Jakarta –
The British media, which was mainly criticized in the Netflix documentary “Harry and Meghan”, on Friday (09/12) hit back, accusing them of lying and insulting Queen Elizabeth II.
Most of the royal family was saved in the screening of the first three episodes of the documentary series, which started airing on Thursday (08/12). The documentary focuses more on Harry’s early life and his hatred of the British media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Lady Diana.
The prince also accused the royal family of unconscious racist bias. The royals must also get ready for next week’s episode, with the threat that more will come to light.
The story dominated the front pages of newspapers Friday (09/12), with most of the media criticizing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan’s official title.
“Harry the Evil” became the headline of the popular tabloid The Sun. The tabloid accused Harry and Meghan of “destroying the Queen’s legacy”, and leaving Harry’s father King Charles III and brother Prince William in a “sad” state. The Sun also wrote that the couple had unfairly tarnished the whole of Britain with their ‘racist’ accusations.
The newspaper picked up on one scene in which Meghan does a melodramatic “curtsey” during her first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.
“How low can you go?” the tabloid asked, adding that “Meghan’s curtsey exaggeration mocks the royals, and compares their traditions to tacky U.S. mid-century chains”.
‘Lie’
The Daily Mail, the conservative newspaper with which the couple has often clashed, issued a headline reading “the palace’s outrage at ‘assault on the Queen’s legacy’,” and ran nearly 20 pages of coverage.
In that issue, a commentator took issue with Harry and Meghan’s claims that Brexit had fueled acts of racism in Britain, which ultimately contributed to the split in the royal family. The pair called it a “most insulting distortion”.
Conservative MP Bob Seely said on Thursday night that he plans to introduce legislation to strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles.
“There is a political problem,” he said. “Apart from destroying his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption, they have also attacked several important institutions in this country,” Seely added.
Another newspaper, The Mail, also dedicated four pages to debunking what it called the Harry and Meghan couple’s “fantasies and lies”, including the couple’s claims once morest the media being unrelentingly hostile and telling the story of their first date and engagement.
The Mail also said the show on Netflix had “cynically documented” previous media interviews of the couple.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper also dedicated its front page to the docuseries, issuing the headline “‘direct hit’ on the Queen’s legacy”.
Meanwhile, The Times opted for the less polemical title “The Palace and Netflix clash over soap Sussex”, despite one commenter begging: “Please stop Netflix, I can’t stand this selfish bullshit anymore.”
The left-wing Guardian newspaper has instead been more supportive of the couple, focusing on criticism issued by Prince Harry that the royal family has failed to protect Meghan from reports containing racism.
“Just two months following our Queen died, Prince Harry bemoaned his treatment, Prince William took his anger out on him. Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary British people were busy choosing between eating or warming themselves.”
kp/hp (AFP)
Watch Video: Netflix Reveals Documentary Release Date ‘Harry & Meghan’
(it/it)
