Are Netflix secretly playing Harry and Meghan?

[username8888]

H&M think they are dictating the Netflix narrative, but I wonder if Netflix are actually playing a longer game? This was billed as their story, but they are so tone deaf and are exposing themselves to ridicule with their ham fisted attempts to justify their behaviour. It's so full of ridiculous unsubstantiated statements and generalisations with no evidence to back it up. It's using stock photographs of photographers that have nothing to do with them. Why not show real photographers? A ridiculous car chase with a lone photographer on a moped provoking panic and faux fear in the couple is laughable. And as for Harry's face as Meghan takes the piss out of the queen? This was definitely seen by the editors who chose to leave it in.

Will Netflix get a double helping from this series with the candy-floss fluff that's the first airing, with a second being the dissection of this sad and deluded pair?

Why are people so insistent that it was a drunk driver OR the paparazzi that killed Diana? It was a combination of both. They wouldn’t have had to change plans so often or tried to outsmart the paps by leaving from the back of the Ritz and driving ridiculously fast if they weren’t being hounded across Paris in the first place. AND their chauffeur was over the limit and not able to make good judgements.

There’s always potential for danger when a lot of vehicles are chasing a target vehicle, instead of just driving along a street and attending to the road. Surely people can understand that?

And the defensiveness and small-mindedness of pps on here bleating “well it wasn’t the British paparazzi” who chased Diana, well no it wasn’t, but British people, along with many other nationalities, were responsible for buying tabloid newspapers, which created the market for photographs in the first place. It was well documented at the time that sales of a newspaper doubled if a photo of Diana was on the cover.

H & M were not saying that all of the British public are racist either. They said how welcomed they felt by the public but that the press attention started to get too intrusive bordering on dangerous. For example Meghan was sent white powder in an envelope and received a death threat. Wouldn’t you want your wife and dc out of there in that situation?

Everyone needs to read a copy of the Leveson enquiry Part One in to dubious press practices and be aware that the then culture secretary, the “lovely” Matt Hancock shelved the commissioning of Part Two in 2018, and not a lot relating to press standards has changed or improved since then.

It’s really a disgrace that powerful tabloids can write virtually anything they like about anyone, it doesn’t have to have even the mildest basis in truth, and very few people can afford to take them to court over it.

But apparently everyone hoovers up the racist and misogynistic bile that the Daily Mail and other red tops put out there every day, and no one gives a shit! I think H & M were responding to that rather than accusing the British public directly of racism. But it’s impossible to totally ignore the question : if we read the Daily Mail does that make us racist and misogynistic too?

@AndEverWhoKnew

Laughable.

I am not white & I am unfortunately british & disgusted by us politics.

But the fact that I am british means I am more embarrassed by my own countries behaviours media and institutions than those of the us. Of which I have no control over. Not that I have much in the UK but I can vote and choose not to buy the gutter press or support the monarchy.

So off you pop with your ridiculous comments.

I haven't watched it but I know several people who have and say M and H come across well. I couldn't care less about it all. I neither like them nor dislike them. Let them get on with it. I'm only interested in my own life and the well being of my loved ones.

if we read the Daily Mail does that make us racist and misogynistic too?

there were literally hundreds of BTL comments on the Daily Mail website prior to the England game yesterday seriously hoping that England would lose to France - the reason being that England engages in a 5 second gesture before kickoff in solidarity with victims of racial abuse (with a couple of their own players present on the field having received disgusting online racial abuse just a couple of years ago). It is an absolutely toxic and disgraceful rag and some of the people who read it are equally culpable as the editors/owners etc.

^ 😃😃😃

This is genius!

Quite - and let's not forget Jimmy Savile was accused MANY times in that period; there's no way Charles didn't know. He was even one of the first to express sadness at JS's death (as was Piers Morgan, interestingly- who said he'd met JS at a function, then later (after the stories came out) claimed he'd never met him at all In addition, PM mingled in the same circles as Prince Andrew and has been one of the main commentators who has deliberately used Meghan to deflect attention from PA)

If I knew about JS before his death - little old me, in a small town in the NE with no celebrity connections and no access to sensitive police data how the fuck did the Royals not know? Of course they did - people think their 'never complain never explain' is a virtue; it's really just a tactic they employ to not drop themselves in the shit.

Why has our Head of State not been asked about his close friendship with JS? Why are these people so untouchable?

And yet she is biracial - that is her heritage, and she has family members who are black. Presumably they have experienced racism in the US, and despite that, she chose to enter into the RF and marry Harry. It does not take a genius to work out that just because you haven’t experienced racism in the UK personally doesn’t mean it doesn’t actually exist.

I’m white and wouldn’t have touched him with someone else’s bargepole for his racist views.

Im no royalist but watched the doc to form my own opinion, having been intrigued by the negativity on here, finding it boring more than anything. Very easy to go looking for a comment or short excerpt & interpret that Meghan is definitely a truly awful person as that fits the narrative fed by the press for years.
Not sure how they’d make money if not by using their public profile & equally if that was possible for them Im sure the press would switch the narrative to saying they were awful people for not giving an interview/sharing their lives publicly. Ultimately i don’t think they’ll ever “do right” by the press (& therefore the public who seem to lap it up) & in a context where their every move is scrutinised & criticised fair play to them for raking in some cash for a fairly dull/non revealing doc. Not sure if they hoped it may change any opinions but I hope they get that’s not possibly regardless of what they do.

Well, you are you, and she is Meghan.

Princess Diana was not hounded to death by the paps, she died because she chose not to wear a seatbelt.

The problem with this subject is that it's virtually impossible to have a balanced, nuanced conversation about it because emotions are running so high, and both sides are so utterly entrenched in their views.

But FWIW, this is what I think.

I don't think racism is at the root of MOST of the criticism aimed at Meghan - and it feels as if that's a very easy blow to land because it's hard to defend against without sounding like a raging Nazi yourself. I think culture played a large part in why she got a hard time - so you could say maybe xenophobia? That's very different to racism. Meghan is so "white-passing" that I don't see racism as the root cause. I think it's the fact that she's a very different type of person than the UK is used to seeing in our royal family, and that's largely due to the fact she's American and in the entertainment industry.

I'm not a fan of H and M now, I'll be honest about that. I don't like the way they threw their family to the press after saying how dangerous and manipulative the press are, to then say what they did about their family shows they don't really give a shit about anyone else. Harry knew the shit that it would bring to the royals, and having said that the paparazzi are so dangerous, he's happy to throw his family to the press?? I also dislike lies - and lots of the things they said were either exaggerated or contradictory. And that means I find it hard to believe the things they said which were unprovable.

Yet, I can still say that it must have been horrible for Meghan. No amount of preparation could have gotten her ready for the onslaught of the paparazzi. Catherine had a shitty time back in the day too, as did Fergie and Diana. Actually, Fergie and Di had it worse as laws have tightened up since then. But that doesn't make it right that it's continuing.

It's possible to feel a bit sorry for her, to support them going off to do their own thing while also not liking how they've gone about it.

Why has our Head of State not been asked about his close friendship with JS? Why are these people so untouchable?

I think because anyone demonstrating evidence powerful enough to bring down the monarchy would be identified as an enemy of the state. Even as a theoretically protected American citizen, I don’t for one second blame Virginia what’s her name for taking the settlement money.

She herself said she didn't and that it wasn't until the UK that her race made any difference. This is at odds with what she said to Oprah so who knows, her truth seems to change depending on the weather. Weaponsing race is very good for the US audience (their target) though so it's not surprising this is the focus despite her identifying herself as Caucasian in her early days in the industry. Even her first manager in the documentary says he didn't know she wasn't white for ages- depending on event depends how dark she decides to tan as well, definitely zero agenda though.

I don’t for one second blame Virginia what’s her name for taking the settlement money.

Same. I think she was ridiculously brave to take them on in the first place. The most she was ever going to get from that whole ordeal was her story heard - PA was never going to face any real consequences for his actions. She did what she set out to do, good for her!

I think had Harry married a mixed race woman born and brought up in the UK there would still have been racism, just think there is more because Meghan is from the US.

Yes I am me - but let’s leave my predilection for having nothing to do with openly racist people and their families and focus on MM’s willingness to ignore the lived experiences of millions of others who have experienced racism in the UK and elsewhere and marry a man whose racist views are well documented.

To be fair if it went to court he would never have been found guilty anyway. She was of legal age in the country it took place, no one would be able to prove that he knew she was sex trafficked and even she isn't claiming he threw himself at her. I absolutely believe her by the way and think he is a disgusting individual but the reason he didn't go to court I suspect was because there would be a huge pulling of evidence from him and people around him which 'they' didn't want.

What's the reason they are not ditching their archaic tittles? Curtsying is a 30 second gesture, you could say like bowing to your partner before you start a square dance.

The Duke of Sussex is a hangover from the times when whole swathes of the land and the livelihoods of those who lived ( tried to live ) on it were gifted to a high-up who had pleased the monarch. (Think of Macbeth being given the title of Lord of Cawdor.)

If you are heavily into democracy and very much against out of date ceremonials then discard, or at least, don't use your titles.

I haven't seen Meghan commenting about people curtsying to her, when she was a Royal. And it wasn't going to be in the recent programmes, because, for these, Harry and Meghan had their bed heads on: they were channelling young in love teenagers, giggling over some silly mistakes and weird customs they had encountered. ( But not alien to Harry, of course, but he goes along with the general theme of any public pronouncements). They were like the characters from the Katy Perry video for Teenage Dream - spontaneous and innocent. For this video. For others and other interviews, they have been a bit menacing, or very right on and serious, but this was a new pantomime, new personas.

The curtsey was theatrical and aiming for recognition humour. A lot of people have had moments like that: your new boyfriend's father says grace before dinner and you don't know whether to say 'Amen'. Your friend calls their husband Pastor, because he is a minister, instead of using his name, and you don't know whether to call him Tim or Pastor. Even, boss moments , when you're sharing a lift to a conference can be awkward and, in retrospect, hilarious as you think of your gaffes.

When do you tell these anecdotes? You have to judge the impact on the other player in this amusing anecdote- telling. It was a bit off and, as usual, there was the big disconnect. You can't be a serious grown adult, into politics, and not be aware of the bigger picture of what you are saying.

In this case, there is a suggestion that Meghan was almost toppling over, or having to perform a movement which seemed very unnatural to her and almost painful. The suggestion is she was made to feel uncomfortable. . And the 'Its a pleasure to meet you' was a bit bourgeois and not really fitting with meeting the Queen. Just a couple of words and a smile - more like it. But, I'm sure the Queen or her husband didn't complain. They've put up with Harry's antics, when he was single and still indulge, they are not that unbending and stuffy.

This is what I thought too. It never crossed my mind she was mocking the queen.

and this is going to be the problem, you see it one way and others will genuinely see it as mocking the queen.

I saw it as mocking the queen and didn’t cross my mind she was mocking herself

i watched it through curiosity, and with an open mind. That display about curtsying I thought she was taking the piss and didn’t like her for it

I keep seeing it all over the news.

Honestly couldn't care less about them.

I must admit the general consensus I've seen online is not very good. I should probably watch it to know what's going on but time is precious and I can't bring myself to do it haha.

It's always amazing when people want to get the answer they want. How dare Meghan? How could she try to insert herself in a space where she is not wanted? Big flashing news, black and brown people do it every day knowingly or unknowingly. Secondly, Harry, in general, comes across as the most in touch with the world in general. Yes he has had his fair share of racism. Let's not forget the nazi uniform worn to a colonial party for William's birthday.

@Freddieonahill But they're not "telling it all". They're telling lies. Pointless silly lies that contradict what they have said on camera previously. After saying they met on a blind date, suddenly Harry is scrolling through Instagram and sees Meghan as a dog, and says that's the girl I want to marry! I mean a fecking dog? He proposed unexpectedly over a chicken dinner, but now it's in a candlelit garden 🙄. When people lie over the small things it's difficult to trust anything they say. Why didn't they confront the lies they told in the Oprah Winfrey interview? The 'fake' marriage?

@Penaltyshootoutfan. I quite agree, the whole think is worse than a shabby reality show. H&M are so naive with this series thinking that the soft focus lenses and the romantic music will portray them as they wish to be portrayed, the beleaguered lovers hounded by the press, living in fear of their lives.

I think what it shows in just horrifying clarity is the level of Harry's real mental health, which is very fragile and, I believe, Meghan has played on these fears and magnified them. I think he will need hospitalisation if this nightmare of being thrust into the limelight continues. This paranoia and desire to ' tell their story' is all Meghan driven, which is her forthright personality and neither right or wrong, but I doubt all this is the right thing for Harry's MH.

@Justasec321. Andrew married for love, Edward married for love, Anne married for love, the queen married for love, William married for love, Charles married for duty. So definitely to 'men', just one man.

@Karwomannghia. Diana should have kept quiet about her marriage and the breakup. Everyone knew it was Camilla Charles wanted. Diana was doing what M&H are doing, trying to tell their side of the story, but it's backfiring all round as it did for Diana. It simply made her more famous and pappable. By giving tell all interviews she just fed the press, and she also alerted them as to her movements. Sounds remarkably like the antics of H&M, so they've clearly learned nothing. I agree totally the press in the UK is salacious and vindictive and I personally haven't read a newspaper in years. Are you happy as a British taxpayer to continue to support Harry and his family living abroad, contributing nothing to this country? I'm not. And why should any of them have titles? Meghan said they didn't want them.

@CuordiMela765 She may have been saying her attempt at a curtsy was clumsy, but she was mocking the whole point of doing it in the first place. Harry's clear discomfort demonstrated she was mocking a system he grew up in and accepted this as a sign of deference to his grandmother. Outdated? Of course it is. It's a unique institution and she was mocking and fighting against the institution throughout her time in it. She's an American and it is a bizarre way of life, as it is to most of us, but her complete disregard for Harry's comfort at her words says a lot about the couples dynamics.

@LillianGish If you were meeting your soon to be sister in law for the first time (a stranger) would you be a bit reserved until you got to know them? Is Meghan saying Catherine never wears jeans or acts informally with her friends. She tried to pain a picture of the royal family never letting their hair down and relaxing. Total fiction.

@SirChenjins Yes nearly 400 million guns in circulation and nutcases like the man who killed john Lennon. Harry looks stony faced at the curtsy, gives a nervous smile and looks away very uncomfortable. Watch in slo mo.

@Rainbowlights. Look at Harry, not at her. He clearly thinks she's mocking the monarchy

@ItchyLips. Meghan is not a Hollywood star. She's a cable tv supporting actress.

Totally agree with them and everyone. The Uk press is disgraceful. The internet is even worse. I despair of the media in all its forms.

It's time they moved on. No one lives in fairyland, but we all have to move on. Life does have its ups and downs. I am glad I am not related to them, I was so happy when he married her. Now hmmm. The show was boring and showed self interest. Not watching any more.

I started watching the Netflix H&M and will try again.

Yes, the press in this country are a disgrace. It is a long standing issue and should have been dealt with ages ago. BUT the RF are not the only ones to have suffered at their hands - the phone hacking which impacted a murder case.

Yes, Harry is his mothers sun. Diana complained (rightly) about the press but she also knew how to use them, and did so.

Meghan, I am not sure about. I still think she is quite manipulative. When she said she new nothing about the RF I believe her. She has said after watching princess diaries she thought it would be like that, but no. Rather than adapting she threw a few tantrums and rubbed people up the wrong way.

Weaponising race is very effective to make excuses for the way they have behaved.Yes racism is utterly wrong but they are throwing family members under the bus trying to make themselves look like victims. Equally other members of the RF have managed to make a life for themselves away from the spotlight with and without a HRH title, and the the 'me me me' drama.

I don’t read the daily Mail , but I can spot a couple of self obsessed whinging, poor me haven’t I got it hard, victims when I see them. And moving to America because Britain is rascist is would be laughable if it was remotely funny.