Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s Netflix Docuseries: What to Know

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Star in Netflix Docuseries About Their Lives: Everything to Know 

An inside look at their royal world! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary series about their daily life marks the pair’s first project from their Netflix deal.

“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director [Liz Garbus] whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” the Duchess of Sussex told Variety in October 2022. “But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”

While few details about the upcoming production starring the Duke of Sussex and Meghan have been revealed, Us Weekly confirmed in November 2022 that the series set a December 2022 premiere date.

The show will focus on the Archewell cofounders’ new life in California, where they settled with son Archie (born in 2019) and daughter Lilibet (born in 2021) after stepping down from their duties as senior working royals.

Harry and Meghan announced in early 2020 that they were taking a step back from their regal duties in favor of a private life. Several months later, they inked a multiyear deal with Netflix to produce original content, including documentaries, movies, series and children’s programming.

“Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience and the need for connection,” the married couple said in a statement in September 2020, announcing their Archewell Productions company. “Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.”

The BetterUp CIO is also working on a documentary for the streaming platform about the Invictus Games, which he cofounded, though a premiere date has yet to be confirmed. The Suits alum, for her part, was eager to develop children’s series Pearl alongside Elton John’s husband, David Furnish. However, the animated production was canceled in May 2022 amid budget cuts.

As Harry and Meghan adapted to life outside the royal bubble, they’ve been eager to pursue different career paths.

“Harry’s determined to make it in Hollywood, just as much as Meghan,” a source exclusively told Us in May 2020 of the Spare author. “He’s focusing on making documentaries connected to good causes — not just on the production side of things. We’ll also be seeing him in front of the camera, more as a spokesperson than anything else.”

Scroll below for everything to know so far about the duke and duchess’ docuseries:

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What Is Harry and Meghan’s Series About?

“The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story,” the Bench author teased to The Cut in August 2022 about the project, denying that it is a reality TV show. “I hope that is the sentiment that people feel when they see any of the content or the projects that we are working on. … When the media has shaped the story around you, it’s really nice to be able to tell your own story.”

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Is There a Premiere Date?

Us confirmed that Harry and the “Archetypes” podcast host’s docuseries will premiere in December 2022. While a specific date has yet to be announced, reports claim its debuting December 8.

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Who Directed Harry and Meghan’s Docuseries?

Acclaimed filmmaker Liz Garbus, who was slated to work with Meghan on Pearl, has been tapped to helm the couple’s series. The former Hallmark actress revealed to the Cut that Garbus “is incredible.”

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What Has Meghan Teased About the Production?

“It’s interesting,” the former Tig blogger told Variety in October 2022 of filming their documentary. “My husband has never worked in this industry before. For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”

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How Will King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II Be Featured?

A source told Us in October 2022 that the couple changed how Harry’s father, King Charles III, will be featured following the death of the queen. (The long-reigning sovereign died in September 2022 at the age of 96.)

“They’ve both agreed to reach a neutral ground by softening the parts on Charles and adding intimate details about [Queen Elizabeth II‘s] legacy,” an insider revealed at the time, noting that Harry and Meghan wanted to keep their royal revelations “interesting without crossing a line.” 

The California residents have been outspoken about their royal experience, even alleging that they have grown estranged from Charles since stepping down from their royal roles. While the king has not addressed their claims, he seemingly offered an olive branch in his first speech as monarch in September 2022, sending “love” to Harry and Meghan as they built a life abroad.

Credit: Netflix

The Teaser

Netflix dropped the first footage on December 1. “No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” Harry says in the clip before never-before-seen pics flash on screen.

Meghan later asks, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”

The official press release notes the six-episode series will feature “commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press” and “paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”

Credit: Courtesy of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex/Netflix

The 1st Trailer

Harry claimed that the royal family planted stories about him and Meghan in the explosive trailer for Harry & Meghan. “There’s a hierarchy of the family. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories,” he says in the clip, which was released in December 2022. “It’s a dirty game.”

The duke added that all of the negative attention from the U.K. press reminded him of the way his late mother, Princess Diana, was treated before her death. “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution — this feeding frenzy … I was terrified,” he explains. “I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”

Meghan, for her part, noted that she eventually realized that the royals were “never going to protect” her amid the onslaught of attention.

The first part of Harry & Meghan will premiere on December 8, with the second installment to follow on December 15.