Prince Harry has reportedly said he has “absolutely no regrets” about how he and wife Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, has turned out, despite the demanding edits before it began airing on Thursday.
A source told UK tabloid The Mirror that Harry was “delighted” with the documentary, despite the row that has ensued following its release.
“Harry is delighted with the narrative of the documentary and how he and Meghan came across,” the source said.
“The reason for doing this was to share their truth on their lives.
“He feels it told the story he wanted the world to hear and has absolutely no regrets.”
The source also claimed Harry wanted his brother William and father, King Charles III, to watch the rest of the series when the second part airs, saying it will help them understand why he and Meghan have chosen to lead their new life away from the Royal Family.
Harry’s comments come as palace insiders call out the Duchess of Sussex for telling “a complete and utter lie” about the royal wedding during the documentary.
Palace insiders told The Times claims made by Meghan in the three episodes were inaccurate. One disputed Meghan’s claim she’d received no training about royal life, instead arguing “the level of support was intense”.
The duchess had claimed her niece, Ashleigh Hale, daughter of her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle, was not invited to the royal wedding on “guidance” from Kensington Palace staff.
However, the source told The Times that was not correct.
“We never gave any advice, steer or guidance on who of her family or friends should or shouldn’t come to her wedding.”
“[Meghan] didn’t want to invite her because it would have put her [Meghan] under intense scrutiny.
“Meghan didn’t want the media to know about Ashleigh. No one on earth would have said don’t invite family to the wedding.
“That’s a complete and utter lie. We wanted more family there to make it look less weird for her.”
A claim Meghan had been given no guidance was also rubbished.
“There’s no class and some person who goes, ‘sit like this, cross your legs like this, use this fork, don’t do this, curtsy then, wear this kind of hat’ – doesn’t happen. I never saw pictures or videos of a walkabout, [I was] like, what’s a walkabout?” Meghan said in the documentary.
However, The Times reported it was also revealed Meghan was given a 30-point dossier to study by Prince Harry’s then private secretary, Ed Lane Fox.
Harry and Meghan have rejected criticism aimed at the series, with a statement from their spokesman saying the couple had never cited privacy as a reason for stepping back from the Royal Family.
In the first episodes, the couple made a series of disclosures, with Meghan recalling her first death threat, Harry talking about wearing disguises to their dates, and previously unseen footage of their son Archie.
However, the couple have since come under fire due to the discrepancies between their decision to air the series and their previous complaints about press intrusion. A statement issued by the couple’s press secretary has rejected this line of criticism, Reuters said.
“The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back. This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence,” the statement said, according to a report by the BBC.
“They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion.”
The final three episodes of the documentary series will be released by Netflix on Thursday, December 15.
Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle
Where: Toronto, Canada
