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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Samantha Lock

‘Assault on the Queen’s legacy’: what the UK papers say about Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary

UK front page composite for Friday, 9 December.
UK front page composite for Friday, 9 December. Composite: The Guardian / The Daily Telegraph / Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Times, Daily Mirror

The UK newspaper front pages were awash with outrage and upset following the launch of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s six-part Netflix documentary series.

The Guardian provides a frank review of the Harry and Meghan documentary with TV critic Lucy Mangan writing the series was “so sickening I almost brought up my breakfast”. The headline on the front reads: “Renewed frenzy, but the story remains the same.”

The Daily Mail offers a fierce critique of the royal couple, citing critics accusing the pair of wanting to “bring down the monarchy” and describing the tell-all as an “assault on the Queen’s legacy”.

The Telegraph follows a similar theme, claiming the show was a “direct hit” on the late Queen’s legacy after the Commonwealth was described as “Empire 2.0”.

The paper quotes royal sources condemning the description as “appalling and factually inaccurate” and said it was “deeply offensive” to the Queen’s memory.

The Times quotes a source describing the series as a “soap opera” and leads with Buckingham Palace disputing the claim that the royal family had declined to comment on the series.

The paper says a source at the palace said it only received an approach from an independent production company that it was unable to verify.

“Stop this royal circus” the Daily Mirror says in its headline. The paper accuses the couple of “reigniting the war of the royals” while ordinary people are struggling with a cost of living crisis.

The tabloid also reports Prince William was said to be “utterly furious” at claims of poor treatment, describing the rift between the brothers as an “unseemly squabble”.

The Metro focuses on Prince Harry’s suggestion throughout the series that members of the royal family do not marry for love, in an apparent swipe at Prince William and King Charles.

“Royals ‘deeply upset’ by Harry’s slurs,” the Express says. “Prince Harry fired a fresh salvo in his war on the monarchy,” the paper reports alongside an emotional close-up of King Charles.

The Sun says “Harry the Nasty”, an apparent reference to a 2005 front page in which it called him “Harry the Nazi”. It says Prince William feels “betrayed” by Harry’s decision to allow criticism of his brother and wife Kate.

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