A photograph used in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix trailer showing them being hounded by paparazzi is in fact an unrelated snap from a Harry Potter premiere five years before they met, a new report has revealed.
The still shows a large number of photographers apparently fighting for space to snap sought after pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
However, the image was actually taken at the premiere for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two in July 2011 in central London, five years before the couple were introduced to each other in 2016.
The picture is shown in the trailer as Harry narrates: “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
It is understood that no members of the Royal Family attended the premiere. Instead, the photo appears first under search results for “paparazzi” on a stock image website.
“I don’t imagine Harry would have realised, but Netflix have been careless here as it weakens Harry’s comment about protecting his family,” Royal expert Ingrid Seward told The Sun.
“This fake picture weakens his point.”
The Standard has contacted Netflix for comment.
Last week, the first trailer for the couple’s highly anticipated Netflix series dropped and featured never before seen private photographs of the couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a massive multi-year deal with the streaming giant in 2020, allowing them to produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s titles.
A spokesman for Netflix said: “In an unprecedented and in-depth documentary series, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex share the other side of their high-profile love story.
“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.
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
