Prince Harry Defends Netflix Doc And Media Appearances: ‘Silence Is Betrayal’

Topline

Prince Harry defended his decision with wife Meghan Markle to speak publicly about the alleged injustices they’ve faced from the royal family after their Netflix documentary series was criticized as hypocritical, telling Anderson Cooper in a 60 Minutes interview that efforts to address the issue privately backfired and led to them being further demonized in the press.

Prince Harry (l), Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, in Duesseldorf, Germany, on … [+] September 6, 2022.

dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Key Facts

Cooper asked Harry, the Duke of Sussex, why the couple chose to “be so public” about their issues with the royal family after stepping back from their royal duties and moving to California, which has been a source of criticism about his and Meghan’s recent Netflix documentary series.

Harry said he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had been unable to address their problems privately, telling Cooper, “Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.”

Harry criticized the royal family’s practice of “feed[ing]” stories to royal correspondents and said that he and Meghan were told the palace “can’t put a statement out to protect you,” even though that was done for other members of the family, telling Cooper, “There becomes a point when silence is betrayal.”

Harry’s comments on 60 Minutes come after the couple’s press secretary previously commented on the criticism against them, accusing critics of creating a “distorted narrative” and that it was “entirely untrue” that the Sussexes had cited wanting privacy from the press as a reason for stepping back from being working royals.

Crucial Quote

“You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain, but it’s just a motto,” Harry told Cooper, saying there was an “endless” amount of complaining and explaining “done through leaks.”

What To Watch For

Harry’s comments to Cooper are part of a brief clip released Monday from his 60 Minutes interview, which will air in full on January 8. Harry’s memoir, Spare, will be released January 10.

Key Background

Harry & Meghan, the six-part Netflix documentary series, included a wealth of footage from the couple’s private life and details a wide range of grievances the couple had during their time as working royals, including the unrelenting and often false press attention Meghan received, which Harry and Meghan often pinned on the palace and other family members’ press teams feeding journalists negative stories. It came after the couple first detailed their concerns to Oprah Winfrey in a March 2021 interview, which included accusing the royal family of racism and failing to protect them, even when the criticism against Meghan resulted in her having suicidal thoughts. The Sussexes have garnered criticism for using a splashy Netflix series and Harry’s upcoming memoir to speak out against the royals and draw attention to themselves and their life, given that they retreated from royal life in part because of the unwanted press attention they received. Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in January 2020 and now reside in California, and while they still retain their royal titles, Buckingham Palace announced in 2021 that they will not return as working royals.

Surprising Fact

The documentary has garnered high ratings but largely negative reviews in the U.K., and has led to plunging approval ratings for Harry and Meghan among the British public and calls for their royal titles to be stripped.