Meghan Markle Called Out for Claiming BBC Interview Was 'Rehearsed' and 'Orchestrated'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed that their engagement interview was 'rehearsed' in Netflix's 'Harry & Meghan.'
July 23 2024, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Netflix's 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan included a scene where Meghan Markle called her and Prince Harry's November 2017 engagement interview "rehearsed." After nearly two years, BBC journalist Mishal Husain finally broke her silence on the scandalous Sussex claim.
"When the Duchess of Sussex said that my engagement interview with her and Harry was an 'orchestrated reality show' I didn’t know what to make of it," she explained.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being interviewed after announcing their engagement.
"They seemed to have thought through what their new lives would be like and what marriage would mean for her life in particular," the reporter added.
On November 27, 2017, Harry and Meghan sat with Husain and "appeared the epitome of what a modern royal couple should be," a palace insider shared. But little did anyone know what the next three years would bring.
"There was nothing that pointed to what would happen," Husain said. "It was two people who were full of joy in each other and life."
The six-part docuseries that aired in December 2022 found the pair openly criticizing the British press and the monarchy with more bashing on the former instead of the latter, which surprised many.
Prince Harry looking contemplative in a scene from his and Oprah Winfrey's 2021 series 'The Me You Can't See.'
Prince Harry has been openly critical of royal correspondents and the British tabloid press. He has accused them of perpetuating false narratives and invading the privacy of him and his family. In his and Oprah Winfrey's Apple TV docuseries The Me You Can't See, Harry spoke about the toxic relationship between the royal family and the media, describing how the press harassed and vilified his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997, and how he saw history repeating itself with Meghan.
Harry has also criticized the alleged "invisible contract" between the royal family and the press, where favorable coverage is often exchanged for access to the royals. He has expressed frustration with the relentless scrutiny and the spread of misinformation, which he believes contributed to his and Meghan's decision to step back from royal duties and move to the United States.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed that she and the Duke of Sussex were 'not allowed to tell our story' in their 2017 engagement interview.
The Duchess of Sussex further added in the documentary: "We weren’t allowed to tell our story... it was, you know, rehearsed."
At the time of the allegation, Husain simply replied with a Queen Elizabeth II comeback: "We know recollections may vary on this particular subject."
In defense of the Suits star, royal news reporter Britanni Barger claimed: "She was up early, working all the time, she has the get-up-and-go attitude, but that’s the American attitude, we get stuff done, and I think the British are more relaxed."
From May 2018 to March 2020, The Telegraph reported that the Duchess of Sussex fulfilled a scant 72 royal engagements. Anne, Princess Royal, in her late sixties and early seventies at the time, performed well over 1,000 within the same time frame.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sharing a tender moment in 2022's 'Harry & Meghan.'
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The Daily Beast reported on Husain's remarks.
