Prince William and Prince Harry at the Queen's funeral in September. Photo / AP
Prince William and Prince Harry at the Queen's funeral in September. Photo / AP
Editorial
EDITORIAL
Shakespeare, in one of his plays, famously likened the world to a stage and all people to actors in it.
And yes, with our selfies and videos we’re all busily documenting our lives in our own versions of homemade art.
But then there are also elite life stories beingtold where the audience explodes to millions. These star-vehicles are content-fillers for our entertainment.
These famous people have ongoing updates about their lives to tell and sell. They try to control their narrative, knowing that whatever they do will be ongoing fodder for future products.
This weekend the first three parts of a six-episode documentary series are showing on the global streaming service, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue their war with the royal family in London.
This House of Sussex offshoot of Game of Windsor is a PR conflict between one wing of the family against its core, singeing it with flames of reputational damage.
Harry and Meghan are particularly playing to an American audience with claims of leaks and planted stories in the media and mistreatment of the duchess because of her race.
After years of The Crown series and with this new documentary acting as a tie-in with Prince Harry’s book, Spare, due out next month, the royals are trapped in a multi-media calamity. It’s now an ongoing attempt to influence public attitudes and shape living history.
The Crown series, which focused on Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, was due to end with its fifth season, but a sixth - due next year - was commissioned. Who’s to say it won’t keep running if the demand is there, since it involves a famous institution in an uncivil battle without an end in sight?
On one level it seems absurd: These anti-royal royals who still like using their titles are presenting themselves as victims of their family and privacy-invading UK media, and yet are raking over every morsel of private grievance for public consumption at a price.
Essentially, this appears to be about one second son swapping the privileged life of official royalty and duties for the privileged life of an international celebrity - and turning his story into a profitable industry.
But it seems to work for the Sussexes because they fit the modern unequal and star-obsessed world, where celebrities combine activism with jet-setting lifestyles and turn themselves into personal brands, more easily than the rest of the royals. They’re a more glamorous pair than the slightly older representatives of the establishment, William and Kate.
Burning his bridges with his British family is an unfortunate outcome for Harry, now estranged from his father and brother after losing Princess Diana. A child who lost his beloved mother at 12 after earlier seeing his parents divorce would have genuine grief and anger to deal with as an adult.
Before meeting Meghan Markle, Harry was one of the most popular royals, deploying his mother’s charm with crowds on tours and finding some purpose with army work and activism.
The early stages of his married life seemed positive for the royals but, whatever the reasons for the family breakdowns, the couple are set on their own confrontational path with his father, now King Charles III.
The timing of the Netflix series is not great for the monarchy just after a US tour for the Prince and Princess of Wales and the resignation at Buckingham Palace of a long-time former lady-in-waiting to the Queen who questioned a British-born black domestic violence campaigner about her origins.
As the society around them keeps changing, the monarchy has to modernise to have any relevance.
Generational change and probably the pressure being brought by the Sussexes is forcing the new royal leadership to adapt more quickly to social sensitivities and priorities. Prince William responded to the palace incident by authorising a statement that said: “Racism has no place in our society”.
The official royals tend to emerge through challenges to the institution. Longer-term interest in the Californian-based Sussexes could wane. At a charity gala in New York on Thursday, Prince Harry was asked by the media: “Are you harming your family, Harry?” and “Are you putting money before family?”
Conflict and family ties are core themes of a lot of dramas and this show will run for years.
