Yahoo Movies Royal Family, Palace Not Approached for Comment on Meghan and Harry's Netflix Series, Dispute Disclaimer
Members of the royal family were not approached for comment on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Netflix docuseries, according to a palace source.
A source tells PEOPLE that neither members of the family nor Buckingham Palace or Prince William's office at Kensington Palace were approached for comment on the content of the series, which premiered on Thursday. The palace will also not be providing any comment on the episodes.
A royal source adds that Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace did receive an email claiming to be from a third-party production company through an unknown organization's email address. When they contacted Archewell and Netflix to verify the source, they received no response. The royal source also says the substance of the email did not address the entire series.
At the start of the series, a title card states, "Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within the series."
A Netflix source told PEOPLE on Wednesday that communications offices for King Charles and Prince William were contacted in advance and given the right to reply to claims within the series.
RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Reveal They Met Via Instagram in Netflix Docuseries
Harry & Meghan. A Netflix Global Event.
Volume I: December 8
Volume II: December 15 pic.twitter.com/WpFzVEC7Yx— Netflix (@netflix) December 5, 2022
The show opens with a title card that reads, "This is a first-hand account of Harry & Meghan's story, told with never before seen person archive." It adds that "all interviews were completed by August 2022," the month before Prince Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth died.
In the first three episodes (with the other episodes coming next Thursday, Dec. 15), Meghan, 41, and Prince Harry, 38, opened up about their decision to step back from royal life in 2020.
DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
"Unfortunately in not standing for something, they are destroying us," Meghan in an early scene, apparently referencing the royal family. The video was self-filmed while she was in Vancouver Island, Canada, while Prince Harry stayed in London after they made their announcement to change their royal roles.
They also talked about Meghan meeting some of the royals, including Prince Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth, brother Prince William and sister-in-law Kate Middleton.
Harry said that at first, his family was impressed with Meghan.
"What clouded their judgment was she was an American actress," he said.
DANIEL LEAL/AFP Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
The first trailer for the docuseries showed several personal photos of Meghan and Prince Harry, ranging from a never-before-seen snap taken at their wedding reception to the duo kissing in the kitchen. But the trailers also shared some less happy moments, including Harry looking at Meghan as she wipes away tears during an interview. Another shot showed Meghan holding her phone while covering her face with her other hand.
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The Archetypes podcast host hinted at what expect to expect from the docuseries in an October interview with Variety.
"It's nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I've long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it," Meghan said of working with director Liz Garbus, the Oscar nominee behind Love, Marilyn and Becoming Cousteau. "But that's not why we're telling it. We're trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens."
"It's interesting. My husband has never worked in this industry before," she continued. "For me, having worked on Suits, it's so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That's been really fun."
