TRAILER
PLOT
Harry and Meghan share information about the early days of their romance, detailing out their first date and revealing their exchanges via email, their personal nicknames, and photos and footage from their one-week visit to Botswana. They also discuss details about the night before their relationship was made public, during which they attended a Halloween party with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Harry also talks about the impact his mother's death has had on his life and on his relationship with the paparazzi and the press, and draws comparison between her experience and the treatment received by Meghan. Commenting on his mother's 1995 interview, he said he believed his mother was "deceived into giving the interview" but spoke "the truth of her experience". He describes his childhood as being "filled with laughter, filled with happiness and filled with adventure," but states that he had "little help or guidance" after his mother's death. He further discusses his relationship with his other girlfriends and the public pressures put on female members of the royal family, adding that men within the family chose "to marry someone who would fit the mould as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with." Harry and Meghan's children, Archie and Lilibet, also appear in the episode.
Doria Ragland sits down for her first public interview since her daughter Meghan and Harry started their relationship. She discusses her daughter's childhood, accompanied by images that show the two together. Harry, referring to headlines such as "(Almost) Straight Outta Compton", claims that at the start of their relationship members of the royal family were wondering why Meghan should be treated differently from other women who married into the family and were harassed by the press and their advice was not to say anything, though he points out the difference between their experience and hers to be "the race element." Meghan reflects on an incident from her childhood when a stranger shouted the N-word at her mother. There are also discussions on Brexit and its impact on the British society. The couple also discusses their experience when their respective parents went through divorce. Meghan details out her surprise at the formality within the royal family, adding that it was not only on the outside but "carried through on the inside." She described herself as a hugger, which she said could be "really jarring for a lot of Brits." The couple also shares details about the night they became engaged, and Harry's proposal at Kensington Palace.
Harry and Meghan discuss their engagement interview, which she describes as a "structured reality show" that was "rehearsed". The couple, as well as Meghan's mother, further discuss their relationship with the media and paparazzi after the couple's romance was made public. There are also discussions on racism in the history of the British Empire. Harry reflects on the moment he was wearing a Nazi uniform at a Halloween party during his youth, something he describes as "one of the biggest mistakes of his life". Harry also discusses the existence of "a huge level of unconscious bias" in the royal family which he claims contributes to its problems, giving Princess Michael of Kent wearing a blackamoor brooch as an example. Meghan explores her relationship with her father Thomas Markle and her paternal side of the family. She mentions that she has not been in touch with her half-sister Samantha Markle for over a decade but is close to Samantha's daughter, Ashleigh Hale. Meghan claims that Hale could not be invited to her wedding in 2018 as advisors thought it would not have been appropriate to invite her but not Samantha. Meghan also talks about her father Thomas staging paparazzi shots before the nuptials.
The episode starts by covering the couple's wedding day. The couple talks about their struggles in their first residence Nottingham Cottage, which they said was too small. Meghan reflects on her first official engagement with Queen Elizabeth II and then discusses her own role in organizing a fundraiser for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Harry claims there was resentment in the royal family at the popularity of Meghan during their tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The episode also compares the coverage received by Meghan and her sister-in-law Catherine during their respective pregnancies. Meghan also discusses her suicidal thoughts and how she was allegedly not allowed to get help. Harry claims the communications offices at the palace work against each other. He talks about his disappointment "to see [his] brother's office copy the very same thing" his father Charles once did. He also talks about their decision not to serve "[their] child up on a platter" by appearing in front of a hospital after he was born. The couple also discusses their tour of Southern Africa, and how Meghan did not expect a part when she was asked about her mental health be used in an ITV documentary.
Harry claims the palace's advice was not to take legal action once Meghan's letter to her father was published by The Mail on Sunday, but they filed a lawsuit after seeking independent legal advice. Meghan's lawyer claims there were "negative briefings" from the palace to "suit other people's agendas". Harry talks about their decision to go to Vancouver Island after talks with his father as they could have more privacy there. The couple also talks about the palace's alleged attempts to block Harry from seeing the Queen in person, and he emphasizes his grandmother was not blindsided as by December 2019 their plans to leave were in the making "for a minimum of two years." Harry discusses the leaking of a letter he had sent to his father, which mentioned he and Meghan "were willing to relinquish [their] Sussex titles." Harry then alleges that his brother William screamed and shouted at him at the Sandringham Summit, while his father said "things that were just simply untrue" and the Queen remained silent. Harry claims that a statement put out on his and his brother's behalf after the meeting, which denied tensions between them, was released without his permission. He emphasizes that the decision to leave was his, not Meghan's. They also suggest that Meghan's half-sister could have been involved in some of the online abuse directed at her. Meghan talks about the death threats she received as a result of hateful content spread on social media platforms.
Tyler Perry talks about how he assisted Harry and Meghan upon their arrival in the U.S. as he offered them somewhere to stay for six weeks, while the royal family still thought they were in Canada. As non-working royals, they no longer had state-funded security. Meghan mentions MailOnline's attempts during the litigation to get access to all text messages on her phone. They also talk about how a group of Meghan's friends, allegedly without her authorization, talked about her letter to her father in a People magazine article before it was published by the Mail. Harry blames Meghan's miscarriage on the actions of the Mail due to the stress they caused. The couple discusses their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, which Meghan says had been a long time in the making. There is also a mention of an investigation into allegations of bullying against Meghan. Meghan confesses that she thought the biggest takeaway from the interview would be about her mental health struggles, but instead it turned into a conversation about race. Harry describes his grandfather Prince Philip as "a man of service, honour and great humour", and said returning to the UK for his funeral was hard because of his family's attitude. The documentary also discusses Jason Knauf's witness statement during Meghan's court case against the Mail, who is the former aide to Harry and his brother William.
Rating: 10 Stars
