It is said that every lie is a performance. Because it not only carries the untruth but must have a supporting web of fake emotions to support the fake theatrics. When it comes to the truth, it doesn’t need all that because the sheer force of it is enough. The thing is, we believe Meghan Markle. There has never been a doubt in our minds regarding the unfairness of the worldwide racist bullying that she was subjected to. Any person who looks at the British monarchy without rose-colored glasses would see that the choices she made required courage and an agency that she has fought very hard to retain. As women, we can never undermine the importance of that. But we cannot negate the fact that everything that has happened to Meghan and Harry has not given them the gift of good storytelling. As we said in our previous article, based on the first three episodes of “Harry & Meghan,” it is not their story itself but the awful reconstruction of it for public viewing that is irritating us. At the risk of repeating ourselves, we can say that this is Meghan’s story all the way. Prince Harry really comes across as someone lacking a personality. We don’t know if that is real or on purpose to let the limelight stay on Meghan. That makes sense, in a way, considering that the bulk of the vitriol was directed at her.
Coming back to what we said before, the biggest fallacy of this reality series is that Meghan is performing the truth. It doesn’t take long to realize that there is nothing new in what they are telling us. We can understand that, considering where the possible restrictions that must be placed on them. But then, what is the point of “Harry & Meghan” series? Is it really just a cash grab? A closer inspection gives rise to the theory that everything Meghan and Harry have said in this tell-all is not the raw truth. This is a balm for the haters, a plea to dislike them less. Take the very simple example of the protocol being broken for photo ops after Archie’s birth. The sheer hate that they both received for choosing a different hospital and the way it was spun by the media was ridiculous. However, while explaining their situation, there was a tone that indicated that they were being punished for an honest misunderstanding. What they should have said was that the expectations of the British media were unfair, that the ridicule over a mother wanting to keep her son out of the public eye was insane, and that the entitlement of the news channels over their lives is senseless, but none of this was said. They should have called them out for this behavior instead of defending themselves. Maybe the only place they do that is regarding the case of Meghan’s letter to her father being published by the Daily Mail. That’s when we notice that the couple agrees with the entitlement of the British media over the Royal family. They are repulsed by it, but it cannot be denied that for an outdated institution with barely any real-world relevance, this has to be what keeps them going.
The couple does reveal some truths like the way news is fed to the media and how it is used to cover up some of the more unwanted information out there. We understood what they were referring to, but this is the part that should have been elaborated on more. However, they couldn’t do that without taking a clear stand. And even if there was a possibility of that, “Harry & Meghan” series clearly lacks good enough writers to take that route. That was evident when Meghan said that she wasn’t expecting “so many people” at her wedding, even though she was told that she had to pick a dress that the entire world would like. It was already unbelievable that she had not Googled Harry when she was going on a date with him but was she really not made aware by anyone about the kind of scrutiny that she would be under for the rest of her life. The series, “Harry & Meghan” is desperately trying to justify that she is, in fact, NOT a social climber. They shouldn’t have tried to defend that at all. The fact is that the journey of Harry and Meghan is an incredibly messy one. A commoner marrying a prince does not play out like a fairy tale in the real world. There had to have been not just surprised but disagreement, resistance, and lots of politics. But all we saw was the surprise of the British media over a “Black Princess.” Not once did we get to know what the family was thinking. She also spoke in the Oprah interview about not getting the help she needed from the institution. She barely touched on that in Episode 5 of “Harry & Meghan,” despite there being a clear opportunity. It doesn’t come as a surprise to us that she found palace life restrictive. Kudos to her for breaking out of that. What we want to know is why was she so unaware of what she was getting into? Didn’t Prince Harry or anyone else tell her anything? And if they did not, was she not resentful, not even one bit? These are the topics that should have been in her story.
Speaking of the Queen, Meghan’s comment that she treated her as her husband’s grandma was maybe, the most unimaginative thing we heard throughout the runtime of the six episodes of “Harry & Meghan.” If they had to follow a script for expressing their feelings, couldn’t they have at least taken the route of her and the Queen starting off by being formal and eventually warming up to each other? It would certainly have felt a lot more authentic. But inauthenticity is sprinkled across their narrative and when they say that the Queen was prevented from seeing them, are they implying that the reins of the monarchy are in someone else’s hands? Isn’t she the supreme power? They wanted to show her as innocent for whatever reason, but they also made her sound powerless. In her Oprah interview, Meghan had mentioned that the Queen had always been wonderful to her. They could have just left it at that instead of bringing it up at all. Because otherwise, how else do they justify this continuous talk of the “institution”? Who is running it? Who is deciding what works and what does not if it is not members of the Royal Family themselves?
“Harry & Meghan” series was just not going to have any relevance if they were not going to address these questions. And that is what has happened. But we might still have forgiven the couple’s unlikability and their wasting our time had they not so grossly used Diana’s story for their own benefit. It is one thing to draw parallels and make references; it is a completely different thing to use the footage of her most vulnerable moments the way they did. Frankly, it was tasteless, but we have established that this couple lacks taste, which is evident in the way they have told their story. While concluding this article, we would like to say once again that we believe Meghan and Harry. We do not dispute anything that they have been through, but right now, they are just awful storytellers who are trying to make some money. It may be harsh, but sugarcoating it would be pointless. They did a disservice to themselves and everyone who was invested in them by presenting their story the way they did. Maybe we will see something better and more honest in the future because this isn’t it.
