Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary: How many episodes are there and when is the next release?
The first episodes of the Netflix series covering the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was released today and drew huge interest online.
The long-anticipated documentary series exploring the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Harry & Meghan – has landed on Netflix and offered fresh insight into the royal family.
In September 2020 the couple signed a deal with the streaming giant worth a reported $135 million. The agreement was to make an “educational or entertainment” documentary series that would track the course of their relationship, their experiences within the royal household and finally their decision to leave the ‘institution’.
It promised to offer a rare glimpse into the workings of one of the last major monarchies in the world at a tumultuous time in its illustrious history. After the first instalment of episodes dropped on Thursday, 8 December viewers are already wondering when they can get the next fix.
The series Harry & Meghan is structured in two volumes, each with three hour-long episodes. This week’s release saw the first volume available to stream, while the final three episodes will land on Thursday, 15 December.
Harry compares Meghan to Princess Diana
In one of the most affecting exchanges in the episodes released so far, Harry outlines his reasons for wanting to leave the royal family. He speaks candidly about Meghan’s first exposure to life in the royal household and the invasive nature of press coverage into their relationship.
Harry, brother of next-in-line Prince William, made reference to his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being hounded by paparazzi. He said that “so much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum”.
“My face was everywhere, my life was everywhere, tabloids had taken over everything,” said Meghan, recounting her early experiences with the UK’s tabloid press. Despite her career as a prominent actor in the US, she found that the level of scrutiny associated with the royal family was far beyond what she was used to.
In fact it was the media who received by far the greatest criticism from the series in its opening three episodes.
“I feel as though being part of this family, it’s my duty to uncover this exploitation and bribery which happens within our media,” said Harry, in one of the opening scenes of the series. “No one knows that full truth. We know the full truth, the institution knows the full truth, and the media knows the full truth because they’ve been in on it.”
It remains to be seen what will be revealed in the remaining three episodes but we know that legions of fascinated watchers will be eagerly awaiting next Thursday.