Harry and Meghan: What we've learned from documentary so far

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The Royal Family will be “breathing a huge sigh of relief” following the release of the first three episodes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s explosive Netflix docuseries, Express.co.uk has been told. The first instalment of “Harry & Meghan” was released on Thursday morning, with the second set of episodes hitting the small screen next week.

But, particularly from the first two episodes, the Royal Family will be relieved to see that promotional material “appears to have been misleading”, according to reputational and crisis management expert Edward Coram-James.

Go Up chief executive Mr Coram-James pinpointed more concerted criticism of the media and press shining through in the initial episodes, rather than overt critique of The Firm.

He told Express.co.uk: “Pictures of a furious Princess of Wales, plastered across Netflix’s advertising outlets, promised audiences a high level, inside job hit piece with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attacking the Royal Family.

“This intentional piece of smoke and mirrors advertising, promising one thing but delivering another, has been successful, generating huge international publicity and driving up numbers for a streaming platform that has had a very bad year defined by declining subscriber numbers, revenue and value.

“But, in reality, this series appears to be more of a hit piece against the media than against the Royal Family.”

These “limited actual attacks” have been largely focused on “questioning their formality and making it clear that this formality continues behind closed doors”.

Mr Coram-James suggested that such a set-up, rendering the royals “cold and distant”, is designed to “create a clear distinction” between the institution and a “light and relatable Harry and Meghan”.

But, looking at the series from the perspective of a reputation management expert, Mr Coram-James called the docuseries a “masterstroke from the Sussexes”.

He explained: “Individuals rarely get to dictate and oversee the biopic of their own lives.

“In normal circumstances, journalists and filmmakers try to be as objective as possible, giving a rounded overview, interviewing multiple sources on either side of a debate and asking the subject hard-hitting questions.

“However, this series sees an informative but also very two-dimensional view of the world purely through the eyes of the Sussexes.

“I would be delighted if one of my clients was able to have a many-hour Netflix series about their lives, which promised to take their words at face value and with zero scrutiny.”

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However, Mr Coram-James suggested despite the free pass for the Sussexes to present their point of view, the new Netflix series is unlikely to “change impressions” already formed about the couple.

He commented: “The world already knows a lot about Meghan and Harry and most people have already developed their opinions. From a reputational point of view, it is important to get in quick and get in early.

“After an impression has been formed, it is very hard to change that impression.

“So, as reputation management experts, we need to be able to set the storyline and define options from the very outset.

“The world has watched this argument slowly build over a number of years, and opinions are now baked in.

“Those that love the Royal Family will find many reasons in this docuseries to further dislike The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, being cynical about their claims of innocence in all of this and suspicious that the real intention may be financial.

“Those that are fans of The Duke and Duchess will walk away even more entrenched in their view that the Royal Family is an out of touch, formal, colonial relic that has to go and that Meghan and Harry are victims of an ongoing harassment campaign.”

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