The royal family didn't respond to Netflix's request for comment because they allegedly got no response from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when asking them to verify if it's a genuine communication.
- Dec 9, 2022
AceShowbiz - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix documentary allegedly sparked a row over whether the Royal Family were given the chance to respond to its claims. According to Mail Online, a "senior source" insisted Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and members of the family were not approached for comment on "Harry and Meghan".
On Thursday, December 8 - hours after the first three episodes of the six-part docuseries were released on Netflix, the outlet reported that a source from the streamer said communications offices for King Charles and the Prince of Wales were contacted before it aired, giving them the chance to react to the Sussexes' "claims within the series."
Mail Online also said Kensington Palace responded by admitting it had received an email from a third-party production company about the content of the show - but not from Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's Archewell foundation or from Netflix.
The outlet said the Prince of Wales' team then contacted the Sussexes and Netflix to verify if it was a genuine communication, but allegedly didn't receive a response. A source from the prince's aides told the outlet, "In the absence of this verification, we were unable to provide any response. The substance of the email we received also did not address the entire series."
For around 20 seconds at the start of episode one of "Harry and Meghan", a black screen is shown with the message, "Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within the series."
The series contains a claim from Harry he was "brought up by friends in Africa" in what is being seen as an attack on his father King Charles, and contains claims of racism and "unconscious bias."
Sources have said the royals are planning to respond, but are not expected to until the whole series has been released, with the last three episodes of the show due to be released on December 15.
