What we learn from ‘Harry & Meghan’ is that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are less interested in staying out of the spotlight than in staying in complete control of how that spotlight makes them look, writes Peggy Drexler. The fatal flaw for the couple and their series is in thinking they can dictate how others see them, Drexler writes, when in truth, none of us can.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced in early 2020 that they were stepping back from their roles as “senior” royals, effectively quitting the royal family, they described a culture of familial tension, relentless scrutiny and certain misogyny. They no longer wished to be trailed by the media, obsessed over, watched. Harry didn’t want to be constantly reminded of his mother’s tragic death every time he and Meghan were photographed; Meghan didn’t want to be tabloid fodder for what she wore, how she did her hair, where she was from or how much she did or didn’t enjoy the spotlight. They wanted to reach financial independence, live as regular people, raise their children in private.
And yet, here they are, taking part in — co-producing, in fact — “Harry & Meghan,” a new six-part docuseries whose first three episodes dropped this week, detailing their lives with a never-before-seen look into the couple’s “personal archive,” commentary from close friends and family members speaking out for the first time and lots of direct access to Harry and Meghan themselves in interviews filmed over the last few years. The series opens with individual self-taped video diaries by Harry and Meghan from back in 2020 — the first clue that perhaps they never really intended to keep their private life private after all.
