The new Netflix series, Harry & Meghan is an outlet created by the couple to help the world “fill in the blanks” of their side of the story that the media have widely misconstrued throughout their royal appearances. At the forefront is the storyline of the couple’s relationship from 2016 to the current day. 

Meghan and Harry both recall memories of Meghan trying to fit in with other family members, receiving widespread amounts of racism from tabloids across the UK, and even struggling mentally while internalizing the role of the crown. Unfortunately, it becomes clear upon watching that being a member of the Royal family is not a picturesque fairytale. 

Naturally, the series has attracted worldwide attention due to the popularity of the couple. Some good, and some bad. Many people feel as if the new series, as well as the interview with Oprah Winfrey back in 2021, were created to allow Harry and Meghan to make a profit off of playing the victim card. Furthermore, as suggested by Piers Morgan and many other critics of the show it was a “whine-a-thon” deeply offending members of the royal family, and not working to solve any particular problem. 

It could be argued that Harry and Meghan did not need to publicize their struggles in the manner that they did. But from my perspective, you can not take away the value of storytelling simply because the outcome is unfavorable to the institution. Harry and Meghan experienced a traumatic amount of stress, pressure, and unnecessary anxiety from their jobs working for the royal family; a struggle that had the right to be shared with the commonwealth. 

A common argument against the couple is that everyone else in the institution had previously dealt with difficulties working for the crown and that Meghan’s struggles were no exception. But the way I see it, none of the family should have to struggle that way at all. Meghan and Harry might not have been the first to have difficulties behind the scenes, but they could have been the last.

The style of the documentary did not utilize many of the common tactics to add drama to the plot. I believe this can be accounted for by the fact that the Duke and Duchess didn’t need to add extra emphasis to their struggles for them to be impactful. 

As Tyler Perry, a friend of Harry and Meghan sympathizes in the show “there was so much more that she (Meghan) could have said” but didn’t because of her endless amount of class. The two stayed true to their story and their truth. Was it desirable for the royals? No, but was it appropriate? Yes, there is no amount of money or royal duty that should threaten them to stay silent.