In the UK these days, there are very few people who unite the right and the left. Netflix’s intimacy series “Harry & Meghan,” released Thursday, is fast becoming the exception.
The first three episodes of the docuseries, directed by Liz Garbus and co-produced by the production company of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were quickly criticized from The Sun Criticism from bipartisan critics ranging from The Daily News to The Guardian. Although “kebabs” may not actually capture the harshness of some of the reviews.
Piers Morgan, who has been a strong critic of the couple in the past, wasted no time in taking a scathing swipe at the series in Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid The Sun Comment:
Who is the biggest victim in the world right now? You might think this is the poor people of Ukraine because they are being bombed, shot and raped by Putin’s invading barbarians. Or those whose lives have been ruined by the Covid pandemic, which continues to cause widespread death and long-term illness. Or millions of people struggling with severe economic hardship amid the devastating cost of living crisis sweeping the globe.
but not. The biggest victims in the world are actually Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, a pair of narcissists who are extremely rich, hugely privileged, and horribly entitled.
If you don’t believe me, just ask them!
Later in his comments, Morgan warned viewers they might need a “sick bucket.” He wasn’t the only one with the stomach upset. The headline of Lucy Mangan’s review in the left-leaning Guardian said the first three episodes were “so disgusting I almost took my breakfast out”.
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Mangan did point out that the series has had a lot of sweet moments so far — notably Prince Harry and Meghan, who are “charming and fun together” — but she ultimately found the finished product just not enough:
But in the end – what are we left with? The exact same story, we’ve always known it, told the way we expect to hear it from the person who tells it. People who don’t care don’t watch it. Those who really care – that is to say peeking at real-life soap operas – will still read whatever they want and will no doubt confirm all their previous thoughts. There’s a lot here to start a new round of tabloid frenzy, especially among the royals Harry mentions, who view the pressure on anyone to “marry” as a rite of passage and refuse to let anyone else avoid their own spouses What’s been through, and the internal pressure to succumb to a wife who chooses to “mold”. That said – it’s hard to see who would actually benefit from it, other than the media?
The Independent, a more centrist of British media, was less brutal, but not entirely appreciative, calling the series both “self-aggrandizing” and “extremely entertaining”. In her review, Jessie Thompson found the couple likable and compassionate at times, and eloquently made a point about British racism.