Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release statement following criticism of Netflix documentary

Volume I of the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Netflix documentary has been released, and people are waiting for Volume II on December 15. As with many of her projects, there is quite a bit of controversy and discourse online. Apparently one thing a lot of people are saying has disturbed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

In a statement to Eastern Time, their global press secretary addressed criticism they have received for being so public about their lives on Netflix after withdrawing from the royal family for “privacy” reasons. In fact, they never said anything about privacy.

“The Duke and Duchess never mentioned privacy as the reason for stepping back,” the statement read. “This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple in silence. In fact, his statement announcing his decision to step back makes no mention of privacy and reiterates his desire to continue with his public roles and duties. Any suggestion speaks to a key point of this series.”

The couple announced their decision to step down as active members of the royal family in January 2020. They said they hoped to “make a transition this year to begin to carve out a progressive new role within this institution” in their statement at the time.

They also stated that they would “work to become financially independent,” and a deal with Netflix would certainly help with that goal. The couple also said they planned to split their time between the UK and North America, meaning both Canada and the US eventually landed in Montecito, California as their primary residence.

In the rest of the statement on harry and meghan, the Global Press Secretary said: “You are choosing to share your story, on your terms. The tabloids have created a completely false narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion… The facts are right in front of them.”

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor for ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book the lonely hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.