The new Netflix documentary, “Harry and Meghan” is making headlines due to a controversial interview that the late Princess Diana gave in 1995.
The Netflix series includes clips from the Panorama interview, despite disapproval from Prince William, who wanted the interview to be banned from public viewing forever.
Netflix released the first part of the streaming documentary, “Harry and Meghan,” two weeks ago. The series covers Prince Harry and Meghan’s fallout with the royal family. The couple also talks about their harrowing experiences with the British media and the racist attacks Meghan experienced while living in the United Kingdom.
In the first episode, Prince Harry briefly referred to his mother’s 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. Bashir had been found to use deceitful methods to get the interview. An investigation revealed that the journalist had forged bank statements to convince Princess Diana to participate.
After the fraud was discovered, Prince William said that the interview footage should be consigned to history and never shown 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 it should not be buried.
Many royal experts and people close to the royal family were shocked that Netflix included clips from Diana’s interview in the second installment of the documentary that was released last Thursday.
In the interview, the princess spoke candidly about her struggles with the royal family and the affair between her husband, Prince Charles, and Camilla, now the Queen Consort. She said three people were in her marriage, making it a “little crowded.”
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, said he was shocked when he saw the clips in the Netflix documentary trailer. He said that Prince William would be hurt that Harry and Meghan allowed parts of Diana’s interview to be included in their documentary.
Bullen attacked Harry and Meghan and said that they were trying to profit off their story, 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. They instead focus on the negatives of the royal institution.
According to Bullen, the other royals recognize that duty accompanies the privileges. He said the relationship between the two brothers is at an all-time low. He believes the palace aides will watch the Netflix documentary and update the royals, but the top members of the royal family are unlikely to watch the series.
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 chose to use it. 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 is legitimate and compares his mother’s feelings to the emotions experienced by his wife while dealing with the stresses in the UK.
