LONDON (AP) 鈥� Britain鈥檚 press erupted in outrage Friday at , which lambasts the U.K. media over its treatment of the royal couple.
But much of Britain reacted to the Netflix show with a shrug. Buckingham Palace had no comment, and the prime minister didn鈥檛 watch.
The first three hour-long episodes of 鈥淗arry and Meghan鈥� were released Thursday, with three more due Dec. 15. So far, the series has contained few of the bombshells the palace had feared.
In the program the couple, along with friends and Meghan鈥檚 family members, recount their early lives and blossoming romance, leading up to their fairy-tale in 2018, and their growing discontent with what they saw as the media's racist treatment of Meghan and a lack of support from the palace.
Harry and Meghan in early 2020 and moved to California to start a new life as campaigners, charity benefactors and
At the heart of the show is the symbiotic and sometimes toxic relationship between Britain鈥檚 royal family and the media. Each side needs the other, but both are often dissatisfied with the arrangements. Prince Harry has long railed against press intrusion that he says clouded his childhood and contributed to the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by photographers.
Meghan claims in the documentary that the media wanted to 鈥渄estroy鈥� her, while Harry says his wife was subjected to a press 鈥渇eeding frenzy.鈥�
That riled British newspapers, many of which splashed their anger across front pages and editorial columns.
Some objected to claims in the series that the Commonwealth of the U.K. and its former colonies 鈥� an organization led until her death by Queen Elizabeth II 鈥� is an extension of the British Empire and its racism. The Daily Telegraph鈥檚 front page accused the show of being a 鈥渄irect hit鈥� on the queen鈥檚 legacy. In an editorial, the conservative-leaning Daily Mail called the show 鈥渓ittle more than a hatchet job from start to finish.鈥�
The tabloid Sun said the documentary was 鈥渕ade for an American audience 鈥� cementing their money-making potential in the US 鈥� and to hell with everything and everybody else, including the truth.鈥�
Scotland鈥檚 Daily Record said the palace was stunned by the couple鈥檚 allegations, running the headline: 鈥淲e are not amused.鈥�
Bob Seely, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party, said he would try to introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the couple of their royal titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Seely said Prince Harry was attacking important British institutions, 鈥渁s well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption.鈥�
Employment Minister Guy Opperman branded the couple 鈥渦tterly irrelevant鈥� and urged people 鈥渢o boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter.鈥�
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak鈥檚 office said it did not back Seely鈥檚 bill, or a Netflix boycott.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter for the public what channels they want to watch,鈥� said spokesman Jamie Davies. He said the prime minister had not watched the series, and the government 鈥渨ould never comment on royal matters.鈥�
The show comes at . King Charles III is trying to show that the institution still has a role to play after the death in September of the queen, whose personal popularity dampened criticism of the crown during her 70-year reign.
The king declined to comment on the Netflix series during public engagements in London on Thursday or during a visit Friday to Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, where he met the team鈥檚 owners, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Both said they had not watched the series, with McElhenney joking, 鈥淚鈥檝e never heard of it.鈥�
Many in Britain had mixed feelings about a show that rehashes long-running grievances between the Sussexes, the palace and the press.
In London, 59-year-old Lucy Barratt said the documentary was 鈥渢oo much鈥� 鈥� but that she might watch it anyway,
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 awful being a royal, but part of being a royal is not complaining,鈥� she said. 鈥淕o on, have a drink with a mate and talk about it.
鈥淚鈥檓 torn between watching it and I slightly want to cancel Netflix. But then, as a sort of voyeur, I might watch it.鈥�
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
