What Prince Harry and Meghan said in the Netflix series
On Thursday, Netflix released the first three episodes in a six-part documentary series on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, showing how the couple met and the problems they said they faced as part of Britain’s royal family.
Below are some quotes from the series:
Harry on his childhood and the media
There was always public pressure, with its fair share of drama, stress, and also tears, and witnessing those tears. You always see it on my mum’s face.
Harry on women in the royal family
He had learned “the pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution.”
When I got to meet M I was terrified of her being driven away by the media, the same media that had driven so many other people away from me.
Harry on Meghan
Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive for the annual Salute to Freedom Gala at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
She sacrificed everything she ever knew, her freedom, to join me in my world. And then, pretty soon after that, I sacrificed everything I knew to join her in her world.
For so many people in the family, especially the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold as opposed to somebody you are perhaps destined to be with.
The difference between deciding with your head or your heart. My mum made most of her decisions, if not all, from her heart. And I am my mother’s son.
Harry on Meghan and his mother
So much of what Meghan is, and how she is, is so similar to my mum; she has the same compassion, she has the same empathy, she has the same confidence, and she has this warmth about her.
I accept that there will be people around the world who will fundamentally disagree with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my mum. You know, I didn’t want history to repeat itself.
Harry on Diana’s funeral
He said they had to wear two hats – of grieving sons and the royal hat: “Show no emotion, get out there, meet the people and shake their hands.”
Harry on the media
This is about duty and service, and I feel as though, being part of this family, it is my duty to uncover this exploitation and bribery that happens within our media.
Harry on Meghan’s media hounding
To see another woman in my life who I love go through this feeding frenzy that’s hard.
It’s basically the hunter versus the prey.
Harry on royal correspondents and experts
That press pack of royal correspondents is essentially just an extended PR arm of the royal family.
Meghan on their engagement interview
Meghan: It was an “orchestrated reality show.”
My point is we weren’t allowed to tell our story because they didn’t want…
Harry: We’ve never been allowed to tell our story.
Meghan: That’s true… Until now.
Harry on unconscious bias
In this family, sometimes you’re part of the problem rather than part of the solution. And there is a huge level of unconscious bias. The thing with unconscious bias is it’s actually no one’s fault. But once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right. It’s education; it’s awareness. It’s a constant. It’s a constant work in progress. For everybody, including me.
Harry on dressing up as a Nazi
It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I felt so ashamed afterward. All I wanted to do was make it right. I sat down and spoke to the chief rabbi in London, which profoundly impacted me. I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor. I could have just ignored it and got on and probably made the same mistakes repeatedly in my life. But I learned from that.
Harry on bringing up their children, parent divorces
What’s most important for the two of us is to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes that perhaps our parents made.
Harry on his family meeting Meghan
They were surprised … maybe surprised that ginger could land such a beautiful woman, such an intelligent woman, but the fact that I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgment more than anything else at the beginning.
Harry on the family’s response to Meghan’s media treatment
As far as a lot of the family was concerned with everything she was being put through, they had been put through, so it was almost like a rite of passage.
Some of the family members were like my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently?
I said the difference here is the race element.
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Meghan on meeting Prince William and his wife, Kate
Even when Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came for dinner. I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot. I was a hugger. I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for many Brits.
I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.
