Prince Harry said he thought it was a "really sensible" thing to do, when it was suggested to him by a friend to document the couple's split from the Royal family. So, he and his wife did just that - with video diary-type pieces to camera using their mobile phones.
The programme lays bare the emotional toll the couple feel they suffered at the hands of the media and the royal family. They talk about Meghan's struggle with thoughts of suicide. Harry admits that he "didn't deal with it well".
Asked why they wanted to make Harry & Meghan, Meghan admits after some thought: "I'm not going to say that it's comfortable, but when you feel like people have gotten any sense of who you are for so long, it's really nice to be able to have the opportunity to let people have a bit more of a glimpse into what's happened ...
Still perhaps their most lucrative deal yet, the couple signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Netflix in September 2020 to produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming.
Some have taken issues with claims made in the show, while others have been more supportive of Harry and Meghan's decision to make a documentary about their relationship. Many of the show's claims center around allegations of discrimination against Meghan, who is biracial.
Netflix's hotly-anticipated Harry & Meghan doc series has already been causing controversy as UK media outlets pick apart its two trailers and find footage and photos have been used in misleading ways.
Two trailers for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's new Netflix docuseries have been criticised for allegedly using footage and photos in misleading ways.
Netflix is unlikely to renew the Sussexes' multimillion-dollar contract, believing “the lemon has been fully squeezed”. Their tell-all six-parter Harry & Meghan was the most-watched subscription TV show of 2022, but there are no plans for a follow-up series.
Oprah has been a loyal friend and neighbor to the royal couple, following their relocation to Montecito, California in 2020.
The Swedish company announced the partnership with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in late 2020 after they stepped down from royal duties and began to forge new careers in California. It was estimated by media to have been worth as much as $20 million or more.
Their supporters see them as principled activists who have called out racism in Britain and the Royal family at great personal cost. Their detractors see them as complainers and ingrates who turned their back on the country after it welcomed Meghan and threw the couple a spectacular wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.
Prince Harry and Meghan no longer receive money from the Royal Family and have a series of commercial arrangements with a number of companies.
Harry is widely reported to have secured £16 million ($20 million) last year as an advance. He paid ghostwriter JJ Moehringer $1million for the book. He said that 'proceeds' from the book will go to UK charities.
It's also noted in a disclaimer that members of the royal family declined to comment on the content of the series. Despite this, a source close to the royal family tells ET, “That is incorrect.
July 2016: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet
Prince Harry and Meghan said in their engagement interview that they first met on a blind date in early July 2016 after being set up by a mutual friend that they've kept anonymous.
Despite being filmed before Queen Elizabeth II's death in September, the documentary arrives in a changed royal landscape, with King Charles III — Harry's father — scheduled to be crowned next May.
Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra and several other stars attended the party where Meghan was conspicuous by her absence. A PR expert thinks the Duchess of Sussex may have turned down the invitation over fear of "further public scorn".
That toxic dynamic, according to Harry, catalyzed their departure: The Sussexes were crumbling under incessant negative media coverage that included an intimate letter between Meghan and her estranged father published in The Daily Mail. (The duchess even began to have suicidal thoughts.)
Their friendship has been maintained since the Sussexes relocated to the US. Meghan appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2021 and in February 2023, the Sussexes attended DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi's vow renewal, which Kris Jenner officiated.
Although they were well off by ordinary standards, Forbes last year pegged their net worth at a fairly modest $10 million, including the remains of Harry's inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana, and the equity the pair have in their California mansion.
Harry and Meghan becomes second most successful Netflix documentary ever. Netflix has announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent series, Harry & Meghan, which revealed behind the scenes details of royal life as its second-highest ranked documentary ever.
You Won't Believe How Much Actress Tiffany Smith Looks Like Meghan Markle. She plays the Duchess of Sussex in the new Lifetime movie Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal.
Harry and Meghan accused of "forcing" King Charles III to grant royal titles for their children.
Part one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix documentary debuted with 81.55 million hours viewed – making it the highest viewed documentary premiere for the streaming platform. Netflix says 28 million households have viewed the show so far.
Nowadays one of his main sources of income is via the Duchy of Cornwall, which made profits of $26 million in 2020 and $24 million in 2021. According to Bloomberg, William will now earn $24 million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall.