When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a return trip to the United Kingdom, they were greeted by a chorus of boos and jeers. However, that was nothing compared to the royal insult they received.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got booed while leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral (Credit: YouTube)
There was much speculation about whether or not Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would leave their Montecito, California mansion and travel to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. When they quit their roles as acting “senior royals,” the controversial pair lost much of their income as working ambassadors of the Royal Family.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” the Sussexes announced in 2020. That’s where Netflix comes in. The New York Times reported in February 2021 that the couple signed a multi-million dollar deal with the streaming service to produce programming, but the deal soured when they axed Markle’s animated series, Pearl.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (Credit: Sky Australia/Screenshot)
“What this has done is raised, again, the question of how long can [Meghan and Harry] keep this going and will they have to think about returning to the royal fold,” royal correspondent Richard Palmer said. “Or will they continue to be able to earn a living from Netflix and other projects?”
It looked like Netflix was willing to give it one more try with Meghan and Harry as they announced that a reality series was in the works. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express that it was “clear” the royals will face added pressure from Netflix to “produce more and probably more quickly” for consumers. Netflix will finally get its “pound of flesh” from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with an “at-home with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex-style” docuseries, Page Six reported.
Prince Harry donned a “Girl Dad” t-shirt in a video promoting the couple’s activism (left), Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being filmed as part of the Netflix series (right) (Credit: YouTube/YouTube)
The Kardashian-style series found the Netflix cameras following the couple around to attend different events, and what could be bigger than access to the Royal Family during the Queen’s Jubilee with all of the pomp and circumstance? The Sussexes officially announced they and their two kids would be attending the four-day long weekend event, and that’s when the Queen seemingly made an unprecedented decision, banning Netflix from filming both public and private areas.
According to The Sun, a palace team was tasked with stopping filmmakers from attempting to gain access to the Jubilee with a source saying, “A team of Palace aides will be on standby to keep a very close eye on the crew, and act as minders if needs be.” This comes after a source claimed Netflix camera crews will be “moved on” if they are spotted trying to film the Duke and Duchess in public spaces.
Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony during her Jubilee celebration with Kate Middleton and her children Charlotte and Louis (Credit: YouTube)
Making matters worse for the Sussexes was the hostile reception from the crowd as they left an event at St. Paul’s Cathedral. “Harry and Meghan finally got what they deserve — a chorus of royally loud boos,” royal correspondent Maureen Callahan wrote. Meanwhile, royal biographer Tom Bower claimed the only reason the Sussexes made the trip was to get footage for their reality series. “Can we just be honest about why this couple has come over here?” he said. “These big American companies are only interested in them because of their proximity to the Royal Family.”
Many royal insiders say the Queen could have allowed the Netflix camera crew limited access to help out Harry and Meghan, but they also claim the pair’s real worth to Netflix, as members of the Royal Family, is degraded by the duo’s relentless trashing of that same Monarchy. If the booing wasn’t insulting enough, those insiders say the Queen sticking to her guns was a huge royal insult.
Prince William and Kate Middleton (in yellow on left, circled) are seated in the front row while Prince Harry and Meghan (circled on right) are seated on the opposite side in the second row with minor royals and friends at the Jubilee event (Credit: YouTube)
Although there was one big event left to attend, the historic “Platinum Party in the Palace,” the Sussexes shocked the royal reporters at the last minute by announcing they would not attend. Royal reporter Maureen Callahan believes the couple got the message loud and clear from the Queen and her staff by the way they handled “when and where” Harry and Meghan would be seen.
“How gratifying to see [Harry and Meghan] shuffled off to the cheap seats in the second row, across the aisle from Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, none of whom cast a glance their way,” Callahan wrote. “How elegantly the [Royal Family] has slid in the knife: no official portraits with the queen, no appearance on the balcony, no access to any royals of consequence in public.”
Callahan summed up how many people in the UK feel. “After two years of accusing the British royal family of everything,” Callahan declared, “From wishing Meghan would kill herself to being racist toward her unborn baby to being held literal prisoner by royal staffers to accusing Kate Middleton of making Meghan cry — while branding themselves as eco-warrior-humanitarian-mental-health-experts, motto, for real, ‘Be kind’ — these two get their comeuppance. It’s exquisite.”
In a report compiled just prior to their return trip to the UK, 63 percent of adults polled viewed Meghan Markle negatively, while Prince Harry was disliked by 58 percent. At one point in his life, Harry was one of the most popular royals, but that changed after the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meanwhile, the Queen remains the most respected royal with eight out of ten Brits supporting the longest-reigning British monarch, according to the YouGov poll.