My Partner wants to cancel Netflix because of Harry & Meghan

When Harry & Meghan hit Netflix, my partner announced he was canceling our account. A few weeks prior, he said he would not be watching the newest installment of The Crown as it did not show the royals in a great light. Needless to say, my partner is a staunch supporter of the monarchy. He doesn’t support a couple getting paid $100 million to revile the crown and undermine British traditions. To him, the monarchy is one of the greatest institutions in the United Kingdom. I think the UK has many other things that make it a great nation: high tea, universal healthcare, roast dinners, abortions, etc. While I am not a massive monarchist, it is difficult to like Harry and Meghan. I agree with their political opinions and the causes they champion, but there are undoubtedly less irritating people than Harry and Meghan to convince the British people the monarchy needs to revise some of its more arcane and problematic traditions. 

The Harry & Meghan docuseries

A relationship fit for a Lifetime movie:

Hearing about Harry and Meghan’s burgeoning relationship is painful. Meghan softens her voice, gazes at “H” as she calls him, and talks about how it was so effortless to be around each other from the get-go. The photos accompanying their generic statements show the couple jumping in the air, crinkling their noses in photo booths, and smiling as they look into each other’s eyes. Their love story and accompanying photos could serve as stock photos and copy for Hallmark cards. The wholly original story of Harry seeing a picture of Meghan on Instagram with a dog filter and needing to know her has to be a lie, or Harry is the most basic person on the planet. 

Harry comes across as a privileged bore and lapdog. In the docuseries, it seems he just learned what bias means and is trying to share his newfound wisdom with as many people as possible. Harry discusses wearing a Nazi outfit in his youth. How ignorant and sheltered do you need to be to think this is ok, ever? This fact alone would stop me from dating him. When Harry explains his meeting with his Dad, brother, and grandma to discuss leaving the UK, he seems like a petulant brat, “my brother yelled at me!”. Grow-up. 

Meghan is so down-to-earth

Throughout the series, the couple tirelessly pushes the idea that Meghan is down-to-earth and the royal family is a glutton for formality. Meghan regurgitates the by-now well-documented story of not knowing how to bow when meeting the Queen. Instead of the story seeming relatable/cute, it seems like a contrived lie to make the crown seem stuffy and Meghan naive and relatable. Meghan needlessly mentions she was barefoot when meeting Kate and William for the first time. She expresses shock over the royal family’s rigidity carrying through to private life. Have you never met clipped British people, Meg? They are, unfortunately, like this all the time.  

Meghan cannot be as naive as she purports to be. She acts shocked and hurt by the crown’s many traditions—from being barred from wearing bright colors to being unable to share her political views. Being pissed at these traditions is fine, but acting as if they come as a surprise is annoying. 

I think Meghan stands for the right things, and I believe her assertions about the racism she faced and continues to face. She is smart, and I stan her feminist dish soap story to change a commercial that implied only women clean dishes. If she acted as outwardly cunning and sharp as I believe her to be, I don’t think I would find her nearly as unbearable. 

Without fail, the couple draws similarities between Meghan and Diana. I think the public is generally very sick of these comparisons. Meghan and Diana do not come off as similar in situation or mannerisms. Meghan is American. Before marrying Harry, she had a successful career and was financially independent, educated, and in her thirties. She is also in a lucky position to be in a loving relationship with her husband. Diana was a mere child when she got married, had no higher education, and was in an emotionally tumultuous relationship with her husband. Finally, it does not seem like Diana sought to undermine the crown in a very public way. 

Race Relations

Noteworthy parts of the docuseries explore the United Kingdom’s colonial history and the eventual formation of the more palatable Commonwealth. The series highlights how post-colonial tensions create an uncomfortable relationship between the crown and people of African descent living in the UK and how underlying racial biases pervade many British institutions. The couple discusses contemporary examples of racially motivated attacks that are not prosecuted justly, such as the case of Stephen Lawrence. Unfortunately, the couple’s performative nature draws attention away from some critical points in the series.

Whether you like Meghan or not, she did a lot for the non-white communities in the UK, both symbolically and tangibly. The series features Meghan’s work while residing in the UK: working with survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire and royal visits to the Commonwealth. It is clear from video clips that having a non-white senior royal aroused genuine excitement in non-white communities across the UK and the globe. Excitement peaked when Archie was born, becoming the first bi-racial child born into the royal family. What this symbolized for people was momentous and could have been a massive asset for the monarchy in its constant battle to stay relevant. 

The nefarious media and the couple’s departure from the UK

The series explores the overwhelming reach of the British tabloids, and it is clear legislation to protect individuals against them should be more robust. I wholeheartedly believe Meghan endured crippling mental anguish because of the tabloids, further convincing the couple to leave the UK. Unfortunately, since Meghan complaining about the tabloids elicits as much sympathy as hummer drivers complaining about gas prices, I doubt people will push for limiting the power of the press. 

It seems Harry and Meghan cross a line in the series when they begin to uncover the monarchy’s, in particular William’s role in not stopping, and possibly shifting, the tabloid’s attention toward Meghan. To many in the UK, it seems traitorous and trashy to expose intimate family issues, especially involving a future king, in such a low-brow fashion as television. It seems to signal a profound irreverence for the monarchy and, in effect, British traditions. 

If I were a female member of the royal family, I would be especially incensed by Harry and Meghan’s departure from the crown. Unlike Kate and Diana, Meghan had a career, another country, and an out from the UK when the tabloids wreaked havoc upon her life. Diana and Kate were not so lucky. Meghan continually affirms how she was made to feel like an outcast and did not fit in. I firmly believe that no one in the royal family feels like they fit in. Being a part of the British monarchy demands you renounce all individuality and privacy, and your duty is, to be blunt, to entertain the British public. If I were part of this machine and could not leave but watched Meghan go and then act like the continued victim, I would have immeasurable disdain for her and Harry. 

Lilibet

I don’t understand the couple naming their daughter after the Queen. Throughout the docuseries and the couple’s interview with Oprah, they talk about the perfidious institution behind the monarchy. Harry calls out his grandmother for staying silent while his brother and dad yelled and “lied” about him. Then the couple names their daughter after the late Queen. The Queen presided over the institution that made racist comments about Archie, would not allow Meghan to seek therapy, and would not help to reign in the press that overwhelmed both Meghan and Diana. I don’t get the naming, and it seems calculated.

What they could have done to be less annoying:

The Atlantic smartly asserted that two things could be true regarding Harry and Meghan. They can advocate for the right things but still be annoying as hell. Harry and Meghan have important messages to share, but they are clearly not convincing anyone new to listen. If they want to address racism in the UK and issues with the monarchy, maybe it would be good to have a series not told through the lens of their love story. They could simply be producers on some investigative pieces into the systemic effects of British colonialism on modern UK politics and society. Might be more agreeable to my partner and the British.