During the Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke about their relationship and how they navigated what they say was a challenging first couple of years as a married couple in the royal family. Harry discussed the concerns he had about Meghan’s well-being in the face of public scrutiny and interactions with the paparazzi.
Prince Harry says he wanted to protect his family
Prince Harry says Meghan was hounded by paparazzi the same way his mother, Princess Diana, was hounded. He says the institution of the royal family expected him and Meghan to carry on with their duties without complaint. According to Meghan, the palace advised them to say “no comment” when it came to the media.
However, Meghan says there were some media stories that need to be addressed. One example she gave was a story in the Daily Mail that published a copy of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. Meghan says she felt it was necessary to take legal action against the publication.
Harry says contrary to popular belief, it was his idea to leave the UK and start over. He wanted to give Meghan and Archie a safe, happy life. So, he moved forward with a plan to step away from royal duties.
Meghan Markle and Princess Diana are ‘intertwined’ in Prince Harry’s mind, says a body language expert
Body language expert Judi James gave her take on Prince Harry’s view of Meghan. According to James, Prince Harry has joined the stories of Princess Diana and Meghan Markle. She believes Harry sees them as almost the same in his mind. As a result, James says Harry doesn’t seem to show empathy for his father, King Charles III.
“Harry’s signals of anger and frustration are aimed at himself at this point but the narratives of the two women, Diana and Meghan, are so intertwined in his mind that there are no obvious signals of empathy for his father,” James tells Express. The problem for Charles is that Harry also picks some wonderful photos of himself and William as children through to their polo days as adults. “But the illustrations of love and loyalty do seem to be used to enhance the sense of betrayal that Harry clearly feels later.”
Prince Harry blames himself for Meghan’s struggles
Harry feels guilty about the struggles Meghan faced during her time as a royal. He feels like he put the duchess in this situation, and he feels bad that he didn’t do more at the time.
During the Netflix docuseries, Prince Harry says he initially responded to Meghan as “institutional Harry” instead of her husband. He put the institution first since that’s how he was raised. However, looking back, he feels like that wasn’t the best response. This is why it was important for him to make things right.
“I was devastated,” says Harry during the docuseries. “I knew that she was struggling. We were both struggling. But I never thought that it would get to that stage. And the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it particularly well. I dealt with it as institutional Harry, as opposed to husband Harry. And what took over my feelings was my royal role. I had been trained to worry more about what are people going to think if we don’t go to this event?”
“And looking back on it now, I hate myself for it,” adds Harry. “What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”
