Harry and Meghan have hardly been out of the news since quitting royal life in 2020 – despite their desire for privacy. However, the royal couple have also done a number of things to keep themselves in the public eye since moving to the US – and not all of it has been good.
Here are six things the Sussexes have got wrong since quitting royal life three-and-a-half years ago…
1. Harry and Meghan sit down for the Oprah interview
Just over a year on from their move to the US, Harry and Meghan sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the interview, Harry and Meghan slammed the royal family. One of the shock claims made was that someone within the royal family had asked “how dark” Archie’s skin was going to be, before he was born.
Other claims made in the interview have since been disputed, including Meghan stating that she and Harry had got married in their garden before their royal wedding in 2018.
The interview sparked much backlash in the UK – and was the first instance in a long line of attacks aimed at the royal family by the Sussexes.
2. The Netflix documentary
Last year, the royal couple teamed up with Netflix to release a six-part documentary on the streaming platform. The documentary looked at how the royal couple met, fell in love, got married, and subsequently quit the royal family.
The documentary featured a number of homemade clips and photographs of the Sussexes. This, obviously, led to people criticising them for asking for privacy, then going ahead and releasing private material for millions to see.
Many argued that the Netflix documentary didn’t really reveal anything new or interesting. Some reviews branded it as nothing more than a “pity party” for the Sussexes.
“An almost unendurable three additional hours of grudge-rehashing gives very little further insight into why the pair remain so furious at the Royal Family,” a review from the Independent at the time said.
3. Harry releases Spare
Back in January 2023, Harry finally released his much-anticipated autobiography, Spare. The memoir featured a number of bombshells, including details on Harry’s alleged clashes with the royals. Arguments and physical fights with Prince William were also claimed, as were scathing attacks on the “men in suits” surrounding the late Queen.
Some other, at times bizarre details were also revealed in the memoir. Harry revealed how many people he’d killed in the army, his drug use, and how his penis got frostbite.
As expected, the book was slammed. Many criticised the Prince for “boasting” about his Taliban kills, whilst others slammed him for revealing alleged private conversations with family. Despite being a bestseller, the memoir didn’t endear the Duke of Sussex to everyone.
4. Harry does the media rounds
After the release of Spare, Prince Harry did the media rounds to promote his book. The Duke of Sussex sat down with ITV, ABC, and even appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
During the interview, Prince Harry hit back at the media for sensationalising some of the revelations in his book. He has also hit back at claims that he’d accused the royal family of racism in the Oprah interview.
During his appearance on The Late Show, he even showed off the necklace William had broken during their alleged physical altercation. It seemed as though, to many, Harry’s desire for privacy was at an end.
5. Meghan’s no show at the coronation
In May, King Charles finally had his big day – 71 years on from the last coronation and eight months on from his mother’s death.
Both Harry and Meghan were invited to the coronation. However, only Harry ended up attending. Meghan decided to stay in the US with their young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The coronation was on the same day as Prince Archie’s birthday – however, many argued they could have come to the UK to celebrate his birthday as well as celebrate the King’s coronation.
Meghan came under fire for her decision not to attend – partially due to the fact that the King had walked her down the aisle when her own father didn’t come to her wedding.
6. Their Spotify deal
Last week, it was announced that the Sussexes deal with streaming giants Spotify had been ended. The royal couple signed a £18m deal with Spotify in 2020 to make podcasts for them.
However, three years on from the deal, Meghan only managed to make 12 episodes of her podcast, Archetypes. Harry, meanwhile, didn’t make any podcasts. In a statement last week, the Sussexes and Spotify revealed that their deal was at an end.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series that we made together,” they said.
The Sussexes have since sparked backlash after losing the Spotify deal. Many have slammed the couple for only producing 12 episodes of a podcast in three years – especially with the amount of money that had been thrown at them. Even a Spotify executive joined in on the collective slamming of the couple, branding them “grifters”. Ouch…
Read more: William and Harry to come face to face as brothers tipped to reconcile amid rift?
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