Royals deny they were asked to comment on Harry and Meghan show

1. Prince Harry and Meghan have released the first instalments of their Netflix documentary series
2. The show is co-produced by the couple and is billed as telling the "truth" of being part of the Royal Family
3. The Royal Family have denied that they were approached for comment on the series - and say they will not be doing so
4. The series touches on issues of race, and Harry talks about how proud he is that his children are mixed race
5. In the first three episodes, the couple attack the media and press intrusion from the start of their relationship
6. Harry says members of the Royal Family questioned why Meghan should be "protected" from the tabloids, and he responded the difference was the "race element"
7. And he says that Meghan first sacrificed everything "to join me in my world" but later, he did the same to join "her world" in the US

That's all for now, thanks for joining us!

And that's a wrap (for now). Thanks for joining our live coverage of the first three episodes of Harry and Meghan.

Let’s recap what we’ve learned so far (spoilers-ahead!):

• The first volume didn’t contain many bombshells, but it did give us some insight into how the couple met and fell in love and what their life is like now that they’ve stepped back from royal duties
• Harry and Meghan don’t shy away from talking about race and the racism they have experienced. Meghan admits to being initally caught off-guard by it, while Harry says, “my children are mixed race, and I’m really proud of that”
• The episodes also tackle Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the media. They both opened up about the toll the media attention has had on their lives and relationships both individually and as a couple
• There’s some confusion over whether the Royal Family were approached for comment in the series – Netflix says they declined to comment but both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palance denied that they were ever asked
• And we (briefly) got to see home video of the couple’s son, Archie! The toddler, now three, is seen running around the family's California home as he admires a sunset

The second installment of the Netflix series premieres next Thursday 15 December.

In the meantime you can read more here.

WATCH: Close up, intimate - but still controlled

Harry and Meghan's personal footage was used in the Netflix show

Our royal correspondent Jonny Dymond says the couple's personal footage shown in the docuseries is giving viewers "access all areas" in a "certain style".

Casually shot, with a social media "roughness" to it, you see the children as you've never seen them before, he says.

"We don't know how keen they were on having this behind the scenes material - but they are letting in the cameras just for this moment and saying 'this is what's important to us'," he says.

What have we learned from Harry & Meghan?

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

PA Media

I've been sitting at my desk for several hours today, watching and analysing the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan.

What is it like so far? Pretty much exactly as you'd expect.

If you consider Meghan and Harry an interesting and endearing pair who were unfairly treated by the Royal Family, your opinion won't be changed by this series.

If you consider them obnoxious, self-indulgent and disrespectful towards their relatives, your view will be similarly unaffected.

Ultimately, the Netflix series is just as polarising as the couple themselves. How you perceive it will at least partly depend on your existing opinion of them going in.

On the plus side, the programme does not shy away from the more uncomfortable moments of the couple's past, such as the controversy surrounding Harry's Nazi costume in 2005.

But at the same time, these instances are few and far between. On the whole, the series is promotional and hagiographic, with a clear agenda.

Normally, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that - most celebrity documentaries fall into this category. The lack of balance in a Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift documentary, for example, is hardly a huge editorial problem.

But in a case like this, where quite serious allegations are being made against the Royal Family, the impact is much more significant, and the lack of balance is an issue. There is already a row about whether or not the palace were asked for their input.

The fallout will no doubt continue over the coming days, but it's likely that many of the most explosive allegations won't be made until next week.

US royal fans impressed by frank discussions of racism

Chelsea Bailey

BBC News, Washington

We’re beginning to see some reaction to the documentary from royal watchers here in the US.

RS Locke, a US-based writer and royal commentator, told me she stayed up through the night so she could watch the series as soon as it was released.

Locke, who has cultivated a loyal following on social media under the handle Royal Suitor, has been covering the evolution of Harry and Meghan’s relationship since they began dating. As an African-American woman, she said, so far, she's been impressed by the show and its willingness to engage in conversations around race and racism.

“I was pretty surprised, honestly, I hadn’t expected one of the key themes to be around colonialism and Imperialism and tying that directly to the royal family and the legacy that created,” she said.

She adds she found it refreshing to see Prince Harry speak openly about the Royal Family’s relationship with the press. After watching the series, Locke said she’s more certain that race plays a role in the coverage of Meghan and Harry’s relationship.

“There were opportunities for the Royal Family to show support for Meghan that would have been a sign to the press to back off. It really feels like a case of… if push comes to shove, the sixth in line and his wife are gonna get pushed under the bus.”

Who has Prince Harry dated? (and other questions Americans are asking)

Marianna Brady

Reporting from Washington DC

Getty Images

Chelsy Davy is a former girlfriend of Prince Harry

It's still early days (to use a phrase I learned from my British colleagues) but here's a look at what Americans have been searching for on Google in the last few hours about the royal couple.

One of the most searched questions is about how to watch the docuseries. Easy enough for us to answer... Netflix. This is followed by questions about Harry and Meghan's net worth. (We know they've been paid millions for their programmes with Netflix.)

Most other queries are about biographical details on the couple - specifically: Where is Meghan Markle from? Where did Meghan Markle go to college? When did Meghan Markle leave her legal drama Suits?

And then, more interestingly, questions about their past relationships. About three quarters of the way into the first episode (I know this because I'm one of those Americans who woke up at 5am east coast time to start watching the series) Harry talks about his struggle dating in the public eye.

He said his first few girlfriends were harrassed by paparazzi, and Netflix included a shot of one of his exes hopping into a car.

I, too, was curious about who it was. I went to Google, and apparently I was not alone. Who did Harry date before Meghan? (Answer: Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas, for sure. Some others speculated.)

There was also interest in Princess Diana and the details around her death - probably since the first episode featured it heavily and included footage of Harry and Meghan's son Archie interacting with a photo of his late grandmother on the wall.

WATCH: I was stalked by paparazzi - Meghan's mum

I was stalked by paparazzi - Meghan's mum

During the opening episodes we also hear from Megan's mother, Doria Ragland. She says she was "stalked" by the paparazzi after her daughter started a relationship with Prince Harry.

Speaking about her experiences with the press, Ragland also says she felt unsafe "a lot".

An engaging watch but no bombshells

David Sillito

Media and Arts correspondent

PA Media

The framing of this documentary series was clear in the trailer, it’s story about the Sussexes and the press.

However, after three episodes and nearly three hours of television, we have been reminded of what happened to Harry’s mother at the hands of the press and his long standing discomfort with the intrusion and the demands to "perform" but there have been no great revelations.

Hearing that Prince Harry has issues with the media is hardly news. It is easier to name the UK national newspapers he isn’t taking legal action against at the moment.

We have learnt more about the effect it’s had on Meghan’s mother, Doria. What’s also noteworthy is how the couple are very specific about their unhappiness with the “UK media” who are referred to in the programme as “toxic”, “notorious” and out to “destroy.”

Given that this documentary is itself a huge media event run by one of the biggest media companies on the planet, it would be hard for them to say they just want to escape the public gaze.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex

What’s not been discussed yet in any detail is how the press and the royal households operate. We have learnt a little about the different royal press offices, the constant demands for information and the formal staged nature of royal events with certain journalists allowed controlled but privileged access. But again, hardly new.

There were no detailed revelations about how certain stories appeared or why. What we got instead was a broad brush discomfort with the press narrative, intrusion and the racial undertones of some of the coverage.

Indeed, for a viewer who knew little about the UK, the repeated appearances of various town criers at royal events might lead them to believe this was still an important part of Britain’s media landscape.

What’s perhaps most remarkable about the series so far is how engaging it is, without revealing any bombshells. They are highly watchable interviewees.

The story may be about Harry and Meghan’s troubled relationship with the ‘media’ but it’s easy to overlook quite how good they are at media.

Confusion over whether Royal Family was asked to comment on series

Harry & Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix

The message displayed at the start of the series

Earlier, we discussed whether the Royal Family were approached to comment on the claims made by Harry and Meghan in their Netflix series.

At the outset of episode one a slate appears on screen stating the royals had declined to comment. But a few hours after the series aired, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace denied that they were approached for comment.

Kensington Palace did confirm it received an email purporting to be from a third-party production company from an unknown organisation's address and attempted to verify its authenticity with Archewell Productions and Netflix, but never received a response.

Now, a Netflix source insists the communications offices for the King and the Prince of Wales were contacted in advance and given the chance to react to Harry and Meghan's claims.

British royal contributors condemn documentary on US networks

Marianna Brady

Reporting from Washington DC

There may have been some royal superfans in the US who stayed up until the wee small hours of the night to watch the first few episodes of the Netflix documentary, but for most, they're waking up to the reaction on breakfast TV right now.

Good Morning America devoted a seven minute segment to the docuseries on their morning programme, with royal contributors in Britain giving their take to US viewers.

It was "self-indulgent and difficult to watch," said Robert Jobson. He said it was painful to see Meghan appear in no make-up and with a towel around her hair - at a time when she "should have been talking to professional".

Victoria Murphy said the Palace will be relieved that "no specific new allegations" came out, adding it was the couple's chance to "tell their story on their own terms."

American host Hoda Kotb on NBC's Today Show said she watched 20 minutes of the first episode when she woke up this morning. She said it was different than normal interaction with the palace who are "stiff upper lip people" whereas the series is "sort of putting everything out there".

The show's royal contributor Katie Nicholl told viewers that the documentary is a "Kardashian style" look into their lives, and hypocritical for a couple who say they guard their privacy seriously.

What's been happening?

Harry & Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix

If you're just joining us, the first three episodes of Harry and Meghan's docuseries dropped on Netflix earlier today. Here's what you need to know:

• The Sussexes said their documentary would tell the world their "truth" and offer revelations on the royals - but the first instalments failed to deliver any bombshell moments
• Viewers did get to hear about how the couple first met (Instagram), their first date (a Soho bar) and the family's life away from royal duties (including some rare words from their toddler, Archie)
• On the Royal Family, Meghan said she was barefoot when meeting them for the first time. She didn't realise being "a hugger" would be "jarring for a lot of Brits", she said of her initial encounter with Prince William and Catherine
• Harry said that Meghan sacrificed everything "to join me in my world" but later, he did the same to join "her world" in the US
• Race is a prominent topic and Meghan talks candidly about both racism and being mixed race. Harry says "my children are mixed race, and I'm really proud of that"
• The couple attack the media intrusion from the start of their relationship, with Harry discussing the impact the press had on his mother, him and his brother, and then his wife. Harry says he sees it as his duty to uncover "exploitation and bribery" within the press, while Meghan describes fearing the paparazzi

That's all from the watch party

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

PA Media

And so, with the conclusion of the third episode, we've come to the end of this week's batch of Harry and Meghan.

We've got a bit of indigestion from consuming all three episodes, but we now have a week-long break before the second half of the series is released on Netflix

In the timeline of the show, we haven't yet reached Harry and Meghan's wedding day, but we're getting close.

There will no doubt be a lot more material to dissect in the next three episodes, as the debate surrounding the couple intensifies as they prepare to step down from royal duties.

Harry: We had no option but to get out

Harry & Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix

Just before the end of the third episode, we get a preview for the final three, which will be released on 15 December.

We see Harry and Meghan walking past a bank of photographers, and hear clips from various news reports about "an unbelievably sad day" as they are "taking a step back from their royal duties".

We then see a formal photograph from what looks like Archie's christening, with Harry and Meghan flanked by Prince Charles (as he was) and Camilla, along with Meghan's mother Doria. William and Katherine are also with them, along with Diana's sisters.

Meghan looks straight at the camera, and says: "When a family and a family business are in direct conflict..."

Harry adds: "Everything that’s happened to us was always going to happen to us."

We see reams of newspapers being printed in a factory.

"Suddenly what clicked in my head that it's never going to stop," says Meghan, and we see Harry with his head in his hands.

He goes on: "There was no other option at that point. I said we needed to get out of here."

We see them clutching hands and walking away with baby Archie, and a shot of a plane overhead.

How the relationship with Thomas Markle broke down

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

PA Media

We're on the home straight as we approach the end of the third episode, which deals with Meghan's father Thomas Markle, and photos he set up in collaboration with the paparazzi.

Meghan recalls calling her father and asking if he was working with the photographers, to which he replied no.

"It felt really cagey. I was like 'doesn't make sense, doesn't make sense,'" says Meghan, breaking into a dramatic whisper.

"And I looked at H, and I was like, 'I don't know why but I don't believe him.'"

Later, Meghan talks of her relationship with her father "unravelling" when he "wouldn't pick up my call, and instead you're talking to TMZ".

Meghan recalls finding out that her father would not be attending her wedding via the gossip website.

Later, the couple say they struggled to reach Thomas Markle, and suspected someone else was replying to their texts from his phone. The relationship deteriorated.

"Of course it's incredibly sad, what happened, she had a father before this, and now she doesn't have a father," Harry concludes.

Streaming in the shadow of a royal race row

Ashitha Nagesh

BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent

AFP

A lot of people expected this to contain direct allegations against members of the royal family.

There haven't been any such bombshell claims from the couple (yet - this is only Volume I, after all). But race is an overarching theme.

From Britain's slave empire to the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the documentary sets Harry and Meghan's story against a backdrop of centuries of systemic and violent racism.

Harry discusses the pain of what he calls racist media coverage of his relationship, and also how proud he feels of his mixed-race children. He talks about unconscious bias and the importance of learning from your mistakes - and acknowledges some, though not all, of the skeletons in his own closet.

Timing is key, too. This all comes only a week after another major royal racism scandal.

Lady Susan Hussey, who was the late Queen's lady-in-waiting, had repeatedly and intrusively probed charity boss Ngozi Fulani about where she was "really from" at a Buckingham Palace reception. Lady Hussey later resigned.

So even if the Palace had been bracing itself for far worse, this documentary still shines an uncomfortable light on the issue of race in the Royal Family, at a time when scrutiny is already heightened.

Meghan says she had to learn Royal protocols

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

Getty Images

We've reached the halfway point of episode three (live blogging a series somewhat slows down the process of watching it).

Meghan claims she did not realise that being a member of the Royal Family meant she would be expected to be politically neutral.

The causes supported by the Royal Family are, traditionally, not controversial, points out Tim Burt, who works for the couple's production company.

"Meghan was more of an activist," he says, while a clip from 2018 shows her talking about female empowerment.

"I didn't know that would be taboo, to talk about," Meghan picks up, wearing a confused expression.

But, she adds: "Joining this family, I knew that there was a protocol for how things were done."

Meghan has previously claimed she never Googled Harry before she met him. But she does admit to Googling the national anthem, which she had to learn.

WATCH: Harry and Meghan's home video of son Archie

Home video of Archie features in Harry and Meghan documentary

The first episode the series gives an intimate look into the Harry and Meghan's family life from their home in California.

A vivid sunset appears on screen and we hear Meghan ask their eldest child, Archie, how he would describe it.

"Well, it's all done beautiful," the toddler, now three, responds and is accompanied with a clip of him running outside his Montecito home.

Harry recalls Nazi costume controversy

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

We're proceeding through episode three, which is examining the criticism that the wife of one of the Queen's cousin's, Princess Michael of Kent, received when she wore a Blackamoor brooch, a piece of jewellery widely considered racist.

Princess Michael's spokesman, Simon Astaire, said at the time she was "very sorry and distressed that it (had) caused offence". The princess didn't wear the brooch again.

"One of the realities of life in Britain is that if you go into a palace or stately home or anywhere that represents tradition, you are likely to be faced with racist imagery," says author Afua Hirsch in the episode.

Harry says: "There is a huge level of unconscious bias... it's a constant work in progress, for everybody, including me."

This tees up the next topic; Harry's decision to wear a Nazi costume to a party in 2005, which he describes as "one of the biggest mistakes of my life".

It attracted huge amounts of negative publicity at the time. "I felt so ashamed afterwards, all I wanted to do was make it right," he says.

Harry recalls travelling to Berlin and speaking to a holocaust survivor. "I could have just ignored it and got on and made the same mistakes over and over again. But I learnt from that."

Meghan reflects on family's relationship with the media

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

Getty Images

As we continue with episode three in our watch-along, Meghan is discussing how members of her family spoke to the media about her.

She refers to her half sister Samantha Markle, who she "hadn't seen for over a decade", who was quoted discussing Meghan.

"I don't know your middle name, I don't know your birthday. You're telling these people that you raised me and you coined me Princess Pushy?" Meghan asks.

We haven't seen many right-of-reply messages in this series so far, but we do get one from Samantha Markle.

A statement appears on screen, reading: "Samantha Markle maintains that she and Meghan had a close relationship until 2018 and that the media fabricated quotes that have been attributed to her."

Meghan accuses her father's side of the family of "acting differently" with the media, compared with her mother Doria, who Meghan describes as "classy and quiet".

Harry addresses the role of royal correspondents

Steven McIntosh

Entertainment Reporter

Getty Images

We are continuing with episode three, and more headlines are flashing up on screen, demonstrating the positive media coverage the couple were getting following their engagement. The coverage is rather at odds with the hostile headlines highlighted in the previous episodes.

Flash forward to November 2021, and a more serious discussion is taking place about the media's relationship with the Royal Family.

Harry refers, somewhat critically, to staff at news outlets who are known as "royal experts" or "royal correspondents", adding that the titles are intended to lend them legitimacy and credibility.

It may not surprise you to learn that no royal experts or newspaper editors are invited to defend themselves. Instead, Tim Burt, strategic advisor to the couple's production company, describes the symbiotic relationship which has historically existed between the media and the Royal Family.

"The royal rota is a system by which certain outlets are allocated slots to cover the members of the family," Burt explains as various newspaper logos are shown on screen.

"And however aggressive their previous coverage might have been, they still get the chance to be on the rota."

This is normal journalistic practice, and indeed what separates the profession from advertising. Journalists of all specialities have access to briefings and events regardless of whether their coverage is favourable or critical.

UK press criticised by MP for monetising hatred of Sussexes

PA Media

A day before Harry & Meghan began streaming on Netflix, the British press was accused by a Labour MP of monetising online hatred of the couple.

Rhondda MP Chris Bryant said newspapers had "filled their online sites" with "hateful Meghan Markle material".

"It is becoming their richest clickbait scene… it drives viewing and earns advertising income," he said.

He made the comments in a speech introduced by Hugh Grant at the annual Leveson Lecture held by press-reform group Hacked Off.

Bryant said the monetary incentive was "why so many British opinion writers penned so much drivel about the couple".

"Not because the story matters. It doesn't. Not because the writers genuinely cares about it. They don't. But because it makes money," he said.

Read the full story here.