Meghan Confirms Sussex Reality Show
Why Netflix Docuseries is Harry and Meghan’s Riskiest Gamble
Why Netflix Docuseries is Harry and Meghan’s Riskiest Gamble
Meghan’s latest interview about Meghan hit the internet this week. This time it was Variety, another magazine keeping to the same formula, glossy photos and (not so) deep conversation.
It was most noteworthy for confirming the worst kept secret in the world. Despite halfhearted denials, and coy responses to a reporter at The Cut, Meghan and Harry are in fact doing a reality series for Netflix about a topic near and dear to their hearts, themselves. Sorry, make that docuseries. Actually, sorry, it’s apparently a “historical documentary” about “our love story.” I think. (*subject to change)
Despite this newsworthy item, no sooner had Meghan confirmed it then the reporter moved right on to other hard-hitting questions, like “You didn’t grow up pretty?” and “What are the biggest misconceptions about you?”
(I’m half expecting Meghan to answer with that great Bette Midler line from Beaches, “Enough about me, let’s talk about you! What do you think of me?”)
So, details are still scarce, but here’s what we do know from the brief excerpt about the docuseries:
VARIETY: What can we expect from Liz Garbus’ docuseries on you and your husband?
MM: It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.
It’s interesting that Meghan made a deliberate choice to imply that she and Harry don’t have final say in this finished product. Which seems very strange, and frankly, a bit unbelievable, given their negotiating power at the time. Surely, they insisted they’d be the ultimate executive producers for such a personal project?
Was her comment a preemptive strike because they couldn’t get the rumoured edits they wanted, after Queen Elizabeth II died?
Is, “it didn’t go through our lens” intended for palace aides, and more importantly, one King Charles III?
I can imagine Harry’s phone call now, “It’s not the way WE see you Pa, it’s how the meanies at Netflix see you!!”
It’s strange for someone to mention not once, but twice, that “it’s not the way we would have told it” — in what’s already a very brief remark about a relatively newsworthy topic. Is Meghan laying the groundwork to defend themselves, if the series is not well received? Separating yourself from something so personal before it’s even aired, is noteworthy.
Though that’s not a bad strategy, given Harry and Meghan keep getting into trouble by tripping up over their own words, repeatedly chipping away at their shrinking reputation. From the clangers on Oprah, to The Cut, to two new chats just this week, examples of their varied recollections, are constantly growing.
On Wednesday, it was Harry talking about mental health at a conference in San Francisco, reportedly saying he had never heard the word “therapy” as a member of the Royal Family. That was news to, well, just about everyone.
Mental health was a cornerstone of Harry’s work as a Prince, even undertaking a massive campaign with The Prince and Princess of Wales. He has talked openly in past interviews about therapy, saying his brother William encouraged him to see a therapist to deal with their mother’s death. Harry even told a conference in 2020 that he had been in therapy for seven years, as a working member of the Royal Family.
For her part, Meghan landed in two messes of her own making this week as well. First, also in Variety, she seemed to accuse the reporter at The Cut of taking advantage of her, saying she had been “too open and trusting.” That led to swift industry reaction.
Add that to Meghan’s own comments in her podcast this week, about her experience on the game show Deal or No Deal, and how being one of the models reportedly made her feel like a bimbo. Saying there were actual stations where models had to line up to get everything from fake eyelashes to padding for their bras.
Only problem? According to other women, they were working models, not “bimbos” — and those stations never existed. Headlines of the others contradicting Meghan’s claims spread like wildfire.
Which leads us to the biggest problem Harry and Meghan have, a problem that will surely be magnified during hours of this Netflix series.
They often seem to embellish their stories. Or, more bluntly, they don’t always seem to be telling the truth.
As Liz Truss just found out, Harry and Meghan may be approaching a lettuce watch of their own and nearing the end of their shelf life.
Their biggest ticket is their Royal connection. Once you use that up, do they have that much to say? And much of what they do say, often elicits more questions than answers. THEIR truth doesn’t always seem to be THE truth.
Every time they make comments that are easily disproven, from serious matters to silly, minor anecdotes, they hurt their own reputation.
If this is what happens in brief remarks, what will hours of a docuseries on Netflix reveal? I’d be very worried about that, especially if I were in any way connected to them or dependent on them for a livelihood.
Camera footage is not forgiving. What you say and what you do is recorded right then, right there, and if an obvious theme about you appears to the crew in post-production, it will only be amplified in the editing. If the Sussexes really didn’t lock down final approval on the production, watch out.
I know the reaction of their fans will be, “It’s the press misconstruing everything they say!”
Here’s the thing. EVEN if their remarks are exaggerated in the press, the reality is that regular headlines like, “Meghan’s claim disputed” or “Harry’s story is false, here’s why” — are damaging. Most PR experts will tell you, it’s very difficult to recover and come back if the audience decides you can’t be trusted.
There’s been a lot of criticism of Harry and Meghan’s projects, and many loud calls for them to cancel their Netflix series and Harry’s book, for the sake of The Royal Family.
I have a more direct suggestion for them.
Cancel that series for your own sake. It’s a rare person who can survive hours of cameras watching their every move, and still come out the other side with their reputation intact. And I’m sorry to say, you don’t seem to have that ability.
Proceed with the Netflix series at your own peril. I hope you’ve already made your money, as it may end up being the costliest thing you’ve ever done.