Media Talks Demonstrated by Harry and Meghan in the Netflix series, the British press reacts with anger; see coverage 09.12.2022 15:38

London – While the first three episodes of the Netflix series Harry & Meghan, which premiered on Thursday (9), did not include direct attacks on members of the royal family, as many feared, the British press reacted with anger, which can partly be explained by what happened earlier. The most attacked media in the program, especially tabloids.

Presented as a self-told love story and illustrated with unreleased footage provided for the programme, Harry and Meghan talk about the unconscious racism that exists in their past of royalty and slavery, and even shows an example of the role of the monarchy. slave trade.

But they didn’t mention any case of intentional racism against Meghan, as in their 2021 interview with American host Oprah Winfrey.

The Harry and Meghan series did not please the tabloids

The answer appeared on the front pages of this Friday. The tabloids were the most offensive, some endorsing Harry and Meghan’s move to strip them of the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

When they move to the US in 2020, they continue to use the headlines despite all their criticism of the system known as Megxit in reference to Brexit.

For the Daily Mail, Palace called the program “an attack on the queen’s legacy” and “a overthrow the monarchy. Sources heard by the newspaper criticized the Sussexes’ reference to Empire 2.0, confirming Harry and Meghan’s criticism of the close relationship between Buckingham Palace and supposed royal correspondents.

The newspaper features the best columnists commenting on the program on the cover. The Daily Mail is owned by a media conglomerate headed by Jonathan Harmsworth. 4. Viscount of Rothermere, heir to a dynasty of nobles who founded the publication in 1896 at the height of the British Empire.

The Daily Express has also cited its proximity to the Buckingham Palace fountains. “The royal family are ‘deeply upset’ by Harry’s insults,” reads the caption and adds: “Prince Harry fired a new volley in his war against the monarchy”.

True to its style, the newspaper featured on the cover a picture of King Charles looking sad, which was obviously not done after the show.

Queen To the short time since Elizabeth’s death and the cost of living crisis plaguing the country – and not, as far as we know, the official monarchy. doing something tangible to alleviate it.

this sun The headline used the phrase “Disgusting Harry”, referring to the cover of the newspaper titled “Nazi Harry”, which reported that Prince Harry was wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party.

The newspaper claims that Prince William felt “betrayed” by Harry’s decision to allow criticism from his brother and wife, Kate.

On the show, Meghan contextualizes the differences between the American style and the hardships of the monarchy and talks about how she accepted and hugged William and Kate for dinner in ripped jeans and bare feet, which she says is not part of the local culture. customs. But she doesn’t objectively talk about the duo’s negative reaction to the hug or outfit.

The Times, which belongs to the same editorial group as The Sun (owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch), focused on one of the debates surrounding the documentary: Would Buckingham Palace be asked to comment on the series before it aired? He is featured in the opening credits of the Netflix series.

Like others, the newspaper cites a source from Saray, who confirmed that an approach was taken from an independent production company, but there was no response as the authenticity of the request could not be verified.

The cover calls the series “Sussexe soap opera”.

The Daily Telegraph, another major conservative and monarchist newspaper, focused on an alleged crime against the Queen’s memory. The Netflix series Harry and Meghan has been branded as a “direct attack on the legacy of the late queen”.

The text under the main title describes the program as “highly offensive” for branding the Commonwealth (British Commonwealth of Nations) as “Empire 2.0”. And in an article by deputy editor Camilla Tominey, the series was called “a shameless, one-sided story filled with half-truths.”

Not too fond of the monarchy and not inclined to engage in the passionate defense of other newspapers in the country, The Guardian gave the series three stars, which TV critic Lucy Mangan described as a “renewed frenzy”. remains the same”. He says it may be painful for the royal family, but “for the rest of us, it’s just fun”.

The Metro newspaper, which is distributed free of charge on public transport, highlights Prince Harry’s statement that members of the royal family marry for comfort, not love. The newspaper suggests this would refer to father King Charles and his brother William.

It is a fact that the king did not marry Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, for love. But he finally married his great passion, now his queen consort Camilla. And William had a long relationship with Kate Middleton prior to their marriage and had no clue that it was a comfort deal.

But the implication was also taken as an insult to the brother following the script of British media’s outrage over the Netflix series.

The final three episodes of the Harry & Meghan series will premiere on Netflix on December 15.

Also read | Netflix series: Harry and Meghan hit racism and press invasion, but leave royals alone