Francesca Rudkin: In defence of Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary

This week my two favourite disrupters finally released one of their long awaited projects, a short documentary series on Netflix called Harry and Meghan. You may have heard of it.

I’ve been bemused by the lead up to the release of this very carefully crafted glimpse into their love story, and their lives. There’s been outrage over the trailers – for goodness sake, it’s just the trailer! And many, many column inches predicting what the 6 episode series would contain, and what the reaction would be.

All rather pointless. As we know the Palace rarely comments on anything as messy as feelings, and would be grimacing through all this silently with a stiff gin in hand.

What’s obvious is that regardless of whether you’re Team William or Team Harry, or love or hate Meghan Markle, there’s still huge interest in Harry and Meghan. If there wasn’t, the media wouldn’t waste their time on it. This series has already become Netflix’s biggest show of the year in the UK.

Some reviews have been sympathetic, but most have been scathing. There are many people who will never forgive Meghan for tearing Harry away from his brother. Meghan could give a kidney to an orphan and the negative opinions probably wouldn’t change.

I don’t really give a toss about it all - I don’t count how many times H&M travel by private jet or how expensive Meghan’s clothes are. I just don’t care enough. But I am intrigued when someone decides to break the rulebook and do things their own way. And a part of me hopes they make this work.

One of the main criticism viewers have of the series is that Harry and Meghan look hypocritical for demanding privacy then sharing some of the most intimate details of their lives. The Sussex’s spokesperson now claims they never asked for privacy when they quit their royal roles.

When they stepped back as senior members of the Royal Family and decided to work to become financially independent it didn’t mean they would go and get normal everyday jobs and settle into suburbia. I took it as: we’re going to keep doing what we believe in and use our names to support causes we believe in, but not within the institution of the royal family.

They want to do it on their own terms and if that means taking on a bullying British media, or calling out institutional racism and unconscious bias within the royal family, then so be it. Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it can’t be done better? I like the fact Harry decided to challenge the accepted notion that royal girlfriends getting harassed by the media is acceptable.

While it all feels very touchy feely at the moment, I don’t mind that they are fighting back and saying what they want, in a way they want. Even if it is a bit undignified. In time, Harry’s concerns and forthrightness may mean he comes out on the better side of these issues.

The Sussex’s were never going to step out of the limelight and disappear. Instead they’re starting their new lives by taking control of their own narrative; and love it or hate it, it’s a heck of a lot more fun and interesting than hearing second hand reports of something innocuous Prince Willian said to a punter during a walkabout.

I might even watch episode 2.

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