In the Windsors’ family dispute, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are facing violent headwinds from the British media and public. The Times newspaper called the trailer for the second part of the Netflix documentary about the couple “seditious”.
The tabloid “Sun” headlined on Tuesday with a view to the conflict with brother Prince William: “Harry’s war against Wills”. In a survey by the opinion research institute Yougov, which was conducted around the first part of “Harry and Meghan” and has now been published, the popularity of the two continued to fall.
The kingdom is anxiously waiting for “Volume II”, as Netflix has called the last three episodes, which will be released on Thursday. Part one fell far short of the expected all-round impact.
A return to the royal family is out of the question
“Harry and Meghan’s explosive claims make no headway,” commented Times royal expert Valentine Low. The first glimpses of the sequel make us fear more. So Harry says in the trailer, looking at William: “You were willing to lie to protect my brother. But you were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.” And Meghan emphasizes: “I wasn’t thrown to the wolves, I was fed to them.”
The main discussion is who is meant by “they”, the royal family or the media. The English word “they” leaves a lot of leeway. But the short clip is already enough for many.
“Harry and Meghan are going too far now,” Royals expert Angela Levin tweeted, followed by “PROVE IT” in capital letters. Sky News Royals reporter Laura Bundock was amazed that Harry filmed himself as the couple left the kingdom years ago on what the prince calls “flight to freedom.” “Did he get a call from Netflix back then, or did he know his story had value?”
It is widely believed that there will be no royal family return for the couple after the documentary. In any case, they had already resigned their honorary titles and patronages when they gave up their royal duties. But they were considered members of the family’s inner circle. Many commentators in Great Britain no longer see a chance for this. “This is certainly the beginning of the end of his relationship with William,” the Sun wrote of Harry.
Report on bullying allegations against Meghan
The 38-year-old is accused of stabbing his family in the back and soiling the memory of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. There are already rumors that the palace could retaliate by leaking a report to the media about allegations of bullying by employees against Meghan.
Only a third of Brits – mostly younger – still have a positive opinion of Harry, who twice served for his country in Afghanistan, according to the survey. On the other hand, 59 percent think negatively about him. The net result fell by 13 points to minus 26 compared to the previous survey in mid-November. Only a quarter of Britons see Meghan positively.
But there is also support for the couple, who have long lived in California with their children Archie (3) and Lilibet (1). The name of Prince Andrew – the brother of King Charles III – keeps coming up. has hardly been seen in public for years because of his involvement in a scandal surrounding sexual abuse. Nevertheless, he resides in the grounds of Windsor Castle and carries on his princely title. We’re talking about double standards.
The “War of the Windsors” enters a new round
After last Thursday’s “Volume I,” author Russ Jones sneered that he understood why the British media vilified a terrible member of the royal family who had brought shame on the Queen. “I just don’t understand why they chose the harmless black girl instead of the abusive white monster,” Jones tweeted – along with a photo of Andrew. Popular TV host Lorraine Kelly insisted that if Andrew and “some really shady” heads of state were invited to Charles’s coronation in May, then Harry and Meghan would have to be on the guest list as well.
The “War of the Windsors” enters the next phase on Thursday. But the Royals expert Nicoletta Gullace from the British University of New Hampshire urges calm. “The idea of a split in a royal family has been around for centuries,” she said. “Now there are two giant media machines: Netflix and the palace. They are fighting over who can capture the public’s attention.” It is not yet clear who will have the upper hand in the end.
Elsewhere people tend to make fun of the argument. The Duke of Sussex pub in Chiswick, London, named after the prince’s official title, is now offering a new beer: Harry’s Bitter.
Trailer on Twitter Times reporter Low Comment Sky News Sun column Tweet Russ Jones Chiswick Calendar report on beer at Duke of Sussex
