What I learned from ‘Harry and Meghan’, part 2

LONDON — The second and final installment of Harry and Meghan, the highly anticipated Netflix documentary series about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hits theaters Thursday, capping a week in which the couple’s private life has once again been in the spotlight.

First 3 episodes of the seriesreleased last week, explored the beginnings of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship, their ongoing battles with the news media, her difficult family relationships, and more.

People tuned in, love them, hate them, simply can’t live without them. The first series of episodes garnered 81.5 million hours watched. Netflix said TuesdayMore than 28 million households watched at least some of the first collection of episodes in the first four days of its release, according to the streaming platform.

Episode 4 featured at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 and covered Meghan’s connection to Queen Elizabeth II, the barrage of negative headlines she faced, her mental health issues, and much more. Tackle problems quickly.

If you don’t have time to watch, or just enjoy spoilers, here are the main takeaways from the latest episode.

The strained family ties take center stage.

In Episode 5, the couple recounts a family meeting to discuss their decision to reduce their roles as members of the royal family. Harry said he was presented with several options, but quickly realized that no agreement could be reached.

“It was terrifying for my brother to yell and yell at me. My dad would say things that weren’t true and my grandmother would just sit there quietly and take it all in,” Harry said. .

Harry explained that the meeting was tough and ended without a solid plan of action.

“The saddest part is that there’s this wedge between me and my brother and he’s now on the side of the institution,” said Harry, acknowledging Prince William’s view.

couple announced In January 2020, we learned that they were retreating. Out of their royal duties, they sent shockwaves around the world, drawing headlines that seemed to blame Meghan for the split.

The constant negative headlines in the tabloids have had a dramatic impact on Duchess Meghan.

In Episode 4, Meghan discusses her suicidal thoughts, which she blamed on negative headlines shortly after her marriage and during much of her first pregnancy.

“If I wasn’t here, all this would stop. That was the scariest thing. It was a very clear thought,” Meghan said, recalling her mindset at the time.

Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, recalled a touching conversation in which Meghan expressed her suicidal thoughts. “That’s not easy for a mom to hear,” she said, wiping tears. “And I can’t protect her. H can’t protect her.” calls Harry “H”.)

Harry said he was devastated by the toll the negative press had taken on his wife and said he hadn’t handled it well.

“I was trained to worry more about what people would think,” said Harry. was more than I could give.”

The couple’s war with the media reaches a feverish pitch.

The fifth episode begins with an ongoing war with the news media and an effort to fend off paparazzi while spending Christmas 2019 away from the royal family.

The headlines about Meghan were constant, pushing the couple to a breaking point. rice field.”

The couple explained that they created a plan they hoped would bring both safety and peace of mind. It was a great sacrifice,” said Harry. “We will have to change this for ourselves.”

They described plans to move to New Zealand or South Africa before finally settling in Canada.

Harry said his grandmother, the Queen, was aware that he and Meghan were having issues with their public roles, and that when he temporarily returned to the UK in early January 2020 But that plan was thwarted, they said.

“I remember going to see H. Well, this is when family and business are in direct conflict because they keep you from seeing the Queen.” Megan said.

Harry takes responsibility for Meghan’s miscarriage.

Mid-July 2020 long legal battle Daily Mail, one of the British tabloids, against Meghan she said she had a miscarriageThe couple discussed their loss in Episode 6.

“I think my wife had a miscarriage because of what the email did,” said Harry. “I have seen everything.”

Meghan claimed that the newspaper violated her privacy by publishing details of a personal letter she sent to her estranged father in 2018.

“Well, do we absolutely know that it caused a miscarriage? Of course we don’t,” he said, noting that the legal battle led to stress and sleep loss. pointed out that

“From what I’ve seen, I would say the miscarriage was caused by something they tried to do to her,” he said.

The couple has two children, Archie, born May 2019, and Lilibet Diana, born June 2021.

The Daily Mail did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tyler Perry’s friendship was a salvation.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry appears in the final episode of the series and tells how he first reached out to Meghan shortly before their wedding in 2018. Perry said he empathized with her struggles.

“This was before the wedding, so I sent her a note,” Perry said. To let her know that everything was preparing her for this moment, or so I thought.

Meghan said she was a “wreck” when she contacted Perry in early 2020 after she and Harry moved to Canada.

“Sometimes it’s easier to open up to someone who doesn’t know anything. It was that moment for me and Tyler,” Meghan said. Perry said he heard fear in Meghan’s voice, which she said resembled Princess Diana’s struggle with the news media.

In March 2020, just before Covid-19 disrupted life around the world, Perry helped the couple move into a house they owned in Beverly Hills, California. Paparazzi found them six weeks later.

The wedding was an international spectacle, but it was a family affair.

Episode 4 begins with a couple’s relive. A star-studded wedding in May 2018Thousands of people were on the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple, and perhaps billions more watching on TV, but the couple described it as a family affair and many personal problems. A nice touch seemed to make all the difference.

Harry’s Choice (Handel’s “Eternal Source of Light Divine”) Meghan was walking down the aisle. “It was beautiful,” she said. It was also revealed that Charles, the then-Prince of Wales and now King Harry’s father, helped select the orchestra for the ceremony.

Megan’s father, Thomas Markle, was not present at the ceremony, so she asked Charles to walk down the aisle. ’ So he was really important to me as a stepfather.”

Happy end?

After details about their private struggles, including miscarriagethe final episode attempts to untangle the delicate threads surrounding Meghan’s lengthy legal battle over her emails, which she ultimately wins.

the decision is Appeals court rejects The Mail’s bid to force trial Her claim that it violated her privacy.

In the final moments of the series, Harry admits that he misses many aspects of his former life and that he lost friends in the process of moving to the United States.

Reflecting on the couple’s experience, Harry said: