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

[Curryong]

But not Half-mourning colors ! The point is that not less than four ladies turned out in burgundy last night, wich is intriguing. That's all.

Except one was a child dressed to match her mother.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Half-mourning outfits were not expected. the Queen herself, who gives the tone, was in plain white !

Zara and Pippa turned out in burgundy as well ...

White though is an official colour of mourning e.g. in 1937 The Queen Mother's father died literally weeks before an official State Visit to France. Norman Hartnell redid her entire wardrobe in white so she was still clearly in mourning for her father.

I remember also reading that in 1901 the first ball of 'the season' was the night before the end of full mourning for Queen Victoria so the ladies asked Queen Alexandra what colour they should wear and she replied 'what you think is right'. They all turned up in black or very dark navy and she arrived head to toe in white - full mourning was worn by all.

Even recently I remember Catherine was criticised for wearing white to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, even on this site, but that was soon put to bed when it was realised that the late Queen herself wore white to the 90th anniversary commemorations of the same battle 10 years earlier.

 

[Nico]

Except one was a child dressed to match her mother.

So what ? It leaves three adults wearing the same color, conveniently contradicting Meghan's affirmation.

Funnily enough, the POW's tie was burgundy as well !

 

[sophie25]

Except one was a child dressed to match her mother.

Exactly and Pippa isn't royal either. I can imagine that perhaps Kate and her sister decided to coordinate and that Kate decided on Charlotte matching them.

 

[The concubine]

Exactly and Pippa isn't royal either. I can imagine that perhaps Kate and her sister decided to coordinate and that Kate decided on Charlotte matching them.

For some people it wasn’t the colour coordinating that was the most striking but that the family came to support the Princess of Wales, and they were asking was ‘how come they didn’t do that for Meghan when she was still a working royal?’

It really doesn’t matter what was happening behind closed doors but they should have presented a united front in public.

 

[MARG]

In many circumstances, white is considered mourning or half-mourning in this case. HMQM had a fabulous wardrobe already made for her and Bertie to go to France on an Official State Visit. When her mother, the Countess of Strathmore, suddenly died she wore full mourning but she couldn't really wear all black on OSV and the home of Haute Couture to boot. But it wasn't all about her situation.

They covered the real dilemma the problem she faced ;
"Hilter’s power was growing and the leaders of France and England – historic enemies since the Norman Conquest in 1066 – agreed to meet for a state visit to see what they could do.

This State Visit was like no other! Flying the UK flag was vital, so she and her Couturier improvised and the famous "White Wardrobe" was born to international fame. It also gave women an out when traditional mourning would not do.

Queen Camilla to a page out of her predecessor's book and wore a gorgeous white ensemble. It is Christmas and, as her late MIL had done on many an important occasion, she stood beside her husband, the very new King Charles III in an uplifting and luminous lack of colour.

 

[Iluvbertie]

For some people it wasn’t the colour coordinating that was the most striking but that the family came to support the Princess of Wales, and they were asking was ‘how come they didn’t do that for Meghan when she was still a working royal?’

It really doesn’t matter what was happening behind closed doors but they should have presented a united front in public.

When did Meghan have an event like this for the family to turn out in support?

I don't remember her doing something like this ... she wasn't in the family long enough.

Of course, based on past examples, this wouldn't have been a full turn-out either if Harry and Meghan weren't betraying their family and saying negative things, especially about William and Catherine.

 

[Nico]

For some people it wasn’t the colour coordinating that was the most striking but that the family came to support the Princess of Wales, and they were asking was ‘how come they didn’t do that for Meghan when she was still a working royal?’

It really doesn’t matter what was happening behind closed doors but they should have presented a united front in public.

Well all the family turned out with love and support for the wedding, did they ?

And i remember quite vividely a good amount of joint engagements, including one with the late Queen, not less, to welcome officialy the new duchess in the family.

Apparently it was not enough ...

 

[Frelinghighness]

Whatever happened to her horrible family? The father, sister, and the other equally appalling siblings? Turns out the sister knew what she was talking about.
I’ll never forget the wedding, only her mother?

 

[Somebody]

For some people it wasn’t the colour coordinating that was the most striking but that the family came to support the Princess of Wales, and they were asking was ‘how come they didn’t do that for Meghan when she was still a working royal?’

It really doesn’t matter what was happening behind closed doors but they should have presented a united front in public.

As others stated, what event was supposed to get such a turn out? And when did for example the Countess of Wessex (also the wife of a younger sibling) organize such a high-profile event that a large number of family members attended? I cannot think of any; so, Meghan was not cheated out of anything (if that's the thinking behind it); these types of major royal turn-out events are clearly reserved for the direct line and not for the collateral lines... which makes a lot of sense.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

The website was the reason for the SS.

Their announcement as fact of the HIHO plan necessitated the need for the SS very soon after the website went live. The TQ wanted the matter settled quickly.

I think the family had every reason to be upset before the meeting ever started. Harry and Meghan handled things- at best- in a very unprofessional manner by releasing the website as fact when it wasn’t. Everyone had to drop everything to quickly address their now public demands.

And when Harry tells his version of the SS, he conveniently leaves out anything he might have said/done during the meeting that would have inflamed an already stressful situation. He was just the guy in the room getting yelled at by his brother and had to listen to dad lie. Apparently he was just there. Doing nothing. According to him. He was just afraid. (Cue the violins…..)

Thanks - this make sense now and is the obvious reason for everyone being angry with Harry and Meghan

 

[Somebody]

When did Meghan have an event like this for the family to turn out in support?

I don't remember her doing something like this ... she wasn't in the family long enough.

Of course, based on past examples, this wouldn't have been a full turn-out either if Harry and Meghan weren't betraying their family and saying negative things, especially about William and Catherine.

I'd say the fact that this Carol Service paid tribute to the Queen was the main reason for this turn-out.

Last year, while not such a big turn-out as yesterday, they still had several family members joining them: The Countess of Wessex, Zara and Mike, Beatrice and Edo, and Eugenie and Jack.

 

[tausi]

It's supposed to be the season of peace and goodwill. This spiteful, self-obsessed, self-pitying pair seem to bear nothing but hatred and ill-will. What a shame that it's come to this.

I agree with you completely! It’s such a shame!

 

[Curryong]

Whatever happened to her horrible family? The father, sister, and the other equally appalling siblings? Turns out the sister knew what she was talking about.
I’ll never forget the wedding, only her mother?

I think it’s been extremely clear that since 2016 Meghan’s half sister hasn’t known what she has talked about.

 

[tausi]

So what ? It leaves three adults wearing the same color, conveniently contradicting Meghan's affirmation.

Funnily enough, the POW's tie was burgundy as well !

And Mike Tindall’s tie was burgundy as well! I love it!

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Some interesting and balanced perspectives :

Harry and Meghan Are Playing a Whole Different Game

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/harry-meghan-netflix-show/672400/

It’s OK to Admit That Harry and Meghan Are Annoying

https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/12/meghan-harry-netflix-series-review-release.html

Thanks for sharing these - Atlantic article was particularly well written!

 

[Leopoldine]

The fifth episode of "Harry and Meghan" had a part about 45 minutes in which I thought was truly reprehensible.

There were a series of images and clips of BRF members in the Caribbean. These included both the Wessexes and the (then) Cambridges on Jubilee trips as well as Charles in Barbados. The montage includes that unfortunate clip of William and Kate greeting people who were behind a chain link fence. Harry's declaration immediately following these images was how the family was missing out on a huge opportunity with his wife.

I used to think so, but that was before all of the cringeworthy virtue-signaling ie. relating an anecdote about a man comparing Africans' reaction to her wedding with Mandela gaining freedom, or the sharing of Beyonce's text praising her, and that fun story about the kneeling flight attendant praising her service. A person who goes public with these stories of receiving personal praise, true or not, should not be representing a country, IMO. So maybe California is a better fit.

The use of William and Kate's "shaking hands through the chain link fence" clip was awful. That was the shot across the bow.

 

[Lori138]

The Commonwealth Service in 2020 was virtually the last official Royal engagement of Harry and Meghan’s before departing to live permanently overseas. When Meghan talked about muted colours at group engagements she was speaking about her first appearances, the first Xmas before she married, etc.

And I have read that burgundy and purple are officially half-mourning colours, so Charlotte turning up in burgundy like her mother for instance is hardly likely to be a riposte to her aunt.

I would like to know how you know she was speaking of the muted colours PRIOR to being married. I have never heard her say that anywhere, just that she was told to wear muted colours.

 

[RJC]

In episode 6 when H. was talking about people in the Insitution/press offices getting upset after their 'successful' trip to Australia I was reminded of Charles' and Diana's trip here - "two wives" etc. I also recall reading on here Charles getting annoyed at William getting more press coverage than Charles' trip to the middle east. I guess H was assuming people would make these connections. Hence one of the reasons he alleges that they started to leak bad press about them. In the newspaper articles that they flipped through quickly afterwards I couldn't quite see what bad press he was talking about. There was the baby shower and her low shoulder outfit at the trooping of the colour that social media would have commented on anyway I feel.

He spoke so well though about these things in the episode. He's such a loss in many ways and I miss that Harry.

 

[HRHHermione]

I think the baby shower scene where Meghan talks about strong independent women using their money to love a friend and why would anyone care missed the point on so many things. If her commitment to social justice was sincere and alleviating suffering her mission, she would have understood why many people would be uncomfortable seeing people spend literally ten times the median yearly income of families in the U.K. on a party.

Extravagance can be so over the top that it is impossible to ignore. No one would have criticized her friends coming to London and throwing her a party there in a private club.

 

[MARG]

Thanks for sharing these - Atlantic article was particularly well written!

Some interesting and balanced perspectives :

Harry and Meghan Are Playing a Whole Different Game

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/harry-meghan-netflix-show/672400/

It’s OK to Admit That Harry and Meghan Are Annoying

https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/12/meghan-harry-netflix-series-review-release.html

What terrific articles, I really enjoy the balance and reminding us that we all have our own unique understanding of things and we can't always agree. I loathe the fact that what is patently obvious and nasty is only allowed to be discussed when describing Harry and Meghan when there are awful examples of the members of the BRF behaving badly. Not least the icy cold chill when William threw his godmother under the bus before even the most basic of investigations had been made.

I have always been a fan of our new King and supported his work but he is a man of our times, shaking his head when he doesn't understand that the terms under which both Harry and William were raised are the same social and moral terms of millions of other parents, it's just that their misadventures and spats are not on the front page.

I think this documentary has been cathartic for Harry and Meghan, William and Catherine and Charles and Camilla. Regardless of what is said, they will all be uncomfortably aware of the fact that there are more than two sides to any story.

The reference to the "infamous" Baby Shower has always confused me. It a baby shower thrown for her by her old friends and even if it was deemed to be OTT by virtue signalling, and politically correct media for attending but isn't one thrown in the palace with fabulous catering, wonderful venues and gorgeous accommodations. Now that would be a big deal to her American friends. It is just geography and point of view.

 

[ladongas]

I think the baby shower scene where Meghan talks about strong independent women using their money to love a friend and why would anyone care missed the point on so many things. If her commitment to social justice was sincere and alleviating suffering her mission, she would have understood why many people would be uncomfortable seeing people spend literally ten times the median yearly income of families in the U.K. on a party.

Extravagance can be so over the top that it is impossible to ignore. No one would have criticized her friends coming to London and throwing her a party there in a private club.

Meghan is (still) an American. Why should she not have a baby shower in America? Perhaps if Harry’s friends and their WAGs (; ) ) had made an effort to welcome the wife of their friend the Prince, she might have had a shower somewhere in the UK. Is it okay to have an over the top lavish lifestyle (a la Oprah, Serena, Amal) only if you have inherited it through many generations, instead of earning it? Certainly the BRF doesn’t seem to mind living large.

 

[HRHHermione]

Meghan is (still) an American. Why should she not have a baby shower in America? Perhaps if Harry’s friends and their WAGs (; ) ) had made an effort to welcome the wife of their friend the Prince, she might have had a shower somewhere in the UK. Is it okay to have an over the top lavish lifestyle (a la Oprah, Serena, Amal) only if you have inherited it through many generations, instead of earning it? Certainly the BRF doesn’t seem to mind living large.

That party was estimated to cost $400,000. As I said, 10x the median yearly income for a household in the U.K.

People who could well afford to buy their own luggage and skin care products were given them as party favors. Personally, I think there’s a level of extravagance that is distasteful in anyone, but there is a difference between that money being spent by people who don’t have public service or humanitarian work as part of their brand and people who do. It wasn’t appropriate for a senior working member of the British royal family and their press advisors would have known that.

Now: it’s ok if she decided that damn the headlines, she was going to enjoy herself and the papers could say what they wanted. But she wanted to do this very public party AND not get any negative press for it.

(If they had wanted it to be private, it very easily could have been planned as a private affair by using someone’s house instead of an expensive and centrally located hotel)

 

[valeas]

The fifth episode of "Harry and Meghan" had a part about 45 minutes in which I thought was truly reprehensible.

There were a series of images and clips of BRF members in the Caribbean. These included both the Wessexes and the (then) Cambridges on Jubilee trips as well as Charles in Barbados. The montage includes that unfortunate clip of William and Kate greeting people who were behind a chain link fence. Harry's declaration immediately following these images was how the family was missing out on a huge opportunity with his wife.

I used to think so, but that was before all of the cringeworthy virtue-signaling ie. relating an anecdote about a man comparing Africans' reaction to her wedding with Mandela gaining freedom, or the sharing of Beyonce's text praising her, and that fun story about the kneeling flight attendant praising her service. A person who goes public with these stories of receiving personal praise, true or not, should not be representing a country, IMO. So maybe California is a better fit.

The use of William and Kate's "shaking hands through the chain link fence" clip was awful. That was the shot across the bow.

It fits into their old narrative but now refreshed idea of WHAT the CW lost with Meghan!
More is ahead. Guess just one country was going to leave the CW, of course it is because Meghan is no longer the CW empress!
This is the base for more nonsense of this in the future.

And this kneeling man in uniform remembers all US of funerals of fallen soldiers, handing out the flag.....thanking for their service....
Can't impress how poorly that is , and totally agree that both CW and UK can be happy she left that early before she had caused more drama inside the RF.

Same like visiting US troops, what for? To make Harry feel important again with his warheroe agenda- just embarassing.

 

[Hallo girl]

I think the baby shower scene where Meghan talks about strong independent women using their money to love a friend and why would anyone care missed the point on so many things. If her commitment to social justice was sincere and alleviating suffering her mission, she would have understood why many people would be uncomfortable seeing people spend literally ten times the median yearly income of families in the U.K. on a party.

Extravagance can be so over the top that it is impossible to ignore. No one would have criticized her friends coming to London and throwing her a party there in a private club.

I also felt the Baby Shower was a turning point, it was celebrity not royal.

 

[Hallo girl]

Any country that wishes to leave the Commonwealth can, they are not prisoners. Some countries are considering removing the monarch as their head of state but that is different to leaving the commonwealth.
There are countries that joined the CW that were never part of the empire. It started with 8 we are now in the fifties.
H & M appear to constantly hark at the past, the podcasts were the same.
To make their point they need to refer to the past giving the impression that is the status quo.

 

[Mbruno]

It fits into their old narrative but now refreshed idea of WHAT the CW lost with Meghan!
More is ahead. Guess just one country was going to leave the CW, of course it is because Meghan is no longer the CW empress!
This is the base for more nonsense of this in the future.

Barbados didn't leave the Commonwealth. It became a republic like many Commonwealth countries before it (see for example this list of former Commonwealth realms that are now republics). Out of 56 Commonwealth member states, only 15 (including the UK) are currently realms where King Charles III is Head of State. In fact, the Commonwealth of Nations replaced the former British Commonwealth of Nations in 1949 precisely to allow former dominions like India, which became a republic in January 1950, to abolish the monarchy without having to leave the Commonwealth.

When William and Kate visited Jamaica, Barbados had already become a republic (that was unclear to viewers in the documentary). Although it is conceivable that Meghan would have been an asset in Caribbean tours, it is not plausible to believe that Barbados would not have become a republic because of Meghan, nor would issues like slavery reparations have gone away. Meghan, with her political/social activism and reluctance to follow the guidance from the British FCO on what to say in public on an official tour, might have actually made things worse.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

What terrific articles, I really enjoy the balance and reminding us that we all have our own unique understanding of things and we can't always agree. I loathe the fact that what is patently obvious and nasty is only allowed to be discussed when describing Harry and Meghan when there are awful examples of the members of the BRF behaving badly. Not least the icy cold chill when William threw his godmother under the bus before even the most basic of investigations had been made.

I have always been a fan of our new King and supported his work but he is a man of our times, shaking his head when he doesn't understand that the terms under which both Harry and William were raised are the same social and moral terms of millions of other parents, it's just that their misadventures and spats are not on the front page.

I think this documentary has been cathartic for Harry and Meghan, William and Catherine and Charles and Camilla. Regardless of what is said, they will all be uncomfortably aware of the fact that there are more than two sides to any story.

The reference to the "infamous" Baby Shower has always confused me. It a baby shower thrown for her by her old friends and even if it was deemed to be OTT by virtue signalling, and politically correct media for attending but isn't one thrown in the palace with fabulous catering, wonderful venues and gorgeous accommodations. Now that would be a big deal to her American friends. It is just geography and point of view.

What does members of the BRF behaving badly have to do with Harry and Meghan’s silly docuseries ? When did William throw the Lady Susan Hussey under the bus? You’re referring to incident with the assault charity? Well the issue was so quick and they weren’t going get into someone else calling them racist and headline’s were saying “William’s godmother” as if William told her to ask the questions she asked or if he’s responsible for her. How is that bad behavior? It’s bad enough when you have one family member claiming that another family member “questioned the skin color of a child” and haven’t revealed who it was? They didn’t want to deal with an another bad situation so they reacted quickly.
I don’t think the Sussexes are aware that there are two sides to the story because they just think they are so perfect and the wronged party and the BRF have to apologize to them which is ridiculous.

The differences between traveling to New York on a private plane to the most expensive hotel in NY and doing one in the palace is that no one would publicly know the cost of the baby shower in the palace and there would be no private plane for Meghan to get there.

 

[Lee-Z]

Well, reading all the comments from all sides, i think the documentary was succesful as it did what a commercial documentary intends to do:
- get views
- being talked about
- earn money

 

[Ghost]

I think nobody said that she shouldn’t have a baby shower, no matter what opinion one has about them. And I don’t think the press should have abstained from criticising it. It’s exactly what all the royals are exposed to. She’s American, as she said when representing The Queen (the visit to Morrocco), so she’s chosen to continue this American custom. It is not very British, so the British press criticised. All fair, in my opinion.
(I don’t want to get into the costs, personally I find it in very bad taste to flaunt money. But I know for a lot of Americans that’s perfectly acceptable.)