The new Netflix documentary, “Harry and Meghan” is making headlines this week due to the allegations Harry and Meghan are making against the royal family. Tensions are also being stirred up between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William, due to a controversial interview that their mother, the late Princess Diana, gave in 1995.
The Netflix series has included clips from Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview, in spite of Prince William’s adamant disapproval about airing the controversial interview in public.
Netflix aired the first three episodes of “Harry and Meghan” two weeks ago. The docuseries deals with Prince Harry and Meghan’s separation from the royal family. The couple talks about their hellish experiences with the British media and racist attacks Meghan experienced while living in the United Kingdom.
In the first episode, Prince Harry mentioned his mother’s 1995 Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir. Bashir had been found to use deceitful methods to get the interview; an investigation revealed that he had forged bank statements to convince Princess Diana to talk.
After the fraud was discovered, Prince William pledged that the interview footage would never be seen again.
In the Netflix documentary, Prince Harry said that even though everyone now knows that his mother was deceived into sitting down with the journalist, she spoke the truth and the truth should be available to the public.
Many royal experts and people close to the royal family were shocked that Netflix included clips from the interview in the second installment of the documentary, released last Thursday.
Princess Diana spoke candidly about her struggles with the royal family and the affair between her husband, Prince Charles, and Camilla, who he eventually married and is now the Queen Consort. Diana said that three people were in her marriage, making it a “little crowded.”
People close to the senior royal members say that Prince William and possibly others are likely upset about the inclusion of the interview in the Netflix series, and would hold Prince Harry responsible for allowing Netflix to air it.
Nick Bullen, the co-founder of True Royalty TV and a documentarian who has worked closely with the royal family for over 20 years, and with King Charles III for almost ten years, attacked Harry and Meghan and said that they were trying to make money off their story and positions, at the expense of family in the UK.
He said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not acknowledge the privileges they enjoy as members of the royal family, such as flying on private jets, having beautiful homes, a luxurious lifestyle, and being able to spend time in Africa. He blasted them for focusing on the bad side of being a royal.
According to Bullen, most royals recognize that duty accompanies privilege. He said the relationship between brothers Harry and William is at an all-time low.
Speaking about Princess Diana’s Panorama interview, last year Prince William said that the interview established a false narrative that was commercialized for over 25 years by the media, especially the BBC.
BBC vowed never to air the interview again, but Netflix did not abide by Prince William’s wishes. Netflix even recreated a scene of the famous interview in the fifth season of their hit show “The Crown,” and now, again, it was used in “Harry and Meghan.”
Prince Harry believes that the interview should be shown and is relevant to the docuseries because it shows his mother’s feelings about her stresses in the UK, which were similar to what his wife Meghan has experienced.