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An official statement and a 'royal snub': All the drama behind Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary.

Earlier this month, Netflix dropped the first two trailers for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary series Harry & Meghan and it caused quite the stir.

As we learnt from the first three episodes, Harry & Meghan offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's love story and the challenges that led them to step back from their full-time royal duties. 

The six-part series also features the couple's family and friends, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about "what they witnessed". 

Watch the latest trailer for Harry & Meghan. Story continues below. 


Video via Netflix. 

Following the drop of the first set of the series, here's a roundup of all the drama surrounding Harry & Meghan.

A 'royal snub'.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a new photo album filled with unseen images from their royal wedding reception at Frogmore House, ahead of the final three episodes of Harry & Meghan.

Harry and Meghan on their wedding day. Image: Netflix.

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The couple shared in the trailer that their first dance was to Wilson Pickett’s Land of 1000 Dances.

"I just really wanted the music to be fun, even our first dance," Meghan recalled. "That was our first dance. It was so fun, it was spinning like a whirlwind… It was so great."

Elton John and Meghan. Image: Netflix.

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The photos feature Meghan and Harry dancing with one another and their friends, including singer Elton John, Meghan's Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, her former stylist Jessica Mulroney and a snap of Harry with his friends.

However, there are no photos of the royal family included despite Harry's entire family all in attendance at the celebration.

Harry and friends. Image: Netflix.

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Harry and Meghan's team release statement. 

Swift criticism has followed after the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan on Netflix, with critiques claiming it goes against their call for privacy.

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the late Queen, was one of the commentators who called out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, telling GB News after watching the first three episodes on Thursday, "They left because they wanted privacy. Well, so much for privacy in this documentary because we are seeing a lot of family photographs."

However, the couple's global press secretary, Ashley Hansen, released a statement saying the pair did not step back from their royal duties over privacy concerns.

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"The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back," the statement reads, according to the BBC. "This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence. In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series. They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them."

Conservative politicians in the UK call for removal of royal titles.

Conservative politicians in the UK are unsurprisingly quite "upset" with the documentary. MP Bob Seely told local media he may propose a private members bill that could demote Harry and Meghan's royal status.

"As well as trashing his family and monetising his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country," he said.

King Charles is reportedly "horrified" by the new documentary.

As expected, according to reports, the royal family has not responded well to the documentary's launch.

Royal expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly that the royal family are "horrified" at what new revelations might come out following the release of the new doco. 

"I think they’re still holding their breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, there are two shoes that are gonna drop because it [airs in two parts]," he shared.

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"I just think the sense of betrayal is shifted over now to genuine combat mode because this is a war between the two [sides]."

With King Charles' coronation scheduled to take place on May 6, 2023, it's now unclear whether Harry and Meghan will be invited.

"I think they will go in May unless everything blows up [in] everyone’s face and irreparable damage is done," Andersen speculated.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly "flummoxed".

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall are not too happy either, according to reports.

Speaking to Us Weekly, one source claimed: "Kate and William were left flummoxed when the Netflix trailer aired during their trip to Boston."

"It’s put a huge amount of strain on relationships that are already hanging by a thread," the source added.

A string of fake photos. 

It turns out a number of photos used in the trailers for Harry & Meghan aren't entirely... accurate.

During one part in the first trailer, a black-and-white photo of paparazzi who are presumably photographing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex flashes on screen. 

"I had to do everything I could to protect my family," Harry says after the image is shown. 

Image: Netflix.

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However, it turns out the photo actually has nothing to do with the royal couple and a lot to do with... Harry Potter. 

According to reports, it was taken at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two premiere in central London in 2011 when paparazzi swarmed to take photos of the cast. 

Doug Seeburg, a photographer for The Sun, who is depicted in the photo, told the publication, "Crowds and crowds of fans had turned out in the rain and camped overnight to see the actors. There were no members of the Royal Family there."

"In the Netflix trailer it's implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple – but that's nonsense," he added.

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The second trailer also has a couple of oversights.

During a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, footage is briefly shown of paparazzi following two people, who many assume to be Harry and Meghan. 

"I was terrified… I didn’t want history to repeat itself," Harry says as the footage plays.

Image: Netflix.

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However, according to photography Twitter account, Urban Pictures, the footage was actually taken in December last year when British personality Katie Price was followed by the press after leaving court. 

And that's not all. 

In another part of the trailer, we are shown footage of paparazzi swarming around a car with their cameras - again - presumably to take a photo of the couple. 

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However, the footage was reportedly taken in New York as Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen left his apartment to serve time in prison in 2019.

Image: Netflix.

The team representing the royal couple have defended Netflix's use of stock footage, telling The Telegraph the images and clips included are "not meant to be literal in a trailer."

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"You can use stock images to tell a story," the source added, clarifying that Harry and Meghan had no control over what footage would be included in the trailer as it is "standard practice in documentary and trailer production."

Read more: Unseen photos and subtle references: 10 details you missed in Netflix's Harry & Meghan trailer.

A "complete travesty."

As well as photos that don't depict the royal couple, the second trailer also reportedly features a photo that has been taken completely out of context. 

In a post on Twitter, Evening Standard royal editor Robert Jobson called out a photo that appeared to be of a private moment between Harry, Meghan and their first child Archie during their 2019 royal tour of South Africa, which was used to suggest a sense of media "intrusion".

"This photograph used by Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty," he wrote on Twitter. 

"Only three people were in the accredited position. H & M agreed the position. I was there."

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A $2,300 Hermes blanket.

Ah. The blanket. 

After the original trailer dropped last week, many were quick to point out a black-and-white photo of Meghan sitting on a chair as she appears to cry and bury her head into her hand. 

The problem? There's a $2,300 Hermes blanket behind her. 

And that got a lot of people very mad.

"It’s a dirty game."

During the second trailer, we're given slightly more insight into the so-called 'Firm' and what life has been like for Harry and Meghan behind-the-scenes. 

And if the 76-second clip is anything to go by, the couple will not be holding back in the doco-series. 

"There's a hierarchy of the family," Harry says. "There's leaking, but there's also planting of stories. It's a dirty game." 

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The couple previously referred to 'The Firm' during their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, with Meghan saying the group played "an active role" in "perpetuating falsehoods" about her and her husband. 

Harry also says, "The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution is a feeding frenzy." 

"I realised they’re never going to protect you," Meghan adds. 

The video concludes with a clip of Harry saying, "No one knows the full truth... We know the full truth."

According to an unnamed source, the series isn't going to go over well with the royals. 

"I genuinely think it's going to be worse than the royals can imagine, a source with a Netflix contact reportedly told The Mirror.

"I’m told that it’s going to be utterly explosive and will be very damaging."

We'll have to wait and see when the first three episodes drop on December 8 on Netflix. 

Where can I watch Harry and Meghan in Australia?

The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan premiered on Netflix on December 8. The following three episodes will be released on December 15.

Feature Image: Netflix/Mamamia. 

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