story is sweet but a 6-part document feels self-indulgent. I have seen Part I and was surprised how much I enjoyed it! It really is a compelling story (and they know it), and I think it’s wonderful how they bring in experts & historians to contextualize their personal story within the broader narrative of British colonialism and racism.
That said, I have been tracking the BRF gossip for years, so I’m already invested in their story (even if I have some concerns about their over-saturation). But I still wonder if regular John or Jane Doe who doesn’t follow royal gossip, especially American Jane/John Doe who doesn’t realize the kind of grip the British tabloids have on public opinion (I myself didn’t realize this until I became a regular reader of Kaiser’s BRF posts), is going to 1) watch and 2) care?
I fully appreciate WHY they wanted to tell their story: because they’ve never had the chance to. That said, I keep coming back to the question: Who is your audience? The documentary is part rom com, part history lesson, part gothic mystery/ melodrama (well, i mean, hopefully the gothic intrigue comes in Part II… that’s what I’m expecting!). That’s quite a needle to thread! I’m intrigued to see how it pans out as a whole. I just wonder if people who are indifferent to the Royals will care?
@Naomi: I actually think there’s a few different audiences. Besides the fans and the haters, who let’s be honest are watching even if they screech about how much they don’t care about them, there’s also:
– People like yourself who are into royal gossip and are tuning in to see if there is any.
– Those who don’t really care but the press coverage has made them somewhat curious
– The ones who like celeb documentaries in general
– Holidays are coming up so the ones who want something to watch might decide to put the doc on to watch something over the break
Thank you, @Pumpkin, this is all sounds about right to me! Especially the last audience– can never underestimate the power of the gossipy binge-watch over the holidays!
@Pumpkin and @Naomi, those are all really good points.
(Plus, we still have his book!)
They have the opportunity and the interest is there to have their their story heard from their perspective. That is why they did it – they could and they did. They also are very much in public life and into doing philanthropy so they should get their side out and need to.
Just binged watched it all and it feels like an illustrated photo album of the oprah interview even down to the curtsy / national anthem anecdotes.
I feel like its maybe for an audience who hasn’t watched the Oprah interview or followed them at all?
I do have to say though that i keep being struck by the naivety of M&H every time they mention her introduction to the family. I feel like maintaining formality behind closed doors is exactly the way they would behave. How else could this nonsense carry on if they themselves didn’t take it seriously.
But It was cute and adorable and will surely make the heart of all Sussex fans sing, what more can we ask for?
Div & Dominique, I haven’t seen this yet, but I believe there are two things that H&M want to accomplish. First is for history. If they don’t tell their story, we will be left with the press clowns and the lying ‘biographers’ and I use that term loosely. So, this is for the historical perspective. Secondly, this is to show that Meghan (particularly) and Harry and real, live human beings. What the brf and bm have been doing for all of these years is to dehumanize Meghan. Well, this is H&M. They breathe and eat and sleep just like everyone else. They have feelings.
I think the second one above is the more important issue. The people who haven’t already chosen a side will be able to make up their own minds about all of the dissention clearly seeing that everyone involved are REAL people.
As far as the lying press and book writers? Well, I have a feeling that H&M are going to be really clear that if they don’t say it themselves, or their representative, then it’s a story that’s made up and maybe that story was leaked by the palaces.
Really, no wonder the bm and KP are losing their minds. Where does this leave them? Yes, they’ll probably continue with the lies, but more people will be questioning them going forward. Especially people outside of the UK.
Yes but Kate is NOT royal from birth and didn’t grow up royal or royal adjacent unlike Princess Diana. You would expect she at least would not keep up the pretense behind closed doors, like stop the duchessing with Harry and Meghan when the Queen isn’t around. But I guess not, Kate is that uppity that she’d do it in front of Meghan. I get hugging is a very American thing and even as an American, I’m weirded out by people hugging me I just met. I can’t fault Kate and William’s Britishness but to expect Meghan to curtsy to them in private (if that is the formality Meghan is referring to)… that is messed up.
Kate is not formal with Roger Federer but thought it was cool with her sister in law. Meghan is being generous here because Kate was acting like a bitch to her on purpose. It wasn’t about the hugging. Or even wearing ripped jeans after all kate is queen of jeggings for engagements. And what of the Middletons supposedly being normal? Guess not. Or at least not with a future sister in law who eclipses her in beauty intelligence and charisma.
@AmelieOriginal, we saw clearly that at the very least, Eugenie and Jack drop the pretense behind closed doors. And I’m sure others do, too.
I think Kate was probably very aloof and guarded around Meghan from day one. We know she does not do well forming relationships with other women.
And if W&K seriously expected to be curtsied to when they were coming to H&M’s home for an informal meal/get-together, that is, imo…insane
I haven’t seen it yet but, from the comments and clips I have seen I think they’ve been very clever. What they seem to have done is cut the legs off the so-called royal “experts.” We all know there’s a very lucrative market for the mis-information spread by these sources in the UK and what H&M seem to be saying to the rest of the world is these people know nothing don’t hire them. Hopefully, after episode six these people will be well and truly redundant.
The entire TV and film industry just flinched when you compared this to an interview on Oprah. One is a told story, the other is shown.
This is much more personal. It’s documented. That is the point of TV and film. Tell the story through images and footage and interviews with lots of people involved.
@Div: Have you heard of subtlety and finesse? Carpet bombing the monarchy would have been so counterproductive. And ruining the 1% chance Archie and Lilibet still have to remain Prince and Princess would be uncautionable from a parental standpoint.
The subtle hints the Sussexes drop are sufficient to be regarded as vexatious by the other party.
@Div – it’s not rehashing the Oprah interview, it’s giving it substance and continuity. They didn’t discuss Meghan’s relationship with Scammy’s estranged daughter with Oprah. They didn’t discuss how the engagement went down. They didn’t discuss the stranger who was responding from Thomas Markle’s phone. They added context to what we know was a horrible, at times terrifying situation that ended up changing a truly sweet love story into a run for their lives. The Sussexes will never go full-out attack, but if you listen carefully what they say speaks volumes in a quiet voice.
@Div, you find it fairly mild but look at the reaction in the UK. They are not taking it well at all. It definitely gives a more intimate look into their lives but it’s obvious they made a conscious decision to “go high” as they say. I think the 2nd part will go harder on the trolls and the UK media, and the “ palace sources “ and the legal battles. Can’t speculate on the family because so far they’ve been very hands off. They don’t want to burn it down, but at the same time are they gonna accept that they will be constantly hounded by the press and palace.
Not a huge fan of either the British Family or H&M, but I really liked how much space was given on the role of British media in this circus and the colonial past and present in Britain. That made the documentary to be about something ‘bigger’ than just Harry and Meghan. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this.
I was also expecting it to be something very different than what it is. I personally really like seeing all the behind the scenes footage and photos, but I agree the clear strand of tying all of it back to colonialism feels like the real meat of the documentary.
A lot of the personal information is a rehash but contextualizing it within British history and culture at the time. (Brexit for example, through which the “immigration” narrative STILL influences even serious media)
Lol at Dan Wootton. Harry is keeping it very vague (“I think for so many people in the family, especially men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit in the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with. “) and Dan tweeted “Obvious and very cruel dig at William and Kate by Harry”
You are the one linking the quote to them Dan!
There were a lot of vague statements like that from Harry and Meghan where one could fill in the blanks. One that stood out for me was Meghan saying how surprised she was at how formal the family could be even behind the scenes (most, not all. Eugenie seems like a ton of fun). She was expecting everyone to let their hair down. Will and Kate were probably sniffing behind her back “Who is this AMERICAN greeting us, the future king and queen, in ripped jeans and bare feet!? How COMMON!”
From reading about and watching clips of the other European royal families the formality behind closed doors is specific to the British Royal Family
Kathy is from a middle class family, if she was snobby like that she’s being ridiculous.
@WithTheAmerican – I think Kate likes status, so often the formality played in her favor. Shes married to the second highest ranking man in the family, and when he’s there, she outranks everyone except Camilla (and formerly QEII and Prince Philip.) I am SURE she makes sure everyone there knows it.
but I also think this explains why they like to spend xmas at Anmer or with her parents when they can.
Agreed. I think that Meghan was so used to working around stars in Hollywood that she maybe assumed that the private world of the RF was akin to being “backstage” on a movie set. I would have made the same mistake. I would have assumed that away from the press and public intrusion, W&K would be the same as any other wealthy couple in their 30s. Harry and Eugenie were the first people she met in the RF, and both of them seem to wear their status lightly. I’m sure she was unprepared for how haughty W&K actually were.
The Middletons were praised for the casualness, cheesy toast and sumo outfits for Christmas. So if kate is acting formal it’s because she is an insecure bitch. She never grew up that way.
Also let’s not forget she was like this with the much younger York sisters.
@SueBarBri33, that’s a perfect way of looking at it, and I totally agree with you
Did he really tweeted that? Lol. They are dying to let the truth about them….😅😅😅
The aristo ladies turned down william.so imo he settled for k
Kate. An aristo who reciprocated Williams Interest would have been preferred by the establishment imo.
I wasn’t aware William was the only other married man in that family.
This is seriously hilarious since you could EASILY say that it was obviously about KC and at this point everyone knows that he married Diana because she checked all of the boxes and they thought she would fit right in being an aristo herself, no one would bat an eyelash if they said that quote was about those two. I mean, so easy but they can’t stop telling on themselves and you love to see it.
I already binged all 3 episodes. Nothing shocking or scandalous from my point of view, but we all know the UK tabloids will find something to rage about.
Most of it we already knew, but now we are getting more details filled in with WONDERFUL pictures and video clips. And little ARCHIE!! Oh my days! So cute and sweet!!!
Also LOVING the glimpses of their home inside and outside! I will definitely be going back to get a closer look. And I fully expect endless screenshots and detailed analysis of every square inch.
The only “new” thing to me was learning more about Meghan’s niece Ashleigh and just how close they were before this all went down. I knew they were close at one point, but I didn’t know that Ashleigh and her brother were literally raised and adopted by them paternal grandparents and didn’t see boo of Samantha until she was an adult. Then Samantha quickly destroyed that relationship with her jealousy. Honestly, my heart broke for Ashleigh as she seems to really miss Meghan. I hope they have reconnected.
Yeah, I felt so much for Ashleigh. It seems Ashleigh and Meghan filled some relational gaps in each other’s lives and then had to take some distance when it all went wrong in the UK. I really hope they’ve managed to reconnect and heal that relationship.
I also think that Scammy became even more jealous because Meghan had formed a relationship with her estranged daughter.
I haven’t gotten there yet but that’s so sad 🙁 I hope they’re able to reconnect down the line….
I think Meghan and Ashleigh reconnected otherwise she would not be speaking on Meghan’s behalf. It also derails the narrative Scammy has been selling, that Meghan cut off all the Markles ( it was Scammy’s fault Ashleigh couldn’t go to the wedding along with KP comms). Scammy’s tabloid hit jobs have been exposed to a wide audience and could upend her defamation lawsuit against Meghan. FAFO Other Daughter.
I haven’t watched the documentary, was Ashleigh interviewed?
Yes, she was. It was very poignant when it came to H&M’s wedding and Meghan being discouraged to invite Ashleigh. I’ll admit, my eyes got watery during the Ashleigh interviews. Meghan & Ashleigh seemed to have a close relationship-they went on girl trips together. I’m hoping they’ve moved on and are close again. They really seemed to fill a void missing in their own lives. Love that Ashleigh is an immigration lawyer.
I’m only halfway through the first episode (how are so many US based people already finished, LOL.) But so far I like it. It’s very well done, and H&M just so clearly enjoy each other, its refreshing to see.
It dropped at midnight on the west coast so it’s probably people like me in California etc. who started ep 1 and couldn’t stop lol. I watched two last night and finished the third this morning.
I’m going to cry the whole time watching this.
I’ve often thought that too.
Just finished the three episodes.
Not much we don’t know, maybe only that things didn’t play out exactly as the narrative went (i.e. the meeting and the proposal), but I suspect it’s going to be eye opening for people who haven’t been following closely or who’ve only got their knowledge in passing from breakfast TV.
I binged it after a long day and I am very tired, so nothing else to say (at least that’s coherent, ha).
For me this is an expansion on the Oprah interview. I also think that this is a documentary for their children so that they can learn the truth. It is excellent and will definitely be nominated for awards.
Exactly, and as they and others have pointed out, it’s getting their story told, with the added benefit of at least curtailing the RR and hangers-on attempts to sell The!Exclusive!Truth!
It slipped my mind last night (it was late and I was very tired) about Meghan’s niece Ashleigh. That was a complete surprise and very sad. I presume they’ve reconciled to some extent or she wouldn’t be talking on camera, but you can tell she’s still very hurt, poor woman.
At least someone on her paternal side isn’t complete scum.
I think it is really criminal how all these British tv shows gave a platform to the evil half-sister Samantha without a real background check on her. I don’t understand how they call themselves journalist at this point.
They know exactly what she is. They don’t care. To them it is a slight on Meghan that she has family like that. They don’t chose guests based on credibility.
They knew she was a mess and hated Meghan, that was all they needed to know.
Meghan said in the doc that the British media went sniffing around her mother’s family FIRST, fully expecting people on that side to sell her out for $$. The racism in that assumption (on the part of BM) was unmistakable in the tone of get voice. They didn’t expect the white side of the family to leap for the cash as easily as the did, to both trash Meghan so enthusiastically and become BM puppets so easily.
The Meghan – Ashleigh relationship info was all new, at least to me, and really wonderful. It’s so sad that it was another casualty in the Samantha Markle hate-spree.
Scammy went after Meghan because she became even more jealous of the relationship she had forged with Ashleigh.
They deliberately weaponized Samantha to take down Meghan. Scammy is next thing to a sociopath but she’s white and willing to do anything for money.
It’s similar to the state of so-called journalism in Australia – all but a fraction aren’t journalists, they’re stenographers for whatever their masters wish them to say.
And oooh, do they get defensive when called on it.
Enjoyed the first three episodes, looking forward to the next three. Hope they blow the RF up, but I dont feel it will happen. In Australia there are royal experts, so called journalists who base everything on heresay. One was fired from multiple USA outlets for lying, another two live in Australia but do not spend time in the UK, the stories they write are disgusting, very nasty, always attacking and defaming H&M. There is never a mention of Kate being a party girl who stalked W for 10 years or that she had multiple holidays every year, seemed to do very little, never had a real job, charity was the last thing she ever considered. We are told how perfect K is and how hard she works, her massive workload is extraordinary compared to anyone else. Her expertise as a working mother is to be admired, yet there is never any mention of the team of Nannys plus household staff who are empoyed to look after the children. We are constantly told how bad M is and how she has destroyed the RF. We are told H is a dummy with no brains and very stupid, he supposedly cannot think for himself. It is all beyond ridiciulous.
So heartwarming, the way Harry speaks about Meghan. It honestly makes me tear up a little! Have we EVER heard a royal openly speak of their spouse this way? I think even Queen Victoria confined her most gushing words of affection for Albert to the pages of her diary.
On a shallow note, that header photo is just disgustingly sweet, isn’t it? If I got that photo on a “save the date” postcard after a friend’s engagement, during my single days, I’d just HAVE to pin it to the wall and throw darts at it. 😂😂
That’s what struck me, too. There is so much love. And obviously, Harry was craving that deeper connection and informality with a loved one.
Don’t usually like to say people are jealous, but in this case, I think it’s correct. The BRF may not have the emotional capacity to recognize they’re jealous, but it seems they’re jealous of being loved.
The fact that Harry and Meghan love each other openly and unapologetically while performing their role/job as philanthropist effortlessly is the root of Will and Kate’s jealousy. They did everything they could to dim the Sussex’s light.
I haven’t watched yet but it surprises me not at all that they have a ton of personal video and photo…it sounds like someone told them to document stuff based on comments which is smart. But they’re also both millennials. Meghan is an older one but I’ve found if you are an only or oldest or have a circle of friends that are closer to one generation, you tend to be most like that generation. This is what normie millennials do, lol.
@Bitsy I’m trying to get Marie over here, LOL!
Their are so many things I want to talk about:
1. the adorable scenes with Meghan and Archie sharing a kiss
2. how H&M fell in love
3. how funny H&M are together
4. how utterly beautiful Meghan is
5. how people take anything H&M say and twisting it into something completely differen
There is a huge overlap between MAGA tools and H&M haters: you can talk no sense into them and come with receipts, facts and prove – they don’t care.
I’m seeing it even on a local group – one person was convinced that every word out of Meghan’s mouth was a lie even though you could counter with facts every supposed ‘lie’ they said she had said.
As you said, they don’t care or don’t want to hear. All hail the block button.
I finished the first episode and watching them interact and share their story really is so heartwarming. They love and respect each other so much. A love like that is worth protecting and I’m glad that what they’ve done for each other and their children.
Finally we know their love story and how they met! I was shocked they met online and told my husband we have something in common with H & M! Ooh they make me so happy. It’s really love ain’t it. I love them.
I’m so giddy we get to hear from them directly.
I think one of the MAJOR factors they did this is so we don’t have millions of books from so called “experts” claiming to KNOW what Harry and Meghan’s story is especially when there’s so much interest there. Just like how they are making up books of what the Queen thought about Meghan but it changes based on the author.
Now we have the final authority on their journey, thoughts, opinions, and story.
I’m pretty sure that’s why Harry decided to write Spare as well.
Hopefully this helps slowly destroy the so called experts industry.
Don’t forget that many derangers want to characterize Meghan as a royal stalker who cast a spell on Harry and dragged him away from his family in order to destroy them. It makes no sense, since wouldn’t you do what you could to stay in the Firm if you wanted to destroy it from the inside? The haters gotta hate.
Their love story flies in the face of that.
I read through that quickly but my two takeaways are that articles friendly to William are about to appear in the DM namely about (1) his very precious early memories of Mummy (complete with pictures) and (2) his deep abiding love for Kate and how he knew she was the one despite the breakup and the long *courtship*. Oh, wait, I guess I have two more: (3) they will accuse Harry of being braindead or lying re: not having many early memories of his mother (they’ll pull up pictures) and articles quoting pseudo-experts and (4) Charles will be pilloried yet again for his affair with Camilla but this time the article with be spiked with Harry hates Camilla.
Those are my takeaways.
Billy and Katie will wheel out their kids soon.
While I was never expecting a ‘burn it all down’ docu, (like the tabloids), I find I’m completely underwhelmed at the first three episodes. I found it just a fuller version of the Oprah interview. I don’t see where they are really calling out the press in this at all.
Have to hope Vol. 2 is better.
Meghan did say it was about their love story. Everyone else filled in the rest! That’s not their fault..it’s the fault of those making assumptions and creating agendas.
Cue British media hysteria….but hey they got people to watch it so there’s that.
More money for Harry Meghan and Netflix and people get to see Harry and Meghan’s for themselves instead of the version of Meghan the rota, royals curated in their daily press briefings and articles.
Thanks BM and palace courtiers.
This is their love story, their success story despite the horrors they went through. Wait for Harry’s book — then you’ll see some serious receipts.
I struggle with syrupy cheesy stuff so I’m actually surprised with how into this I am. The video of Archie kissing his mom had me melting. Melting I say! Also thought it was funny when Meghan was getting into that red dress and Harry was like there are 3 people under your dress right now. Forget three more episodes. I want another season lol.
Yes! I love it!
Were you not surprised to hear directly from Doria? Did you not get to know Meghan even more? I have. The Ashleigh/Scammy/Meghan dynamic explains a lot. This documentary is a very important record of most of what we already new. Meghan is really stunning.
Right. This was the first time I heard the BM paid for a Toronto neighbor of Meghan’s to place a live feed camera facing into her backyard and had people sleeping/staying in their cars in her neighborhood. She was stalked and received death threats when they were dating.
We learned more about the text exchanges between M&H & Bad Dad before the wedding. Sinister stuff. Someone else was replying to H&M’s messages.
Maybe @Renae, you watched something else?
Along with the beautiful images, photos and stories in this documentary-I’m loving the music choices. Heart went awwww when one of our wedding songs played at the end of an episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE
That header photo of the lovebirds in the bar/restaurant took my breath away!
Kkkhate would love to be loved like that.
I am so excited to watch this, but haven’t gotten a chance to even turn on my tv since it came out.
This is like singling choosing “choosing violence,” but I also love it for Harry! He’s living his true life and he’s so happy. Regardless of the Royal BS, he is glowing and thriving.
I did see this Forbes article this morning and their last “sub-headline” or bullet point – whatever you want to call it – made me chuckle… News Peg. It has nothing to do with TOB, but still.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/12/08/heres-what-we-learned-from-harry-and-meghans-netflix-documentary/
Can’t wait to watch this. And if it’s all about their love, that’s fine with me. It’s Christmastime. The world is brutal. I’d rather watch actual love than “Love, Actually.”
Omg I just started watching and I have the biggest smile on my face throughout the first 20 min. So sweet!! I’m looking forward to watching the rest. They both seem so genuine.
I’m avoiding any ridiculous news sources about this because I know the nonsense they’ll spew. I’ll wait till it’s all out and stick to Celebitchy for now.
Yes, I watched all three episodes and avoided my brain being contaminated with any media perspectives on it.
I was planning to wait until later to watch this but I’m going to squeeze an episode in before my pilates class this evening. You’ve all convinced me to jump in!
Update: I’m loving it! Onto E2 now and we’re getting into the racism. I like how they’re moving between their story and the wider picture/system.
I haven’t seen much but so far, the docuseries is so cute. The press thought it would be an all-out smear campaign against the RF but that is not who H&M are. They are telling their story and they have a right to do that since, as Meghan said, people she never met have been telling their story for 6 years. The palace has no reason to react to what I have seen so far but I’m sure they’ll get up in arms about something.
Watching their love story was one of those times when you want to jump on the phone to your partner and simply say “I love you”. If you have a loving relationship, this kind of story makes you feel cosy because you recognise the sentiment. If your partner is someone you don’t love, your reaction to M&H’s love for each other is going to be negative and jealous. Hello, ,William and Kate!
Absolutely. If you’ve ever experienced this kind of love firsthand you absolutely won’t settle for anything less. If you’ve never been in this kind of relationship, it will seem fake and annoying. Will and Kate have been together for 20 years and I’ve never seen them looking loved up like this.
I completely agree. It sounds absurd but I see a lot of my own relationship with my partner in the way they interact with each other. I think anyone who’s felt this kind of sameness and truly bedrock partnership can relate to the more emotional parts of what they’ve chosen to show.
I had the same feeling. My relationship with my husband started off also very fast – when you know, you know. I could have married him after 3 months, I just knew what kind of man he was very quickly. And it also felt so easy and comfortable- no relationship drama, games, will he call etc. I understand that if someone hasn’t experienced this kind of relationship, it may sound hard to believe and very rom-com. Especially men in BRF…
First thing I did this morning was watch lol. I can’t wait for next week’s drop. These first episodes unfolded like I thought they would, but I think they smartly separated pre wedding and post wedding footage and fallout. And although there’s this broad far-reaching conversation of global racism, this is about their love and navigating archaic protocol. It’s their story, and I love watching them together.
Nothing new here, much angst and pearl clutching about largely retreads.
I worked in film and I can tell you that these first 3 episodes are no doubt setting the stage for the last 3 where there will be more revelations. They are reeling the viewers in and getting us on their side so when they tell us how things went down we will fully back them. Everyone on this site already does but this is for the general public.
I predict the 5th episode will be the big denouement, with a big reveal or revelation, and the 6th will tie it all together and hopefully try and close that chapter of their lives.
They are very clearly setting up the process of how the different press offices work for only their people, how they work WITH the rota, and how they do what they can to appease the press. This will come back once the stories are being fed from inside the palaces.
They are also very clearly setting up the fact that Jason Knauff is involved with all the press stuff as they mention him at least twice and show his picture. I am hoping that is the set up for the big reveal that he was the one leaking to the papers about their plans and also the negative stories after their first tour.
I agree. Showing a pic of Jason Knauf shows that more is coming….a slow boil…
I hope they take Jason down. He’s complicit in so much of the anti-Sussex leaking/smearing and is clearly STILL doing William’s dirty work. I hope he’s sh*tting his pants right now waiting for the next volume to expose his rancid behaviour.
I wonder who had TM’s phone during the “heart” problem? Meghan and Prince Harry got suspicious when the messages from TM said Meghan instead of Meg.
The Surprise of the day for me was immigration Attorney Ashleigh Hale. I’m surprised the 6 “deeply” investigated books on Meghan somehow miss this close relationship between Meghan and her niece Ashleigh. How was this relationship missed by the biographers, BM, and rotas? I guess it did not fit their story of Meghan abandoning all her family members.
It warmed my heart to see pictures of Meghan and Ashleigh. They still have a loving relationship.
I felt sorry for Ashleigh she seems to be bearing the weight of the damage her awful mother has inflicted on so many.
I hope the last episode shows Ashleigh visiting and chilling in Montecito with Meghan.
In Episode 2, Harry says he has to ask permission from his grandmother so he has to do the proposal in the UK. Does anyone know why? I also remember William supposedly proposing to Kate in Africa, with a remarkably similar engagement story to one of his buddies. Did William already have permission?
They mentioned it in the doco – if you’re at or above a certain level in line to the throne, you have to ask permission from the monarch to wed.
I seem to recall someone saying here William bascially sprung it on people with two hours notice and swiped Big Blue, which was supposed to go to Harry for his future bride.
The top 6 in the line of succession need permission by the monarch otherwise their marriage boots out their kids from the line.
As for William’s proposal in Africa, that story was a confused mess and unlikely to have happened there because Kate screwed up the details during the interview.
In any case kate had been sticking around for so long and Charles basically told him to propose or dump her that the queen was never going to say no.
I think we’ve always known Meghan had that Diana star quality but I think this is the first time Harry has so openly admitted to saying how similar Meghan and Diana are in personality? Not that it’s weird, I think most women who have decent fathers seek out men who remind them of their dads personality wise. In Meghan’s case, her father is a POS and she is a child of divorce, she struck out with the first husband but she nailed it with the second. I think it’s the same for men who have healthy relationships with their moms, they seek women who remind them of their moms.
I was so surprised they took a picture of themselves on their first date and shared it with us but Meghan is a huge documenter of life I’ve noticed. It’s so cute and you feel like these are two people who have been together for awhile, not a first meeting.
If you went out with a Prince wouldn’t you get a picture? Even if you didn’t have any more dates or end up together, you’d have the picture as proof.
I think the picture was taken on their 2nd date at the same place (when Harry admitted he would have waited hours for her) be still my heart
I don’t even believe it was Meghan’s idea to take the picture. I’m sure she wanted to… I think he wanted photographic evidence of meeting the person who made all the checks on his list-that he wouldn’t say what they were but with arms & eyes-Meghan was the list.
You are leaving out the most important part of the Instagram meet-cute: she was using a puppy dog filter over her face when he saw her 🤣 they are so ridiculously cute, it’s just absurd. The penguin onesies at their private pre-wedding get together…cmon. These two are the most beautiful nerds on the planet and we love to see it.