Across social media, Harry & Meghan stirs up royal family criticism and Beyoncé admiration

Now that all six episodes of the intimate Netflix series are available for streaming, opinions have begun taking shape in the online ether

By Hattie Lindert  |  December 16, 2022 | 3:54pm
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Across social media, Harry & Meghan stirs up royal family criticism and Beyoncé admiration
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Harry & Meghan Photo: Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex/Netflix

Hardly a month after season 5 of The Crown debuted, a new vision of royal family intrigue has arrived on Netflix: the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle documentary. Released in two three-episode parts, Harry & Meghan finds the couple publicly discussing their life in the formal royal fold (and their eventual exodus) for one of the first times.

The final three episodes of Harry & Meghan landed on Netflix yesterday, and much of the dialogue surrounding the documentary’s release came back to two things: the press’ treatment of Meghan and Harry, and any role (including by inaction) that the royal family played in that.

The invasive barrage of tabloid coverage Markle received was one injury, and the extended royal family’s lack of action against it was another. After the documentary, many royal watchers were critical of King Charles and Prince William specifically for their response to the situation.

As some pointed out, the unequal protection the palace afforded Markle from the media felt even more ludicrous given that her uncle-in-law Prince Andrew has faced extensive scandal (and serious abuse allegations) as well, yet never been subject to the same kind of attacks.

One lighter moment fans particularly took to includes a queen of a different sort: Beyoncé. The artist reached out to Markle through a thoughtfully worded and supportive text, which Markle read aloud on screen; Beyoncé told her she was “selected to break generational curses.” Naturally, Twitter could relate to the idea of fangirling over a text from Sasha Fierce herself.

Markle may have Beyoncé’s heart, but not every viewer danced to the same tune. Some viewers criticized the duo for criticizing their own family, while others highlighted the fact that subscription to a monarchy will never bring about equality when the system itself is racist.

In this day and age, it can seem impossible to have an opinion that allows two conflicting things to be true—but sometimes, that’s just reality. As one benevolent Tweeter pointed out, however, one can disagree with how Markle was treated and still, well, not find her to be their cup of tea.

All six episodes of Harry & Meghan are now available for streaming via Netflix.

 
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