Entertainment- The first trailer for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's upcoming Netflix docuseries is out.
- The series will consist of six episodes and reportedly be released on Netflix on December 8.
The first trailer for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's upcoming Netflix docuseries has been released.
The official social media accounts for the streaming service dropped the one-minute trailer on Thursday, December 1, accompanied by the caption: "Harry & Meghan. A Netflix Global Event. Coming soon, only on Netflix."
The series will consist of six episodes and will be released on Thursday, December 8, royal author Omid Scobie wrote on Twitter, though the release date hasn't been confirmed by Netflix.
The trailer begins with one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's most iconic candid shots – the photograph of the two of them smiling at each other while huddled under an umbrella during a rainy London day in 2020. It was their first public joint appearance following the announcement that they would be stepping away from royal duties and giving up their official royal titles.
"Why did you want to make this documentary?" the documentary's director Liz Garbus is heard asking. The filmmaker is best known for "What Happened, Miss Simone?" her 2015 biographical documentary film about Nina Simone.
A montage of never-before-seen black-and-white photos of the couple fills the screen. Some appear to be from their 2018 wedding reception, while others appear to have been taken on vacations and at their Montecito home. There are even a few selfies the couple has taken together.
"No one sees what's happening behind closed doors," Harry is heard saying as a shot of her with her head in one hand and her phone in the other flashes on the screen.
The next shot shows Harry and Meghan sitting behind the royal's older brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, at Westminster Abbey at the March 9, 2019, Commonwealth service.
Shots of newspapers being printed and crowds of paparazzi then fill the screen before it cuts to a shot of Harry sitting in an armchair.
"I had to do everything I could to protect my family," he says, as the montage of photos speeds up. Photos of the two of them, from infancy and childhood right through until the present, appear on the screen before cutting to the present day, where the couple is sat on the sofa.
When the stakes are this high, doesn't it make more sense to hear our story from us?" Meghan then asks as the trailer closes out with a shot of her giving a to-camera interview.
According to Netflix, "Harry & Meghan" will see the couple "share the other side of their high-profile love story."
The synopsis reads: "Across six episodes, the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution."
A window into Harry and Meghan's life before and after their royal exit
Photographs included in the trailer appear to have been taken from events before and after Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal life in January 2020.
At the time, the couple announced they'd come to the decision to no longer work as senior members of the royal household, "work to become financially independent," and move to the US, Insider previously reported.
The years since have seen the Sussexes touch on why they decided to step back, including during their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. One of the major reasons they left the UK was the racist press coverage Meghan faced, Harry told Winfrey.
"It was a large part of it," the prince said. Harry also said he was hurt when no member of the royal family publicly condemned Meghan's treatment by the British tabloids. "The way that I saw it was there was a way of doing things, but for us, for this union and the specifics around her race, there was an opportunity, many opportunities, for my family to show some public support," Harry told Winfrey.
It's unclear yet how much of the couple's relationship with members of the royal family will be discussed during the six-episode docuseries and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Nonetheless, the new docuseries appears to also show happier moments from the couple's time together. Some appear to show them on safari jeeps. People reported that the couple went on a safari in Namibia on their honeymoon after their wedding in 2018.
Another image appears to show Meghan during one of her pregnancies. The couple share two children: Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.