The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed controversies with open hands as they signed the 100 Million dollars deal with Netflix. The result was nothing less than a social catastrophe. Moreover, the Sussexes showed no hesitation in exposing The Firm and its ‘coordinated campaign‘ with the British newspapers. Starting from rampant coverage from the time of their courtship to the point where Markle suffered a miscarriage because of unfavorable conditions, they said it all. However, the polarizing reactions to the series caused a massive uproar among royal enthusiasts.  

So much so that the royal’s trusted newspaper, the BBC, has also held back its support from the rogue royals. The authority tasked with BBC’s Documentaries has stated it would have never green-lighted the docuseries on its platform. Elaborating on it further, Clare Sillery stated, as quoted by Deadline, that it would have been unacceptable to BBC the Sussexes’ approach to the Netflix hit. In a public broadcaster that “cannot relinquish editorial control,” a series as sensitive as Harry & Meghan was a complete no-no. 

The bombshell docuseries hit the screens in December 2022. While the royals had hardly recovered from Queen Elizabeth’s sad demise, the self-exiled couples struck again their estranged family. The much controversial, six-part explosive currently holds the records for the most viewed documentary series at the American streamer. Following it was Prince Harry’s Spare, which served as the cherry on top of the entire fiasco. 

With the stakes this high, why did BBC never want to collaborate with the Sussexes for their tell-saga?

Netflix’s Harry & Meghan was ‘slightly overshadowed’

Reasoning out their indifference to the series, Sillery described documentary hosting as a “question of trust” and what the audience expected from them. Moreover, they had to uphold the editorial standards of the publication before the world. Authorities claimed that it was not worth it for the viewers to pay their license fees.

Ian Ramsay, who looked after Prince Harry’s ITV documentary, felt that Harry & Meghan was “slightly overshadowed” by the heated debates revolving around the couple’s deal. Meanwhile, the Group of Berline TV series labeled the Netflix big hit as “almost a different genre.” 

What is your take on the matter? Do you side with the opinions of the broadcaster about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Share your thoughts in the comments below.