Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Are Reportedly Backing Off The Royals In Their Upcoming Projects
The heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II has led to many changes within the royal family, most notably the ascension of her oldest son, who is now King Charles III. In addition, Charles's wife, Camilla, became Queen Consort, while Prince William and Catherine Middleton were named the new Prince and Princess of Wales, per Insider.
While all of these changes went into effect almost immediately after the queen's passing, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are still waiting to hear if their two children, son Archie and daughter Lilibet, will receive prince and princess titles. Charles is taking his sweet time with the decision, with royal expert Katie Nicholl saying that the delay is intentional.
"They remain 'Miss' and 'Master' currently [on the royal website]. And I'm told that that is a very clear signal from the king," Nicholl told True Royalty TV's "Royal Beat" podcast (via the Daily Mail). "He's willing to give those titles, but it comes with a caveat, and that caveat is trust. They have to know that they can trust the family."
The hesitation stems from Harry and Meghan's upcoming projects, which includes the duke's tell-all memoir and the couple's Netflix docuseries. Both are scheduled for release in 2023, and Charles is reportedly waiting to see what is revealed before making any announcements regarding Archie and Lilibet's titles.
So it's not surprising that Harry and Meghan are looking to "soften" their portrayal of the new king in both.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will 'soften' their content about King Charles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have reportedly decided to change the portrayal of King Charles III in their Netflix docuseries. "They've both agreed to reach a neutral ground by softening the parts on Charles and adding intimate details about [Queen Elizabeth II's] legacy," a source told Us Weekly.
The decision, however, has landed Harry and Meghan in hot water with Netflix, which is confused as to why some of what Harry has written for his memoir is contradicted in the docuseries. "Then Harry and Meghan made significant requests [to filmmakers] to walk back content they themselves have provided, for their own project," a source told Page Six. There was speculation that the Sussexes were trying to bury the series in the wake of the queen's death, but Netflix has no plans to cancel its release.
Royal biographer Tina Brown believes that Harry is also having second thoughts about the release of his memoir. "They're now in this bind, where they've taken all this money and Harry has made this book deal where he's supposed to spill everything about his horrible life as a royal," Brown told The Telegraph. "But now he's actually tortured about it because he understands there is no way back if he does it."
It appears that, if Harry and Meghan want to patch things up with Charles — and secure titles for their children — they have some big decisions to make.