Harry and Meghan Netflix documentary

[Karin1984]

Jezebel isn't the biggest website, but as it for women, by women, I am going to include them. Plus they want to be a more feminist counterpoint for traditional women's magazines.

I had never heard of Jezebel, but the Daily Mail (of course, who else) found them with a negative review. The headline is: the sorry case of media Stockholm syndrome.

Yes, they are not fully positive, but there is a lot of sympathy for the couple's decisions.

The final lines of the article:
"As much as the media has hurt Harry and Meghan, now that they’re free of their royal duties, this documentary proves that it’s also become their only lifeline. It seems like the trauma of having to do damage control for so long has convinced them both that even the measliest straw must be spun into gold to satiate the hungry media, creating flattering (but painfully hollow) content for the type of image sterilization no longer required of them.

In any case, I sincerely hope that the worst of their storm is over, and that Harry, Meghan, their kids, and their loved ones can all live out their boring lives unbothered. And I also sincerely hope that this is the last I hear of any of it."

 

[BayouQueen]

***

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

not sure how they avoid getting some kind of job...like the rest of us

I wonder if part of attempts to keep them in the limelight is in part because she doesn't want to have to go back to what probably seems now a very boring life. It's not as if she didn't do work in the past as being an actress so she knows what can come with more "normal" work and I say normal that way because merely being an actress must be blase to her having been a royal no matter how much effort they out in to distance themselves from being royal, eventually reality will set in just don't know when for them.

 

[HopperFan]

Huffpost has also published their review. One takeaway is the headline: "H&M was made for them, not for us."
I would say sympathy from the US audience as well, but also largely for themselves. Makes you think if they would watch back their unedited 15 hour of vlogs. Something they do on a Saturday night with popcorn.

Some more thoughts I had today:

- They should have left out the story about they thought their house was too small. That it was called a "palace", but it was not. In no way, especially now, is it a good look to complain about a free house.

- I wonder if they staged them packing up in Frogmore Cottage or them bringing on a glamour photographer to every aspect of their lives is just a their thing.

- If they have their staff taking candid pictures of their lives, would they have it in the job profile? "Must have a degree in photography."

- I thought they would include more about Archie and Lili's births.

- Netflix says 28 million people watched, I wonder how many of them are reporters watched it and kept going back to analyze every comma and made screenshots of every second.

All good points.
I did find the comments about the small house to be particularly jarring -- and especially their citing corroboration from Oprah, who lives quite large. That bit was especially tone-deaf.

WAIT ... they said Frogmore Cottage was too small? Really?

 

[Skywalker]

Wow. There's so much wrong with your post I don't know where to start. So I'm just not going to touch it. But if you ever want to be schooled on race-relations let me know, I teach in the Ivy Leagues about the subject and would be happy to provide you with journal articles and books. Race and racism are VERY much alive and well in all aspects of society and VERY easy to see. Particularly when you aren't white.

Oh yes, by the way I am biracial in the same way Meghan Markle is (black mother, white father). By all means, school me with your Ivy league journals. Thanks.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I'm wondering if Krampus has room for these two on his dinner menu. It would eliminate lots of headaches for family and strangers in the future!

 

[BayouQueen]

***

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

Oh yes, by the way I am biracial in the same way Meghan Markle is (black mother, white father). By all means, school me with your Ivy league journals. Thanks.

And you agree that race isn't a thing in society? I somehow doubt it since you identify as bi-racial so I'm not sure why you directed this at me.

 

[HopperFan]

Yup. Hard times.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...d-small-size-Nottingham-Cottage-went-tea.html

Oh they were talking about Nottingham Cottage which is MUCH smaller than their home at Frogmore Cottage (10 bedrooms). It is on the grounds of Kensington so lots of outdoor space.

Ironically William, Kate AND George lived in Nottingham Cottage prior to Harry moving in as his bachelor pad. He and Meghan moved into their estate home Frogmore before Archie was born. William & Kate managed to make it work without complaining on tv.

 

[MrsPete]

For a couple who wanted to avoid the limelight - they sure have an odd way of doing it

I watched a portion of the Netflix story.

It seemed to me that they were very much creating a narrative that made them look like saints -- saints who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their stories tended to go something like this: "We entered into ___ with innocent, good intentions, but ___ did us wrong. We tried ever so hard to fix it, but ___ happened."

It had a very "put together by influencers" feel.

That "Woe is me" narrative might be true once or twice in your life, but at some point you've gotta say, "Hmmm, this keeps happening. It might just be me." Everyone in your life isn't going to turn on you and do you wrong.

He kept saying 'She does not have a father anymore.'" And I feel bad because she had a father, then met me and now she does not have a father.

My father did some pretty bad things when I was young, and his choices have affected my life a great deal. BUT when he dying and I was inclined to do nothing /stay away, my grandmother said, "Go. You'll never have another chance." She was so right. No, we didn't have some big "moment", but I'm glad I saw him once more -- I saw him with adult eyes, and I went away understanding a little better.

Megan has a father and has every opportunity to see her father -- she should take that opportunity.

H&M seem more relaxed in this footage than I’ve seen them before. They strike me as decently grounded people who are probably a good match for each other.

What I saw was two people who had carefully curated what they wanted the world to see.

I do agree that they're a good match for each other, and that's good since they seem to be alienating themselves from their families.

Meghan claims that she was never aware of her skin colour, until she moved to the UK.

Yeah, her Netflix stories on that front didn't add up.

Thing is, she's barely bi-racial at all. I watched Suits before she was in the spotlight, and I genuinely didn't recognize that she was bi-racial until it came up in the storyline.

I think she believed she would be able to create her own role within the family without interference. And that she would be able to make changes where necessary.

Yeah, I think she believed she'd go over there and be instantly beloved, another Diana -- but she wasn't prepared for the reality of it, and she was so often compared to Kate. Kate grew up knowing more about the Royals than Megan, and Kate has been "in that world" long enough to have learned the ropes. Inevitably, Megan came up short.

I love that Charles and company are just going about their normal days.

Well, they really don't have a choice. If they react, they lose.

Edward wasn’t Harry’s Great Grandfather - he was the late Queen’s uncle. She never forgave him for abdicating as her father’s and subsequently her lives were forever altered. This is the reason why she never gave up the throne even whilst getting on in age.

If you hate your Uncle Edward, why would you name one of your three sons Edward?

Harry inherited $10 million from Diana.
I believe I once read they need about $2-3 million per year for security costs.

I have no idea what security at that level costs, but I do believe evil people exist -- people who would love to kidnap those children.

i think back on how jackie kennedy found somewhat of a balance with the media and the frenzy over her children. she released photos and arranged for some private photo opportunities in exchange for some privacy.

Yes, Jackie Kennedy did seem to manage with class and style, and she was absolutely devoted to doing her best for her children -- BUT let's not forget that she lived in a world with much less media. She had the class to weather her scandals in private.

... Actually Meghan reminds me very much of a friend I used to have ... To hear her speak she would never think she was a bad person or a trouble maker, she was in her mind, 100% a victim. Some people are just....damaged.

Yep, sounds like what I said above: One person here and there, a couple people over the course of a lifetime might really kick you in the teeth and betray you ... but if EVERYONE is doing it, you've gotta look at whether you yourself are the problem.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

I can't with "I teach in the Ivy Leagues". Do you mean all of the schools? Does that give you some kind of credit that others don't have because they don't teach "in the Ivy Leagues"? I don't think my opinion on anything carries more weight because I went to an Ivy League college. What an elitist and entitled thing to say.

 

[RoseGold]

'

And it is a interesting question for sure: when you look at Meghan's previous husband and boyfriends before Harry, you can see each man is a little bit higher on the social ladder. (Producer, pro-golfer, celebrity chef)

Who is higher on the (US) social ladder than Prince Harry?

Spoiler alert: It's Tyler Perry.

Neither of them are in the same league as Tyler Perry. That was obvious.

Spoiler: someone is making a lot of money off of all of this...

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

I mean, yes? It baffles me when people react badly to someone saying they are an expert in a field that is being discussed. Don't you want to go to the best oncologist when you're sick? Or a credentialed lawyer when you need legal help? Or a licensed plumber when a pipe bursts instead of random guy off the street that says he once read an article about water?

In this very thread people are citing journalists writing reviews of the series--a review from someone who is known for critiquing documentaries and the evidence they present ought to be worth more than a random person on the internet posting about it. It's their field. They know it backwards and forwards and that sort of insight is always valuable even if you might not agree with it.

 

[RangerPooh]

I’ve read a few articles highlighting Meghan and Harry complaining about Nottingham Cottage. Complaints about size and ceiling height. I’m, it’s old. People were shorter. At least the homes been renovated over the years. I looked up the cottages square footage, it’s 1300+ square feet.

Nottingham Cottage seems very reasonable to me. I grew up in a 1250 ft 3bed/2bath home. My own family of 6 lived in a few rentals that size. Sorry, but their comments are out of touch.

 

[Karin1984]

Here is another interesting debunked claim. H&M claim the palace leaked the bully story right at the time of the Oprah interview to shame Meghan.

The Times says: true, the timing was no coincidence. But it were the bullied aides who approached us, not the Palace. They wanted to have their voices heard.

The article ends with this: "In the documentary Meghan does not deny the bullying claim or say that it was unfair. She is silent. She just lets James Holt and Prince Harry speak for her. And, in reality, they have nothing to say either."

The journalist also adds, he never hid the fact about the timing, so it is weird that James Holt uses it as evidence to show it was a sneaky move.

 

[Karin1984]

#giggle

 

[Karin1984]

In the category: It's funny, because it's true. And also sad, because it's true.
It can be used for the British Press, who might really think this, and you can also use it for H&M, only they are unaware this is the vibe they give off.

 

[Karin1984]

I was looking for youtube reviews and found that there are actually very little. So people who review stuff for a living are not the people watching H&M.

One I found, and haven't seen yet (it is over 2 hours long and I am 'at work') is this one from Kimberly Nicole Foster. She is a Harvard grad with a love for reality tv. She has a lot of content about being and celebrities of colour. She has made more about Meghan.

But what got my attention was the aim at Doria, who failed Meghan for not preparing her for the real world being a person of colour. The top comments have interesting remarks about the situation.

Probably worth a watch.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace was known as Harry’s “bachelor pad”; prior to that, William and Kate lived there. Harry lived there alone after he moved out of his Dad’s house, Clarence House, when he came home from the army. He lived there for years before Meghan visited, then moved in.

Diana’s home since her marriage to Charles was Kensington Palace, so essentially William and Harry grew up there. William and Kate have Apartment 1A, which had extensive renovations (second link below). But W, K and H all worked together prior to Harry’s meeting Meghan, so it made sense for them to be there together. Plans were for Harry, as a Senior Royal, to eventually move into one of the other, larger Kensington apartments when one was vacated. If I recall correctly, some others were either asked, or volunteered, to move for them. So this whole Nottingham Cottage being “too small” (for Oprah) is really laughable. It worked for a long time for Harry. It was home.

When H&M married, The Queen gifted them Frogmore Cottage, which is on the grounds of Windsor Castle roughly 18 miles away. I think at that time that it had become clear that H&M, sadly, wanted some space away from W&K, and were making moves to separate from them not just physically, but with their charitable work, which previously they ran together. Interestingly, Willliam and Kate recently moved their family to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Estate, as well, so their children can go to school there. Eventually, Windsor Castle will be theirs.

As Americans it’s a little difficult to picture what somewhere like Kensington Palace is like:

 

[dvcgirl67]

Thanks for sharing your final impressions after watching. It really is all sad, but I don't think it's "a family blown to pieces." The family seems to be in solidarity. H&M have chosen not to be a part of that family.

That's how it worked in our own family, when we had a really destructive one person trying to bust us up. Eventually doors were shut and that person just went off to stew in their own juices. Sad indeed, but shattering our family would have been sadder.

I guess I mean the "immediate family" of Charles and his two sons William and Harry.. That unit will never be the same. One thing I don't understand is why the Royals didn't try and support the South Africa or Canada plan more forcefully? I mean, I get it leaked to the press, and that then "discussions" began in the media. But so what, things leak all the time on a zillion different fronts. Why did that mean they couldn't move to South Africa or Canada? I think maybe there's more to the story there than H&M shared.

Another thing that kind of struck me was that while the media scrutiny was indeed intense at times, it was pretty short in the scheme of things. H&M had nearly all good press from the time their relationship was revealed on through to the wedding....about two years. Things seem to turn negative by summer of 2018, and by early 2020 they were out. I know it was intense, and I get it was very hard on them. But in my experience things go in cycles in that press world. One year you're up...then you're a pariah. Look at Charles....did anyone think he'd be *married* to Camilla and that they both would enjoy the popularity that they do now? Many of the Royals have had their ups and downs.

I mean, I think back to my own marriage (we hit 25 years this coming May), and my own insecurities of trying to fit into my husband's family as a newlywed. You sometimes initially feel like "an other"... and it takes time to find your footing. I *know* it's not the same, but at times Meghan speaks with such surety and authority about "the institution" and the family....and I couldn't help but think....."you were just getting started". I wonder if there will be regrets for not sticking around longer.