Here’s what we think of ‘Harry & Meghan’ so far

When Netflix released the teaser of their all-new documentary series, Harry and Meghan, it definitely took the world by storm. Discussions ran far and wide about what it would entail and audiences across the world seemed eager to know the truth. But here’s the thing, it’s the truth that’s already been told. It’s the one we’ve known about for decades—the hounding of the press and physical and emotional harassment by the paparazzi, who would go to any lengths to get the story that would sell. The question is, when will we learn—about boundaries and privacy? The documentary sheds light on the history and debates of race that the couple was embroiled in, amidst news of their engagement and marriage at a time when the United Kingdom was going through political turmoil. 

All three episodes are a combination of past clips, photographs and interviews, all tied with the extensive round of questions that Harry and Meghan answer within the comfort of their home. The first episode takes us back to Harry’s childhood—the death of his mother, Princess Diana and the bandwagon of rules, and guidance is given to a 12-year-old child on how to deal with the intrusive British press. He had no opportunity to grieve the passing of his own mother. “The entire nation took us up as their own children,” he says. Harry gets candid about what he went through and how he acted out during his high school years including all-night ragers, drugs and alcohol. He talks about his time as a young adult in the kingdom of Lesotho, in South Africa. The experience remains close to his heart even today. Harry confesses to the error of his actions as a teenager, including partying in a Nazi uniform at one point. What we loved was his desire to grow and learn from his mistakes. 

Our favourite part, however, was the early stages of Harry and Meghan’s love story—how they first started talking, their first date and their decision to take it forward. Meghan and Harry’s friends talk about the early days, and how the former Suits star confessed to co-star Abigail Spencer that she was in love with Prince Harry of Britain. It gave us all the butterflies in the world. We all know of the perils of being in a long-distance relationship, which often got murky with busy schedules and an effort to keep the relationship away from the public eye. We gotta say, they aced it and how! Their lives were as different as they could be, yet the two were products of divorce and a strong desire to impact the world. 

The second episode takes us to the valley in California where Meghan lived with her mom for much of her life. It gives us a glimpse into her schooling years, where she was the typecast ‘nerd’. Meghan loved theatre, she loved learning, she fought for what was wrong and so much more. Her closest girlfriends describe her as a lover of life, travel, and people—always cheerful, smiling and inspired to do something great. She became the UN Ambassador for women’s rights and empowerment. She has had to navigate her way through being a biracial woman, something she hadn’t ever taken into consideration but was compelled to at different times of her life—at school, while looking for a job in television and films (she got rejected multiple times for the same reason), and at the time of her marriage. Harry and Meghan were making their mark in the world long before the two embarked on a journey together and we love them for that. 

By the mid-point of the second episode, the documentary sheds light on how their relationship story broke out and the measures they took after. Race, looks, clothes, manner of speaking—everything was under the radar for Meghan. Much of this episode hereon, focuses on the harassment by the press, which leads us to question—how long until we learn to respect the lives of public personalities? Are we waiting for yet another tragedy such as that of Princess Diana’s to occur with anybody else? The docuseries was recently criticised for highlighting the same issues that have been going on for years together. Yet, when personal lives and mental health are under severe threat, it requires us to look back at faulty patterns and make efforts to rectify them. 

In the third episode, we see Harry and Meghan talk about their engagement and wedding. In fact, they even opened up about an interview they gave after their engagement stating that it had been entirely scripted and rehearsed. In each episode, the themes of how the two strived to find themselves and be their own person amidst much havoc were reiterated. The episode also shows the history of the British monarchy and its colonies—leading to a much-needed conversation about racism and immigrants in the country. The marriage of a biracial Meghan into the royal family was an enormous feat for communities around the world. Except, not everybody seemed okay with it. In the days leading up to the wedding, we see extreme scrutiny of the bride and groom-to-be. We see the feeling of stress and being overwhelmed come over the two as they look at their wedding day. Press photos, articles, sensationalised headlines, and threats to safety and security are the layers that were added to what was already a nerve-wracking phase. What made us go ‘awwwww’ was the support and love they showed each other at all times—the highs and lows— and promised to never be otherwise. 

We don’t know about you, but we’re definitely watching the next episode the day it releases!