Netflix Docu-Series of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (2022)

[Erin9]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the PofW addressed any comments about Diana he was unhappy with head on.

My guess would be he’ll be unhappy if Harry uses their mother at all, which it appears to me from the trailer he is. This 6 part series is for money. They were paid for this. And Diana appears to be part of the narrative.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

I hope TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex get what they want out of releasing the docuseries. As for how the BRF, British Press, or public will react to it...shrug. I've realized that the long, long arguments about TRH The Sussexes vs. The British Royal Family is really a political proxy war where people ascribe to either side everything they feel is right or wrong about today's society and attack accordingly.

 

[Erin9]

It may be a rehash of the Oprah interview, but this time it will be enhanced by the lens of an Oscar-nominated director, the artistic black-and-white pictures, the soundtrack, in summary what American TV/movies excel at. So I expect a stronger emotional impact on the general public.

I expect people will care even less if it’s really a rehash. It’ll be been there, done that.

Or they’ll mock it. Which is already happening with the trailers.

Everything will be picked apart and compared to everything they ever said, anything that can be disproven will be- loudly. Also already happening.

Regarding an American audience, in general, whining and complaining has a shelf life. I noticed before these trailers came out a trend towards them losing sympathy or even interest in anything about them. (The podcast is a good example. People lost interest fast. So did the media.)

And frankly- these 2 have a lot of privileges. A lot of money and supposedly have a nice family life. They could try acting like it. Inflation is hitting people everywhere hard. COVID has left a massive impact. War in Ukraine. Seriously with this?! Move on.

They must have been desperate because this appears to be a long term bad plan.

 

[Hallo girl]

Maybe he should take a look at the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, who before the late Queen was married were close to the crown. Neither of them grumbled when the Queen and Princess Margaret were married, had children, we are now at the Queens great grandchildren. Every birth put them further down the hierarchy. They continue to honour the crown, well past retirement age. It is called Service to the Crown, something Harry knows nothing about.

 

[tommy100]

I thought it was telling that when H&M were discussed on "The View" one of the panellists said something along the lines of "I'm sick of seeing them crying". If all they have to offer is being sorry for themselves (when they have a lot more in life than many other people) I think even American audiences will tire of them.


I agree Hallo Girl - it seems Harry hasn't twigged that everyone apart from Charles, William and George has, or will, move down the hierarchy in their lifetime.

 

[Sionevar]

I agree Hallo Girl - it seems Harry hasn't twigged that everyone apart from Charles, William and George has, or will, move down the hierarchy in their lifetime.

And it's a hierarchy at the very top of the British social pyramid. That's the part that gets me the most. Nobody in the extended BRF is ever going to be hard up for opportunities or jobs. Doors will be opened for them, on the basis of who they are, in a way that us ordinary people can only dream of.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Netflix vs Reality
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...footage-Donald-Trumps-lawyer-Katie-Price.html

Of course only Harry and Meghan know the full truth. Same old, same old.

 

[Durham]

Netflix vs Reality
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...footage-Donald-Trumps-lawyer-Katie-Price.html

Of course only Harry and Meghan know the full truth. Same old, same old.

Oh my goodness Netflix have made themselves look like absolute fools & amateurs! Talk about taking a hatchet to your own reputation.

Katie Price!! Ha ha ha.

I've said it before but Netflix would make an absolute fortune if they turned the whole H&M farce into a comedy.

 

[tommy100]

https://archive.ph/ETISx

And more... I thought the point made by the telegraph about the choice of angle in the RF balcony picture was interesting - it has been chosen to fit their narrative but isn't actually a true reflection.

As the Duke tells viewers there is a “hierarchy of the family,” an image of the Buckingham Palace balcony, taken during Trooping the Colour in June 2019, is shown.

However, the angle it has been taken at suggests that the now Princess of Wales, wearing eye-catching yellow, is centre stage, positioned in the middle and therefore at the very heart of the monarchy.

In fact, Queen Elizabeth II, as ever, was standing firmly in the middle of the balcony for the RAF flypast.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear on the far right of the image, as if on the periphery of family life. But they are actually standing closer to the late Queen, and therefore closer to the centre, than the Cambridges, as they were then.

 

[Hallo girl]

Oh my goodness Netflix have made themselves look like absolute fools & amateurs! Talk about taking a hatchet to your own reputation.

Katie Price!! Ha ha ha.

I've said it before but Netflix would make an absolute fortune if they turned the whole H&M farce into a comedy.

Chris Ship from ITV is disputing the comments re the visit with Desmond Tutu, they were accredited press. Only 3 permitted and they shared the info with other outlets. It is worrying for Harry and Meghan when ITV are picking holes, they have always been Sussex backers. Never dispute anything, do not ask the questions that they should

 

[KristehH]

I hope TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex get what they want out of releasing the docuseries. As for how the BRF, British Press, or public will react to it...shrug. I've realized that the long, long arguments about TRH The Sussexes vs. The British Royal Family is really a political proxy war where people ascribe to either side everything they feel is right or wrong about today's society and attack accordingly.

Not necessarily though. I'm pretty liberal so would probably agree with Harry and Meghan on a lot of political issues. But personally, I find them to be deceitful and manipulative, not to mention arrogant and jealous-hearted.

 

[Lee-Z]

On YT the trailers are some of the most watched new ones on the Netflix channel, but the comments are pretty brutal...
but as PT Barnum said "there's no such thing as bad publicity"

 

[Saragli]

As much as I am not a defender of the Sussex's I think we may be giving them more credit than is due in terms of the publicity around this series. Netflix is a behemoth, and they have invested a lot of money into H&M, and are going to want their moneys worth. I have no doubt Netflix are actively looking at events around the BRF and aiming their release dates and publicity around that. Whether or not H&M are supportive, against, or neutral with this campaign is hard to say. They probably also have clauses in their contracts with Netflix and how much they can publicly push back against Netflix.

However, H&M have already started laying down the tracks to say that this series was out of their control and isn't really their story. Very convenient.

 

[Mbruno]

https://archive.ph/ETISx


As the Duke tells viewers there is a “hierarchy of the family,” an image of the Buckingham Palace balcony, taken during Trooping the Colour in June 2019, is shown.

However, the angle it has been taken at suggests that the now Princess of Wales, wearing eye-catching yellow, is centre stage, positioned in the middle and therefore at the very heart of the monarchy.

In fact, Queen Elizabeth II, as ever, was standing firmly in the middle of the balcony for the RAF flypast.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear on the far right of the image, as if on the periphery of family life. But they are actually standing closer to the late Queen, and therefore closer to the centre, than the Cambridges, as they were then.

Just a quick, unrelated comment on the "hierarchy" issue in the docu-series.

For someone who lives in the UK or any other European kingdom for that matter, it is quite obvious that royal families have a natural hierarchy. However, this series is primarily aimed instead at the casual American viewer, who may have no understanding whatsoever of hereditary monarchy or how the line of succession works.

As absurd as it may sound, it is not at all inconceivable that a casual American viewer may ask himself or herself why Meghan couldn't "be queen instead of Kate" if she was "more popular" than the latter (not factually true actually, but what the trailer is clearly hinting at with the "Meghan was becoming a rock star" line). Furthermore, from an American point of view (again, ignoring how monarchies work), a common conclusion is that, if X has more merit than Y (e,g., is "more popular"), but Y is hierarchically superior to X, that must be because X is a victim of some kind of structural bias (for example, racism).

Again, as I said, that is a completely unreasonable and fallacious argument in the context of a hereditary monarchy, but my point is that it is an argument that can be peddled to some audiences in America.

A different (and separate) issue is the argument that Harry is apparently going to make that "his family was not safe" in the UK and, therefore, they had no other choice but to leave. That is probably the most hurtful argument from the British point of view, because it would be an indictment of the British public/society at large and the British government/institutions, and not only of the Royal Family or the Palace. I am not sure, however, if that line of reasoning will fly, even in the US, because, as others have already said, it conflicts with the fact that the Sussexes did not originally intend to leave the UK, but rather live there part-time and keep doing public engagements in Britain. If the UK is as toxic, racist, and unsafe as they now claim, I don't see how they could still be in the UK for four, five or six months per year without that being a major (psychological or even physical) risk to the family.

 

[Lilyflo]

The trailers are making H&M look ridiculous, with the footage of paparazzi following other people and false claims about the Desmond Tutu visit. It doesn't bode well for the validity of the docu-series.

 

[Sionevar]

As absurd as it may sound, it is not at all inconceivable that a casual American viewer may ask himself or herself why Meghan couldn't "be queen instead of Kate" if she was "more popular" than the latter (not factually true actually, but what the trailer is clearly hinting at with the "Meghan was becoming a rock star" line). Furthermore, from an American point of view (again, ignoring how monarchies work), a common conclusion is that, if X has more merit than Y (e,g., is "more popular"), but Y is hierarchically superior to X, that must be because X is a victim of some kind of structural bias (for example, racism).

An excellent and valid point. I am in Canada, and many of my co-workers have no clue how the monarchy works. One of them actually thought that Harry being sixth in the line of succession (at the time) meant that he would eventually become King, but not until five other people had taken their turn.

I also saw comments online after Charles became King, where people didn't understand why William had to become Prince of Wales, and couldn't they just not use the title again? Thinking it had been created for Charles and Diana in the 1980s, not knowing it has existed for hundreds of years.

There is a lot of ignorance out there. And it's not anyone's fault - we're all ignorant about many things.

 

[kimebear]

The "there is a hierarchy" comment made me LOL. All monarchies are exactly that. A hierarchy.

That's kind of the point, after all. One reigning monarch and a hierarchy of the ones closest to the throne.

William and Kate were always always always going to rank higher and be more important than Harry and Meghan simply because of the order of their births. For Harry to say it now like it's a new thing designed to oppress him is ridiculous.

 

[Somebody]

It's interesting indeed - because it seems in most cases the younger/non-heir siblings are actually glad that it isn't them who 'has to be king/queen', because it gives them much more freedom in life as opposed to having all of your life already written out for you. Most heirs need some time to accept the destiny they were born into.

Did Harry ever express regret that he was not going to be king (prior to meeting Meghan)? He surely wouldn't have been allowed to go to Afghanistan had the birth order been reversed - to name just something that was rather important to him that he could not have done as the future heir/king but was allowed to do as a spare.

 

[HRHHermione]

The "there is a hierarchy" comment made me LOL. All monarchies are exactly that. A hierarchy.

That's kind of the point, after all. One reigning monarch and a hierarchy of the ones closest to the throne.

William and Kate were always always always going to rank higher and be more important than Harry and Meghan simply because of the order of their births. For Harry to say it now like it's a new thing designed to oppress him is ridiculous.

This honestly made me wonder if it was a mistake for Harry and William to be presented as an equal duo for as long as they were. Maybe it did create unrealistic expectations in him. It seemed like with the “Fab Four” idea being pushed, they intended to keep the Cambridge household and Sussex household on relatively even footing until the Queen passed away, and that plans were only derailed by Meghan and Harry’s treatment of staff and discontent.

I will be very curious to see what examples of unequal treatment get brought up in the documentary. The media will analyze those parts in great detail.

 

[Mbruno]

It's interesting indeed - because it seems in most cases the younger/non-heir siblings are actually glad that it isn't them who 'has to be king/queen', because it gives them much more freedom in life as opposed to having all of your life already written out for you. Most heirs need some time to accept the destiny they were born into.

Did Harry ever express regret that he was not going to be king (prior to meeting Meghan)? He surely wouldn't have been allowed to go to Afghanistan had the birth order been reversed - to name just something that was rather important to him that he could not have done as the future heir/king but was allowed to do as a spare.

It is a bit contradictory really because, in the past, Harry said that "no one in the Royal Family wants to be King", but his father and his brother had no choice as "they were trapped". So, presumably, he doesn't want to be King either, but unlike his poor father and brother, he was lucky enough to be able to get out. He now seems bitter, however, for being a "spare" (and even had a book written with that title) and suggests that he didn't want to leave at all, but was forced to leave because, first his family was not being protected in the UK, and, second, he and his wife were not receiving the recognition they deserved and had to submit to a "hierarchy".

As for how "spares" really feel, I think we cannot generalize and, to be frank, we don't really know what goes on in private as far as family relations are concerned. There are certainly former spares who seem to resent having been downgraded as they moved lower in the order of succession, e,g, in my opinion, Princess Margaret and Prince Andrew just to name two (perhaps Joachim also in Denmark), but Harry seems to be the first who does not accept that as an inevitable consequence of the way the system works.

 

[Ghost]

It is a bit contradictory really because, in the past, Harry said that "no one in the Royal Family wants to be King", but his father and his brother had no choice as "they were trapped". So, presumably, he doesn't want to be King either, but unlike his poor father and brother, he was lucky enough to be able to get out. He now seems bitter, however, for being a "spare" (and even had a book written with that title) and suggests that he didn't want to leave at all, but was forced to leave because, first his family was not being protected in the UK, and, second, he and his wife were not receiving the recognition they deserved and had to submit to a "hierarchy".

And he said that (nobody wants the top job) before or around the time he met Meghan.

 

[Erin9]

On YT the trailers are some of the most watched new ones on the Netflix channel, but the comments are pretty brutal...
but as PT Barnum said "there's no such thing as bad publicity"

There is if people conclude you’re toxic, untrustworthy, too difficult to be worth it.

Even more so if you want to align yourself with the A list and you want to be taken seriously as a philanthropist, leader, etc.

Or if said A list conclude the family you continually trashed are the better option to work with.

 

[yukari]

I understand if they show footages of Diana and Catherine being hounded by paparazzi in relation to how the press treated the married-in. But what footages/photos from Harry Potter premier, Trump's former lawyer leaving for prison, and Katie Price have to do with the RF?

Edit:
Okay, after going through SM comment, what connections I can gather between those three footages and the Sussexes are:
- HP premiere: the main character of the movie is "Harry" whose best friend is a ginger.
- Micheal Cohen was Trump's lawyer (connected to that Suit is a legal drama?)
- Katie Price's footage was taken at Crawley Magistrates Court which is in Sussex.

Erm ... anyone can give better explanation?

I wonder whether they just Google using those keywords and picked the first image they thought will fit their narrative.

 

[QueenJen]

I lost all respect and understanding for these two when they went ahead with the Oprah interview knowing Prince Philip's health was failing quickly, and the Queen was becoming more and more fragile. They focused everything on how they felt, but couldn't provide respect and consideration for Harry's grandparents.
They want attention, and became one of the trashy reality shows that are on American TV now. "It's all about ME!" Immature and self-absorbed.

 

[duchessrachel]

It's interesting indeed - because it seems in most cases the younger/non-heir siblings are actually glad that it isn't them who 'has to be king/queen', because it gives them much more freedom in life as opposed to having all of your life already written out for you. Most heirs need some time to accept the destiny they were born into.

Did Harry ever express regret that he was not going to be king (prior to meeting Meghan)? He surely wouldn't have been allowed to go to Afghanistan had the birth order been reversed - to name just something that was rather important to him that he could not have done as the future heir/king but was allowed to do as a spare.

I vividly remember Harry saying in an interview that "no one wants to be King". I think he should have been pretty happy, but I don't think anything will ever make him happy.

 

[Sunnystar]

I understand if they show footages of Diana and Catherine being hounded by paparazzi in relation to how the press treated the married-in. But what footages/photos from Harry Potter premier, Trump's former lawyer leaving for prison, and Katie Price have to do with the RF?

...snip...

I wonder whether they just Google using those keywords and picked the first image they thought will fit their narrative.

Well, that's precisely the truth. The director and production/editing team went in search of media scrum footage & photos that best highlighted the narrative they wanted to present. They are also using US media headlines, per the Telegraph article linked above. And both the DM and Telegraph seem to think that there are, potentially, some staged or re-enacted scenes that were filmed post-Sussexit, but they can't prove it definitively yet because the trailer only shows brief clips.

I expect that this is going to get really ugly and the Sussexes are going to go into major damage control mode if the media can successfully rip apart much of the footage, still photos and headlines.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I understand if they show footages of Diana and Catherine being hounded by paparazzi in relation to how the press treated the married-in. But what footages/photos from Harry Potter premier, Trump's former lawyer leaving for prison, and Katie Price have to do with the RF?

...

I don't have an explanation but I have another question: What does this have to do with how Meghan was treated. There are no photos of Meghan running a media gauntlet because it didn't happen. The media has changed significantly since Catherine married into the family. The clip seems to admit that the media was very positive until it wasn't.

Apparently Meghan and Harry blame other members of the family (William and Catherine) for leaking stories about Meghan. They don't seem to have considered that their own staff was talking to the media or that reporters, like Valentine Low, actually witnessed Meghan snapping at her staff.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The interesting point that I read from Richard Kay is that the images of Diana were from AFTER she ditched official royal protection while the ones of Catherine are from BEFORE she received official royal protection.

In other words - when they had the official protection there was none of this being chased set up.

So while they were working royals in the UK there was no threat of this happening at all - and interestingly it hasn't happened since they left (more trying to make out they were more popular or interesting than they actually are).

 

[Heavs]

Apparently Meghan and Harry blame other members of the family (William and Catherine) for leaking stories about Meghan. They don't seem to have considered that their own staff was talking to the media or that reporters, like Valentine Low, actually witnessed Meghan snapping at her staff.

But they also admitted that many of those (extremely petty, silly) stories were true in Finding Freedom. They just (shocker!) tried to turn it around to blame everyone else like staff and W&K. Given the level of staff disgruntlement which continues to this day, I would look at them if there were leaks since leaks are still happening.

But even so it wouldn't give them moral authority to go scorched Earth revenge on everyone else. Especially as even FF acknowledges that Meghan was given a lot of support, they just thought that they didn't need it and wanted to do things differently.

Edit:
Okay, after going through SM comment, what connections I can gather between those three footages and the Sussexes are:
- HP premiere: the main character of the movie is "Harry" whose best friend is a ginger.
- Micheal Cohen was Trump's lawyer (connected to that Suit is a legal drama?)
- Katie Price's footage was taken at Crawley Magistrates Court which is in Sussex.

I mean that is crazy but no worse than any other explanation. "as the two most famous Harrys in the UK with a special destiny (since Harry Kane was not on the scene yet), Prince Harry also always felt kinship with Harry Potter..." Thus this footage is his *emotional* truth.

 

[Leopoldine]

All of this does not bode well for the well-established royal goal of 'playing the long game."

IMHO it is foolhardy and expensive to swat at every little slight or insinuation.

I also think it is interesting that their Ripple of Hope award has brought focus to a foundation that might benefit from a public spotlight on its finances.