The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at the centre of Channel 5 documentary Meghan and Harry: Royal Hypocrites?, which is examining the various contradictions surrounding their post-royal existence. The pair were dealt a new blow as a royal expert said a reunion with Prince William remains “vanishingly slim”.
The one-off programme explores accusations of hypocrisy and double standards directed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, considering whether they are genuinely at fault or merely the most recent victims of hostile media scrutiny.
A royal commentator has suggested that Meghan and Harry “need Prince William tension to survive” as their Hollywood ventures appear to be suffering a significant setback. In the documentary, Rebecca Reid stated: “I don’t think there is a reason why they shouldn’t use their titles for commercial reasons, every celebrity and influencer does, but these people are much better at pulling the strings so much more elegantly, whereas with Meghan and Harry, you can see the effort with them, which people don’t like.”
Meghan and Harry stepped back from royal duties in January 2020 (Image: PA / Getty)
Rebecca then suggested that Harry and Meghan would struggle to maintain public attention without their friction with the royals, adding: “Unfortunately, they kind of painted themselves into a corner now that if there is no more acrimony with the Royal Family, and there are no more stories, the only thing Meghan and Harry can get traction for, unfortunately, is discomfort and disharmony with the Royal Family.”
Charlotte Griffiths also weighed in: “What is the authentic Harry? What is the authentic Meghan? It’s the relationship with the royals, so they are in a difficult position trying to make money in an area where, like a Kardashian, you have to tell us lots of things about your life, and yet they’re royal and not supposed to do that.”
“Having slammed the royal family for years now, she really wants to use the title Sussex, and she wants to use Sussex Royal as her branding, which she was told she wasn’t allowed to, but it feels a little bit hypocritical to rely on that royal fame to sell products and maintain notoriety.”
Ingrid Sewell then contended: “The Sussex title was bestowed upon Harry on his marriage by the Queen, then they abused this title for commercial reasons,” as she criticised the couple as hypocrites.
Georgia Barratt remarked: “They are still the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, those titles were given to them, and they have to earn money, they have an expensive security bill and a house to pay for, so are people expecting them not to use that?
The documentary then explores Prince Harry’s aspirations for family reconciliation, though the likelihood of Prince William speaking publicly remains ‘vanishingly slim’.
Harry & Meghan: Royal Hypocrites? airs on Channel 5 on Saturday, August 1.