Almost three years after their break with the monarchy, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a plan: to settle their accounts in a documentary broadcast on Netflix since December 8.
Except that here, the revelations so explosive (and dreaded by the Palace) that we were all waiting for did not take place.
In video, the third trailer of the documentary
Harry and Meghan
In March 2021, facing Oprah Winfrey, the Sussex couple had however launched hostilities.
During this interview on American television, Meghan had notably described her psychological distress going as far as suicidal thoughts, and the indifference of the royal family in this regard.
The couple had also revealed the conversations regarding the skin color of their son Archie, which had taken place shortly before his birth.
So inevitably, with the release of the Netflix docu-series, we could imagine the worst.
But against all odds, the allegations of Meghan and Harry did not shake Buckingham, despite the charges against the "Firm" and in particular Prince William who takes it for his rank.
The documentary even leaves several questions unanswered.
Who cried before the wedding in 2019: Kate or Meghan?
The case had caused a stir in the British tabloids: a few days before the wedding of Meghan Markle with Prince Harry, an argument would have opposed the bride-to-be to Kate Middleton.
The object of this major diplomatic incident?
A disagreement over the outfits worn by the little bridesmaids, which included Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Kate and William.
And more specifically, on a dark case of pantyhose.
An article by
Tatler
, published in May 2020, said that the Duchess of Cambridge had burst into tears at the intransigence of Meghan Markle, who preferred that children not wear one.
However, the latter revealed to Oprah Winfrey, in March 2021, that things had not really happened like that.
“Did a situation arise in which she (
Kate Middleton, Ed.
) could have cried?” Asks the high priestess of American television.
Response from the main interested party: “No, no.
The opposite happened.
And I'm not saying that to be disparaging to anyone, because it happened during one of the tough weeks leading up to the wedding.
She was upset about something, but she admitted her wrong, and apologized."
So who is telling the truth?
In their Netflix documentary, the Sussexes do not return to the episode.
If they tackle Prince William several times, no attack is directed against “Perfect Kate”, as the English like to call her.
“Kate is untouchable.
She is very popular and has become a key part of the Windsor institution.
What's more, Meghan is a feminist and she
Madame Figaro
the specialist of royalty Marc Roche.
No one wants to see two women scrunching their buns."
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Did a "Tiaragate" pit Meghan Markle against Elizabeth II's dresser?
During the preparations for their wedding, the attitude of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had been criticized.
But an episode recently relayed in
Times
journalist Valentine Low's book,
Brokers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown
, had set fire to the powder: an incident that occurred when Meghan Markle had to choose her tiara.
As she had done for Kate Middleton, Elizabeth II had decided to lend Harry's then-fiancée a tiara for the big day.
To do this, Meghan and Harry had been invited a few months earlier to choose it together, under the watchful eye of Angela Kelly, the queen's dresser, also curator of the monarch's jewels.
Flat ?
The agenda of the latter was obviously never compatible with that of Meghan Markle.
This angered Harry, for whom this lack of availability was proof that Meghan was in fact not welcome in the royal family.
The end of the story goes to Elizabeth II.
Update on the case,
Who made a racist comment?
In her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle made a shocking revelation: "concerns" had been expressed about the skin color of their son Archie.
Members of the royal family would indeed have worried about “how dark it would be”.
Prince Harry, whose stepmother - Doria Ragland - is black, has vowed never to reveal which member of the royal family brought this 'concern' to him.
But since then, speculation has been rife.
In the English press, it was assumed that it was sometimes Prince Philip, the husband of Elizabeth II, sometimes Princess Anne.
True to his original promise, the Duke of Sussex said nothing more.
To everyone's surprise, no allusion to this comment is even made in the documentary.
Certainly,
On video, suicidal thoughts, racism …: the explosive secrets of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
What was really said during the negotiations of the “Sandringham summit”?
In episode 5 of the documentary, Prince Harry looks back on an emergency meeting held between him, his father Charles, his brother William and Queen Elizabeth II, in Sandringham, on January 13, 2020. A meeting intended to discuss the "Megxit" and the future of Harry within the royal family, and which would have taken place in a climate of the most tense.
And above all, without Meghan Markle, snubbed by the Windsors.
“Once there, I was given five options,” says the Duke of Sussex in front of the camera of director Liz Garbus.
“The first being 'no change', the fifth, 'total withdrawal'.
During the meeting, I chose option three, 'half and half': we would have our job, but we would also work in support of the queen.
However, the meeting quickly turned sour.
Harry does not go into details but for him, it is clear: the objective of the meeting "was not to discuss or debate".
“It was terrifying to see my brother yelling at me and my dad telling me inaccurate things and my grandma sitting there silently cashing in,” he continues.
Apart from these allegations, Harry and Meghan say nothing.
Was there talk of a financial deal between the couple and the royal family?
Did the Windsors seek to retain the Sussexes?
The mystery remains, for now, unsolved.
And no one knows if the content of the meeting will be revealed one day.
was terrifying to see my brother yelling at me and my dad telling me inaccurate things and my grandma sitting there silently cashing in,” he continues.
Apart from these allegations, Harry and Meghan say nothing.
Was there talk of a financial deal between the couple and the royal family?
Did the Windsors seek to retain the Sussexes?
The mystery remains, for now, unsolved.
And no one knows if the content of the meeting will be revealed one day.
was terrifying to see my brother yelling at me and my dad telling me inaccurate things and my grandma sitting there silently cashing in,” he continues.
Apart from these allegations, Harry and Meghan say nothing.
Was there talk of a financial deal between the couple and the royal family?
Did the Windsors seek to retain the Sussexes?
The mystery remains, for now, unsolved.
And no one knows if the content of the meeting will be revealed one day.
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Is Harry really at odds with William?
They have been said coldly for a few years, since the entry of Meghan Markle into the royal family, some claim.
Still, no one really knows if the brothers.
Certainly, no one will deny it, the tensions between the two brothers are real.
During their joint public appearances, it is rare to see them speak to each other or even exchange glances.
What's more, in his Netflix documentary, Harry is not tender with his eldest, whom he accuses of having betrayed him by participating in the "unhealthy game" of the Crown with the British tabloids.
The Duke of Sussex also says he is “saddened” to see his brother take the side of “the institution”.
A sequence, aired in the sixth episode of
Harry & Meghan
, also sows doubt about the relationship between the two sons of Charles III.
We then see Harry handing his phone to Meghan to read a text message sent by William, just after their interview with Oprah Winfrey, March 7, 2021. The reaction of the latter: an impressed “wow”, but not outraged .
Harry, meanwhile, looks stunned.
“I would like to know what to do,” he murmurs, while his wife takes him in her arms.
And advises him to take a break, to get some fresh air, before deciding anything.
Outraged message or olive branch?
We will probably never know the content of this SMS, but everything suggests that their agreement is not really in good shape.
Read also“It was terrifying to see my brother yelling at me”: the documentary
Harry & Meghan
, a full-scale attack on Prince William
What future for the Sussexes?
If Meghan and Harry appear more than happy in California today, surrounded by their two children Archie and Lilibet and far from the killer front pages of the British tabloids, one question remains: what will become of them after all this?
As the
Daily Mail
reports , some royal family experts believe that now the attacks on the royal family will stop, and the Netflix documentary was the highlight of the show.
Even if we are still waiting for Harry's memoirs (
Spare
, to be published in January).
Beyond this publication, we do not know at all what Meghan and Harry intend to do with their days.
The Duchess of Sussex could record the second season of her
Archetypes podcast
, but nothing is signed yet with Spotify.
While continuing to engage in the Invictus Games (a competition for war veterans, injured soldiers and people with disabilities created by Prince Harry), the couple could also produce new documentaries or series for Netflix, with whom they had inked a juicy $100 million deal in 2020, except again, nothing was announced.
Suspense...
In video, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry compete in ping-pong in the Invictus Games trailer