Harry spills on 'dirty game' in Netflix doc trailer
Paula Rösler
December 6, 2022
In the trailer for the docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Prince Harry suggests there was "planting of stories" about Meghan. They want to present their version of the rift with the royal family.
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It wouldn't be a documentary series about the royal family without a dose of drama.
The second trailer for the upcoming Netflix six-part documentary series, "Harry & Meghan," suggests that's exactly what viewers will get.
The trailer opens with Meghan's entry into the royal family and her treatment by the public as "a royal rock star."
Then "everything" changed, says the trailer, which goes on to link Meghan's experience with that of Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 and suffered emotionally as a part of the royal family.
"It's a dirty game," says Prince Harry. "The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy..." states Harry, while we see an image of his mother, Princess Diana.
Harry also alludes to the ranks of members of the royal family. "There's a hierarchy of the family. You know there's leaking, but there's also planting of stories."
This trailer paints a grim picture of the couple who stepped back as senior members of the British royal family in 2020. It also also brings up the issue of race, featuring a commentator saying, "It's about hatred. It's about race."
"There was a war against Meghan to suit other people's agendas," another commentator says.
The new Netflix series comes with a warning that it deals with "discrimination."
Meanwhile, Harry's brother, Prince William has told British media that he plans to strike back at any false accusations that may arise against the royal family in the bombshell documentary.
Former royals unafraid to speak out
The tone of the second trailer is different than the first for the six-part documentary series produced by Netflix.
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The first trailer, released last week, was dramatically edited, accompanied by sentimental music, and moves at a fast pace.
Both trailers make it clear that that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are not afraid anymore to publicly talk about their feelings.
In the first trailer, launched last week, the couple elaborates on why they wanted to make this six-part docuseries. They want to reveal the "other side of their high-profile love story."
Harry describes himself as a caring family man, stating: "No one sees what's happening behind closed doors."
The trailer shows never-before-seen photographs of the couple. Some are candid, but oftentimes Meghan is also seen crying, wiping tears from her face or throwing her head in her hands. Harry says, "I had to do everything I could to protect my family."
'Hear the story from us'
With these statements, the couple alludes to their dramatic departure from the British royal family and the experiences that led to this decision. "When the stakes are this high, doesn't it make more sense to hear the story from us?" says Meghan at the end of the melodramatic initial trailer.
When Harry and Meghan opened up about their relationship with the other royals in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, it plunged the institution into its biggest crisis of recent times. They had accused the royal palace of racism and lack of support.
Top scandals involving British royals
Fans of the British royal family are also in love with their scandals. Prince Harry and Meghan's interview is one recent case, but there have been many preceding it.
Image: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/REUTERS
A model for Harry and Meghan?
Their love moved the world: King Edward VIII was unable to marry the divorced American Wallis Simpson because he was the head of the Anglican Church and so decided to step down from the throne after only 326 days. The couple did get married, on June 3, 1937 at the Cande castle in France. The scandal rocked the royal household.
Image: The Print Collector/Heritage-Images/picture alliance / Heritage-Images
Princess Margaret's divorce
Queen Elizabeth's youngest sister was one of the most glamorous members of the royal family: She loved parties, alcohol and had affairs. She had two children with her husband, the Earl of Snowdon. The couple separated in March 1976, making Margaret the first royal to divorce — after Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Image: Dalmas/AFP/Getty Images
Snapshots from married life
Not everyone believes that the riding teacher James Hewitt was Lady Diana's first extra-marital lover. There is another rumor that she had an affair with her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee in the 1980s. When Prince Charles confessed to having cheated on her, Lady Diana also admitted having a relationship with Hewitt. Could he be Prince Harry's biological father?
Image: Camera Press/ZUMA Wire/imago images
Charles and the tampon affair
Prince Charles is shown here leading his second wife Camilla Parker Bowles to the altar. His first marriage with Lady Diana had failed. Their fights exposed intimate secrets, including a flirty telephone conversation between Charles and Camilla, which became known as "Tampongate," as it revealed one of the prince's most cringeworthy fantasies.
Image: UPI Photo/imago images
The Queen's silence
A year after her official divorce from Prince Charles, Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed died in a car crash, leaving Britain in shock. Yet it took a long time for the Queen to react with a word of sympathy. Her silence was met with huge criticism; every fourth Brit advocated the abolition of the monarchy. Only days later did the royals reach out to the grieving people.
Image: Dave Chancellor/Zumapress/IMAGO
'Harry the Nazi'
Drugs, alcohol and parties earned the prince the nickname, "Dirty Harry." Once, he also managed to get caught stark naked at a Las Vegas party by the tabloids. And a picture of the 20-year-old royal dressed as Nazi officer Erwin Rommel, complete with the swastika, was lapped up by the press.
Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture-alliance
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
Could Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's second son and the ex-husband of Sarah Ferguson, be involved in sex scandals related to Jeffrey Epstein? The American investment banker is believed to have run a sex-trafficking operation with minor girls. Epstein committed suicide before his trial began.
Image: Steve Parsons/empics/picture alliance
The bombshell
Around 50 million people watched Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan. The two revealed serious allegations against the British royal family and also accused them of being racist. When Meghan was pregnant with her son Archie, she said there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born."
Image: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/REUTERS
The Queen breaks her silence
In the meantime, Buckingham palace has said that the Queen is taking the accusations of racism "very seriously." In a statement issued on her behalf, the palace announced that the royal family was "saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," adding that the accusations by Meghan and Harry would be dealt with privately.
Image: Steve Parsons/AP/picture alliance
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Meghan under pressure
"I just didn't want to be alive anymore," the duchess told Winfrey, adding that she "just didn't see a solution" to the barrage of negative reports about her. She would ask her husband and the palace for help, but was scared because "this was real, this was not some abstract idea." The pressure on her during her time at the palace was enormous, the former actress said in the televised interview.
The Netflix docuseries will premiere in two parts, with the first three episodes debuting on December 8, and the last three on December 15.
Harry is also preparing for the release of his autobiography in January.
This article was originally written in German. It was updated on December 6 after the release of the second trailer for the series.