Prince Harry and Meghan’s ‘deeply offensive’ Commonwealth comments for Netflix

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their Netflix docuseries released in 2022.

Meghan and Harry

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were accused of allowing “deeply offensive” comments about the Commonwealth to feature in their 2022 Netflix docuseries when it was released almost four years ago. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared in the self-titled show in 2022, just months after the late Queen’s death, to share why they quit royal life.

In the docuseries, the couple spoke about many things and were even accused of attacking Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy after the Commonwealth was described as “Empire 2.0” in the programme. The comments were regarded as “deeply offensive” by royal sources, with many believing they were a direct attack on the work Queen Elizabeth II had done to lead the Commonwealth into a new era.

Contributors to the Netflix series called the Commonwealth a “privileged club of formally colonised nations”.

As reported by The Telegraph, the contributors speaking on the programme said the Commonwealth was an economic bloc that has kept countries “intergenerationally poor”.

These comments were not directly made by Harry and Meghan themselves. They did not go down well with the Palace, with one source saying the description of the Commonwealth was “appalling and factually inaccurate”.

The Telegraph then reported that one royal source said: “Some of this is deeply offensive to all those in the Commonwealth, and of course the late Queen’s legacy. The real risk is that people are learning about the Commonwealth for the first time through hearing this.”

Commonwealth Day

The Commonwealth is important for the Royal Family (Image: Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Royal Family have always felt strongly about the Commonwealth, with senior royals – led by King Charles and Queen Camilla – to gather at Westminster Abbey today for a service to celebrate Commonwealth Day.

In a message about the Commonwealth on Sunday, King Charles said: “We join together on this Commonwealth Day at a time of great challenge and great possibility. Across our world, communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. Yet it is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed.

“Ours is a remarkable association that spans every ocean and continent. Embracing an extraordinary diversity of culture, language and faith, our Commonwealth family is united by shared values of justice, democracy, opportunity, compassion and mutual respect.

“In a world that can feel increasingly fragmented, this voluntary union of free association remains rare and precious – a forum for open and honest discussion and debate to help improve the lives of the nearly three billion people who call our Member States home.”