'Harry & Meghan': the verdict
The Royal Family enjoys a comedy gift, but they’re probably not laughing at this one
We’re nothing if not devoted, so we watched the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, so you don’t have to, if you don’t want. Judging by the comments on our Facebook page, the verdict is very much split over whether you’ll be tuning in. If you do, you’ll discover, like we did, it’s not nearly as incendiary as some of the headlines would have you believe.
Kerry wrote a column about it for The Sunday Telegraph – read the full piece here. Here are some of her findings:
The Royal Family enjoys comedy gifts, but something tells us they’re not chuckling at this one. They have a tradition of swapping funny presents at Christmas – Princess Anne famously gave King Charles a leather toilet seat and the Queen was gifted a Big Mouth Billy Bass – which she displayed at Balmoral. However, just like those singing fish, I bet the Windsors wish they could mute Harry and Meghan’s documentary.
The first part of Harry & Meghan was released on Thursday and rather like receiving an enormous gift-wrapped box, only to discover a smaller and smaller one inside, Russian doll-style, the actual heart of it isn’t that substantial. The first three episodes are fairly benign, with few real missiles, other than the much-repeated message Britain is racist and disparaging the Commonwealth.
Their love story is charming; the footage of Archie, sweet; hearing from Doria, insightful (“I was absolutely stunned that Tom would become part of this circus… that he would capitalise. That’s not parenting,” she said of ex-husband Thomas Markle).
There were a few jibes at the Royal Family, but nothing like on Oprah – the inclusion of the Panorama interview Prince William specifically asked, “should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others,” will presumably infuriate him.
Harry’s claim his ten years in the Army gave him “lived experience that other members of my family wouldn’t have had,” would also, you’d imagine, be met with confusion, considering Prince Philip was a decorated WWII Naval hero, Prince Andrew served in the Falklands War and Prince William spent seven years in the military, followed by a stint as an air ambulance pilot.
My summary? It was very Macbeth, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Less Thane of Cawdor, more Bane of Montecito. The cruellest blow, is the timing of the documentary, which threatens to dominate the headlines and take away from any Christmas cheer the Royal Family may have hoped to spread - see below. The second instalment comes out this Thursday, on the same day the rest of the family will be attending the Princess of Wales’ carol service, at Westminster Abbey. I wonder how loud they’ll belt out Silent Night.
Catherine shines again
It’s been a busy week for the Princess of Wales – she looked absolutely stunning at the weekend in her rented green Solace London dress at the Earthshot Awards, with Diana’s diamond choker and she once again, dazzled, at the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Catherine wore a crimson embellished Jenny Packham gown, with the beautiful Lotus Flower Tiara and diamond ear-rings from the Queen’s collection, at the event, which celebrates the diplomatic corp in London.
The tiara was the Queen Mother’s and later Princess Margaret’s and Catherine looked stunning in it. We’ve noted some criticism that in these straitened times, seeing royals wearing tiaras and diamonds doesn’t seem appropriate, but from our point of view, we enjoy seeing beautiful gowns and jewels from the Royal Collection. We’d love to know what you think.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales will be preparing for her annual carol concert on Thursday – the Together at Christmas concert, in Westminster Abbey. Dedicated to the life of the Queen, it will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve.
Camilla’s magical moments
The Queen Consort has also had a busy week, hosting one of our favourite royal traditions, welcoming terminally and critically-ill children to Clarence House to dress the Christmas tree. Children from the Roald Dahl Charity and Helen & Douglas House attended the event on Wednesday, which included a performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards and a visit from Santa with his reindeer Dancer and Blitzen.
Camilla looked equally magical on the cover of Good Housekeeping this month. To mark the magazine’s 100th anniversary, she gave an interview discussing her work with the domestic abuse charity SafeLives.
“The work of SafeLives is extremely close to my heart because I have had the privilege of meeting so many women – and men – who live in an atmosphere of permanent fear,” Camilla said. The Queen Consort said volunteers were, “the backbone of this country” and she “would like to thank our country’s volunteers, from the bottom of my heart, for the hope they give to each one of us.”
Sophie accepts award from Hillary Clinton
It’s been a wonderful week for Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, who received an award from Hillary Clinton, and called an “extraordinary trailblazer” in Washington DC on Monday.
The hard-working countess was honoured at The 2022 Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards ceremony at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. The former First Lady/Secretary of State praised Sophie for her commitment “to spotlight the need of survivors in conflict zones and shine a light on ending sexual violence in war”.
An emotional Sophie asked for a tissue as she accepted, “That's a first for me... didn’t want me carry on sniffling throughout,” she said, and continued, “Too long have survivors of rape in war had no voice. Too long have they had to bear the burden of others’ inactions on these crimes. And too long have the perpetrators not been held to account. Attitudes must be challenged and changed.”
The annual awards honour five women “doing extraordinary work to address sexual violence in conflict zones and encourage women’s meaningful participation in recovery and peace processes”. Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska was also honoured.
Royals meet Hollywood royalty
If anyone can cheer you up and make you laugh, it’s actor Ryan Reynolds. Which is why it was fortuitous that, after what must have felt like a very long week, the King and Queen Consort met Reynolds in Wrexham to celebrate its new city status. The royals first stop-off on Friday was Wrexham AFC, bought by Reynolds and actor Rob McElhenney, for £2m in 2020.
The pair’s Welcome to Wrexham Disney+ series about their ambitions to turn the club around is a Royal List secret pleasure. Canadian Reynolds said he was “impossibly excited” to meet the King, and posted a picture with His Majesty on Instagram, captioned: “Welcome to Wrexham Season 2: Charles in Charge.”