Netflix’s Harry & Meghan: I’m starting to feel like I’m in the middle of a family feud

Christmas this year is not overshadowed by Covid, as has been the case for the past few years – but by Harry and Meghan.

Part two of their intimate Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, airs this week (15 Dec). In it, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim to have been “victims of institutionalised gaslighting”.

Typically at this time of year, we’re busy doing all the usual round-ups, including best books, best TV shows, and albums of the year. But as soon as a trailer drops for another Harry & Meghan show, it’s all hands on deck.

The first part of their explosive Netflix documentary was aired last week; now we are hooked into more revelations about their romance and the inner workings of the British monarchy and the media. That means endless news stories and reviews – as well as comment pieces.

I’m not downplaying what the couple have had to put up with, or why Megxit happened, but now I’ve binge-watched it, I’ve noticed it has all the ingredients of a romcom like When Harry Met Sally – and not just in the title.

There is the footage of their first dance at their wedding, and details of when they first had a dinner date and Harry was late. Clearly, they want us to know how in love they are, which is, according to Harry, in stark contrast to other members of the royal family, who he says “marry someone who fits the mould” instead of choosing love.

Meghan does an impression of an over-the-top curtsy to the former Queen – Harry’s late grandma – while sitting next to him on a sofa. If you haven’t watched Julia Stiles in the 2004 romcom The Prince & Me, you really don’t need to – this is the real thing.

But the final instalments this week are far less entertaining: I’m starting to feel like I’m in the middle of a family argument. I’ve got enough friction this Christmas with my own family. I can’t wait for this merry-go-round of press coverage of the Windsor feud to end and to get on with 2023. We will be looking ahead, and doing guides, including the best books of 2023 – but oh God, no. Next year’s big release is Harry’s memoir, Spare.

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Senior culture writer