Majority of Britons support monarchy, polls suggest
A majority of Britons are in support of the monarchy, polls suggest.
In a YouGov poll of 1669 people for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June, six in 10 Britons (62%) thought the monarchy should continue. Only 22% were in favour of an elected head of state instead.
Similarly an Ipsos poll of 1,005 people released in January found 60% were in favour of the monarchy, while 21% favoured a republic.
Campaign group Republic wants the monarchy to be abolished and replaced with an elected head of state.
Commenting on the Harry and Meghan documentary, Republic described it as a "grubby, undignified institution".
It tweeted: "The lesson we can all take away from the Harry and Meghan series is that this is a dysfunctional family and institution, one beset by petty jealousy and pointless 'feuds' which is presented dishonestly as a source of dignity and PR."
Both Buckingham and Kensington Palace, representing the Prince and Princess of Wales, have said they would not comment on the documentary.
Beyonce texts Meghan
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Beyonce texts Meghan following the Oprah interview, as we've learned during our watch-along of episode six.
Meghan reads out her message, telling viewers Beyonce wants her to "feel safe and protected".
"She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and she thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed."
The fallout from the interview continues. "There's so much more [Meghan] could've said," claims the couple's friend Tyler Perry. "But because she is such a classy, elegant woman, she didn't."
Moving on.
WATCH: 'Recollections may vary' - Meghan reads out Queen's statement
Video content
Video caption: Meghan reads out Queen's statement as Harry receives text from WilliamMeghan reads out Queen's statement as Harry receives text from William
Meghan reads out a statement from Buckingham Palace, following the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Palace statement - on behalf of the Queen - contains the phrase "recollections may vary".
In the clip Harry shows Meghan a message on his phone he's just received from Prince William.
"Wow," says Meghan.
The run-up to the Oprah interview
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
As we continue our live watch-along of episode six, there is much discussion of the lead-up to the Oprah Winfrey interview Harry and Meghan did in March 2021.
"There was excitement, I remember that," Meghan admits. "The timing of when we would talk to her just kept changing."
Meghan says they took part in the interview because "people didn't understand why we left".
"We thought that was the beginning of our year of transition, but as it turned out, it was anything but a transition," smirks Harry, breaking into giggles.
The interview, you may remember, was impossible to escape for the weeks after it was broadcast, so we won't make you relive it all again here.
Final episode addresses Meghan's miscarriage
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Harry and Meghan were able to keep a low profile during their first six weeks staying at Tyler Perry's house.
They did not publicise where they were, and the world was preoccupied with lockdowns at the time. But, they recall, a newspaper website made their location known, leading to the arrival of photographers.
They later moved to their own house in Santa Barbara. It was here that Meghan miscarried her second child - something she later revealed in the New York Times.
"When I reveal things that are moments of vulnerability... I could make the choice to never talk about those things," Meghan said. "Or I could make the choice to say 'with all the bad that comes with this, the good is being able to help other people."
As we reported earlier, Harry suggests in the docuseries it was the pressure of their court battle with the publisher of the Mail on Sunday which led to Meghan's miscarriage.
The newspaper had printed the letter Meghan sent to her father, something the couple argued was an invasion of their privacy.
"Do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don't," says Harry. "But bearing in mind the stress, the lack of sleep... I can say from what I saw that that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her."
The BBC has approached the Mail on Sunday for comment.
'It felt cold' - what Harry said about his family
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Prince Harry described strained relationships with his brother and the rest of the Royal FamilyImage caption: Prince Harry described strained relationships with his brother and the rest of the Royal Family
Many of the most revealing moments of the final episodes of the documentary have been about Prince Harry's relationship with the rest of the Royal Family. Here are some of the key points:
Harry said the "saddest part" of stepping back from royal duties was "the wedge created between myself and my brother", with William "on the institution side"
Discussing his final public engagement, he said he "felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like rather than what it feels like". "It looked cold, but it also felt cold," he said
Harry described how talks with his family about his royal departure unfolded: "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in"
And he described the "dirty game" of the royal household leaking and planting stories, trading negative stories about one family member to keep the press away from another. He said it was heartbreaking to see his brother's office do this, when they had promised each other they never would
The Royal Family has declined to comment on any of these claims.
Tyler Perry offers Harry and Meghan a home
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/NetflixCopyright: Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix
God bless the "Skip Intro" button on Netflix.
We are in full swing with episode six on our live watch-along, and Harry and Meghan are heading for film director Tyler Perry's house in LA.
Harry refers to him as "another amazing friend who we've never met, but who believes in us and wants to help".
"I'm not a royal watcher, I don't really pay attention to a lot of stuff. " Perry says. "I couldn't even imagine this woman finding the man that she loved, and to walk into all of that madness."
Meghan, breaking into a whisper, recalls how she was "crying and crying" when she spoke to Perry for the first time and told him of the pressure she was under.
The couple ended up moving in with Perry as they arrived in Los Angeles.
Perry is a well-known film director, particularly in the US, with movie credits including A Fall From Grace and Why Did I Get Married?
Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/NetflixCopyright: Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix
WATCH: 'Terrifying to have my brother scream at me' - Harry
Video content
Video caption: Harry: Terrifying to have my brother scream at meHarry: Terrifying to have my brother scream at me
Prince Harry describes a 2020 summit at Sandringham where senior royals met to discuss his and Meghan's future.
He says it was terrifying to have his brother William "scream and shout at me" and his father King Charles say things that "just simply weren't true" as his grandmother, the Queen, looked on.
Life continues as normal for working royals
PACopyright: PA
Earlier today the King greeted diplomats at Buckingham PalaceImage caption: Earlier today the King greeted diplomats at Buckingham Palace
Despite the revelations released in Harry and Meghan's documentary, life seemingly continues as normal for the rest of the Royal Family.
Later Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will host a special Christmas carol service at London's Westminster Abbey.
The King, Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Prince William will also attend.
This year the service, which will be televised on ITV1 on Christmas Eve in the UK, will also pay tribute to the late Queen.
Earlier, the King received diplomats at Buckingham Palace.
'It's your brother' - Meghan suggests William intervened in legal case
Episode six follows Meghan's privacy case against the Mail on Sunday - over a letter from her father that was published by the newspaper, which she said was private in nature.
The suggestion is made that Prince William intervened in the case.
Meghan's lawyer Jenny Afia says that when they were about to go to the Court of Appeal, a senior member of William's team gave a witness statement "which wasn't required". She suggests this must have been done "on the authority of his bosses".
This statement from Jason Knauf - who previously worked for the Sussexes - revealed text messages in which Meghan had acknowledged the letter to her father could be leaked, which was then used by the newspaper to undermine her case that it was private.
Footage from the time shows Meghan telling Harry: "It’s your brother, I’m not going to say anything about your
brother, but it’s so obvious."
Harry says they are "trying to cover it up" by referring to Knauf as a former aide to the Sussexes, not a current aide to his brother.
The documentary shows Meghan eventually celebrating her victory.
In a statement at the end of the episode, Knauf says it is "entirely false" that he volunteered the witness statement, and says he was asked to provide evidence by Meghan and the Mail on Sunday's publisher. Meghan's legal team in turn dispute his account.
Kensington Palace - which represents Prince William - has again declined to comment on the series.
NetflixCopyright: Netflix
NetflixCopyright: Netflix
WATCH: Harry was told he wasn't allowed to see the Queen - Meghan
Video content
Video caption: WATCH: 'The Queen is too busy to see me... the opposite of what she told me', says HarryWATCH: 'The Queen is too busy to see me... the opposite of what she told me', says Harry
Prince Harry says the Queen had invited him to tea on his return to the UK, but Meghan says he was later told "you are not allowed to go and see Her Majesty.... she's busy."
Harry and Meghan head for Los Angeles
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/NetflixCopyright: Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix
Prepare yourself for a crushing disappointment when you hit play on episode six.
Netflix has it listed in their episode guide as being 40 minutes long. You may be thinking "hallelujah" - but not so fast.
It transpires that this is an error in the episodes list. The sixth episode is actually over an hour long. We've made peace with it, you must too.
So, we'd better get started on the final episode as we continue our live watch-along.
It opens with more of Harry's video diaries inexplicably filmed in portrait mode.
"We are leaving Canada and we are headed to Los Angeles," he explains.
Their new life, having stepped back from royal duties, is about to get under way. "I wonder what would've happened to us had we not got out when we did," Harry reflects.
The opening credits roll. We're almost there.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
WATCH: 'I wanted to get help but wasn't allowed' - Meghan on her mental health
Video content
Video caption: 'They were concerned how that would look for the institution', the duchess says'They were concerned how that would look for the institution', the duchess says
Series puts Commonwealth in the spotlight again
Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
In an earlier episode of the series, writer Afua Hirsch described the Commonwealth as "the British Empire 2.0".
It was a term she'd used previously, going as far back as a 2018 Guardian column in which she called the group of nations "a vessel of former colonies with the former imperial master at its helm".
The term has since sparked some outrage. The Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English, for example, described it as "a direct attack on [the Queen] and her legacy".
But it's a view of the Commonwealth that - whether you agree with it or not - won't be unfamiliar to many minority ethnic people in the UK.
Now, in episode five, that idea of the Commonwealth as a continuation of empire is unpacked a bit more.
We see flashbacks to the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 2021 tour of the Caribbean, including a now-infamous photo of the couple greeting people through a fence in Jamaica.
We're shown Charles at a ceremony in which Barbados officially declared itself a republic, with a president as head of state instead of the British monarch. A man is shown calling for reparations.
A question posed by Hirsch in the series - whether the institutions of modern Britain are inclusive or instead perpetuating a "history of exclusion" - is not going away.
The King reigns over 14 non-British nations - known as "Commonwealth realms". But four of those - Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - have said they intend to hold referendums on becoming republics.
Harry talks of press 'feeding frenzy'
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Episode five is drawing to a close in our live watch-along of Netflix's Harry & Meghan.
Harry suggests that, had Meghan
been more embraced, she could have been used to do good work on behalf of
the royal family throughout the Commonwealth.
"Anyone inside that system, whether it's my family, staff,
PR, whoever it is... missed an opportunity with my wife, and how far
that would go globally," he says.
Then, an archive clip is played from March 2020. Fortunately, Harry
documented what was happening despite the fact the couple wouldn't sign their Netflix deal for several more months.
"These next few months are when we are going to be at our
most vulnerable, when the press no doubt create some sort of feeding
frenzy," he is seen telling his smartphone in the clip.
Back in the present day, Harry complains about losing the publicly-funded security
he had enjoyed his whole life - something he had not fully appreciated
when he and his wife took the decision to step down.
"And then just like that, this thing called Covid,"
says Meghan, throwing ahead to the events of the next episode as this one comes to an end.
Meghan discusses death threats
More now from episode five, in which there's further discussion of the impact of the press on the Sussexes' lives. Meghan draws a link between tabloid journalism and threats on her life.
She says she received a tweet saying: "Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs to kill her. Maybe it should be me."
Reacting to the threatening post, she says: "I'm a mom. This is real life..."
Suggesting the media has a role in the hate, she adds: "You are making people want to kill me.
"It's not just a tabloid. It's not just a story. You are making me scared."
She asks: "Are my babies safe?"
Harry and Meghan reflect on farewell tour
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Back to our live blog of episode five - where it is March 2020 and the couple have returned to the UK from Canada. They are preparing to step down from royal duties.
"That last week, it was bittersweet," says Meghan. "That farewell week, we did all these engagements back to back, it was a real whirlwind."
Meghan recalls she "wore a lot of colour that week" - a departure from her previous attempts to blend in and not steal focus from other members of the royal family.
She suggests the British public "were so embracing" as they said farewell.
By this point, there was of course some hostility towards the couple, but the events were largely attended by fans.
What was the royal baby chimp tweet?
Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Danny Baker was sacked as a BBC presenter over the postImage caption: Danny Baker was sacked as a BBC presenter over the post
In episode four, Harry says a tweet comparing baby Archie to a chimp was "one of the first things" he saw after the birth in 2019.
The tweet, posted by former BBC radio presenter Danny Baker, included an old photo of a couple holding hands with a chimp and walking down some steps. The text read: "Royal Baby leaves hospital."
"Archie's just been born," Harry says in the documentary. "Media, social media starts to take on a life of its own. Someone in the media posting a photograph of a couple with a chimp, and at the top it said, 'Royal baby leaves hospital'. That was one of the first things I saw."
The BBC sacked Baker shortly afterwards, saying that the tweet "goes against the values we as a station aim to embody".
Baker tweeted an apology and said the tweet was a "stupid unthinking gag pic", before calling the BBC's decision "a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity" and accusing the corporation of throwing him "under the bus".
Lunchtime recap
Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/NetflixCopyright: Harry and Meghan/Archewell Productions/Diamond Docs/Story Syndicate/Netflix
Prince Harry said it was his decision to leave and step back from royal dutiesImage caption: Prince Harry said it was his decision to leave and step back from royal duties
If you're just joining us this lunchtime, here's a quick recap at some of the most significant moments from the final episodes of Netflix series Harry and Meghan:
Prince Harry described how "it was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me" during a family summit at Sandringham in 2020, when the Royal Family discussed his plan with Meghan to step down as senior royals
Harry said a "wedge" had been driven between him and Prince William, and hit out at the royal press operation - saying "they were happy to lie to protect my brother". He accused different teams of briefing against each other and criticised "dirty games"
The duke insisted it was "my decision to leave" and step back from royal duties, describing claims that Meghan influenced him as "misogyny"
Meghan said that she was told the royal establishment initially saw her as a "foreign organism". She said she did "everything I could to make them proud", but was ultimately "fed to the wolves" of the tabloid media
Harry also described an occasion when he was blocked from seeing the Queen - saying this showed "when a family and a family business are in direct conflict"
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have again declined to comment on the series or the claims made in it.
Harry recalls Sandringham meeting
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
As episode five continues, Meghan recalls the "ticking clock" that led to the announcement the couple made in January 2020.
"With our team, we decided we would put out a statement that we were going to, sadly, be stepping back. Not stepping down, but to just have a reduced role," Meghan says.
The media interest in the pair goes through the roof after the statement is posted on social media.
There are more clips from Loose Women (something we warmly welcome) of the panel discussing their decision.
A suggestion is made that the announcement took the royal family by surprise, "blindsiding" the Queen. Harry and Meghan insist they had given their relatives a heads-up.
Harry remembers goes in to a meeting which was called with the Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles at Sandringham. "I went in with the same proposal that we'd already made publicly," he recalls.
Harry says was given five options - one being all in, five being all out. "I chose option three in the meeting, half in, half out. Have our own jobs, but also work in support of the Queen," he says.
"But it became clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate."
As we reported earlier, the discussion allegedly led to Prince William ultimately shouting at his brother, something Harry describes as "terrifying".
Live Reporting
Edited by Chris Giles and James FitzGerald
All times stated are UK
Majority of Britons support monarchy, polls suggest
A majority of Britons are in support of the monarchy, polls suggest.
In a YouGov poll of 1669 people for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June, six in 10 Britons (62%) thought the monarchy should continue. Only 22% were in favour of an elected head of state instead.
Similarly an Ipsos poll of 1,005 people released in January found 60% were in favour of the monarchy, while 21% favoured a republic.
Campaign group Republic wants the monarchy to be abolished and replaced with an elected head of state.
Commenting on the Harry and Meghan documentary, Republic described it as a "grubby, undignified institution".
It tweeted: "The lesson we can all take away from the Harry and Meghan series is that this is a dysfunctional family and institution, one beset by petty jealousy and pointless 'feuds' which is presented dishonestly as a source of dignity and PR."
Both Buckingham and Kensington Palace, representing the Prince and Princess of Wales, have said they would not comment on the documentary.
Beyonce texts Meghan
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Beyonce texts Meghan following the Oprah interview, as we've learned during our watch-along of episode six.
Meghan reads out her message, telling viewers Beyonce wants her to "feel safe and protected".
"She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and she thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed."
The fallout from the interview continues. "There's so much more [Meghan] could've said," claims the couple's friend Tyler Perry. "But because she is such a classy, elegant woman, she didn't."
Moving on.
WATCH: 'Recollections may vary' - Meghan reads out Queen's statement
Video content
Meghan reads out a statement from Buckingham Palace, following the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Palace statement - on behalf of the Queen - contains the phrase "recollections may vary".
In the clip Harry shows Meghan a message on his phone he's just received from Prince William.
"Wow," says Meghan.
The run-up to the Oprah interview
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
As we continue our live watch-along of episode six, there is much discussion of the lead-up to the Oprah Winfrey interview Harry and Meghan did in March 2021.
"There was excitement, I remember that," Meghan admits. "The timing of when we would talk to her just kept changing."
Meghan says they took part in the interview because "people didn't understand why we left".
"We thought that was the beginning of our year of transition, but as it turned out, it was anything but a transition," smirks Harry, breaking into giggles.
The interview, you may remember, was impossible to escape for the weeks after it was broadcast, so we won't make you relive it all again here.
Final episode addresses Meghan's miscarriage
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Harry and Meghan were able to keep a low profile during their first six weeks staying at Tyler Perry's house.
They did not publicise where they were, and the world was preoccupied with lockdowns at the time. But, they recall, a newspaper website made their location known, leading to the arrival of photographers.
They later moved to their own house in Santa Barbara. It was here that Meghan miscarried her second child - something she later revealed in the New York Times.
"When I reveal things that are moments of vulnerability... I could make the choice to never talk about those things," Meghan said. "Or I could make the choice to say 'with all the bad that comes with this, the good is being able to help other people."
As we reported earlier, Harry suggests in the docuseries it was the pressure of their court battle with the publisher of the Mail on Sunday which led to Meghan's miscarriage.
The newspaper had printed the letter Meghan sent to her father, something the couple argued was an invasion of their privacy.
"Do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don't," says Harry. "But bearing in mind the stress, the lack of sleep... I can say from what I saw that that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her."
The BBC has approached the Mail on Sunday for comment.
'It felt cold' - what Harry said about his family
Many of the most revealing moments of the final episodes of the documentary have been about Prince Harry's relationship with the rest of the Royal Family. Here are some of the key points:
The Royal Family has declined to comment on any of these claims.
Tyler Perry offers Harry and Meghan a home
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
God bless the "Skip Intro" button on Netflix.
We are in full swing with episode six on our live watch-along, and Harry and Meghan are heading for film director Tyler Perry's house in LA.
Harry refers to him as "another amazing friend who we've never met, but who believes in us and wants to help".
"I'm not a royal watcher, I don't really pay attention to a lot of stuff. " Perry says. "I couldn't even imagine this woman finding the man that she loved, and to walk into all of that madness."
Meghan, breaking into a whisper, recalls how she was "crying and crying" when she spoke to Perry for the first time and told him of the pressure she was under.
The couple ended up moving in with Perry as they arrived in Los Angeles.
Perry is a well-known film director, particularly in the US, with movie credits including A Fall From Grace and Why Did I Get Married?
WATCH: 'Terrifying to have my brother scream at me' - Harry
Video content
Prince Harry describes a 2020 summit at Sandringham where senior royals met to discuss his and Meghan's future.
He says it was terrifying to have his brother William "scream and shout at me" and his father King Charles say things that "just simply weren't true" as his grandmother, the Queen, looked on.
Life continues as normal for working royals
Despite the revelations released in Harry and Meghan's documentary, life seemingly continues as normal for the rest of the Royal Family.
Later Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will host a special Christmas carol service at London's Westminster Abbey.
The King, Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Prince William will also attend.
This year the service, which will be televised on ITV1 on Christmas Eve in the UK, will also pay tribute to the late Queen.
Earlier, the King received diplomats at Buckingham Palace.
'It's your brother' - Meghan suggests William intervened in legal case
Episode six follows Meghan's privacy case against the Mail on Sunday - over a letter from her father that was published by the newspaper, which she said was private in nature.
The suggestion is made that Prince William intervened in the case.
Meghan's lawyer Jenny Afia says that when they were about to go to the Court of Appeal, a senior member of William's team gave a witness statement "which wasn't required". She suggests this must have been done "on the authority of his bosses".
This statement from Jason Knauf - who previously worked for the Sussexes - revealed text messages in which Meghan had acknowledged the letter to her father could be leaked, which was then used by the newspaper to undermine her case that it was private.
Footage from the time shows Meghan telling Harry: "It’s your brother, I’m not going to say anything about your brother, but it’s so obvious."
Harry says they are "trying to cover it up" by referring to Knauf as a former aide to the Sussexes, not a current aide to his brother.
The documentary shows Meghan eventually celebrating her victory.
In a statement at the end of the episode, Knauf says it is "entirely false" that he volunteered the witness statement, and says he was asked to provide evidence by Meghan and the Mail on Sunday's publisher. Meghan's legal team in turn dispute his account.
Kensington Palace - which represents Prince William - has again declined to comment on the series.
WATCH: Harry was told he wasn't allowed to see the Queen - Meghan
Video content
Prince Harry says the Queen had invited him to tea on his return to the UK, but Meghan says he was later told "you are not allowed to go and see Her Majesty.... she's busy."
Harry and Meghan head for Los Angeles
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Prepare yourself for a crushing disappointment when you hit play on episode six.
Netflix has it listed in their episode guide as being 40 minutes long. You may be thinking "hallelujah" - but not so fast.
It transpires that this is an error in the episodes list. The sixth episode is actually over an hour long. We've made peace with it, you must too.
So, we'd better get started on the final episode as we continue our live watch-along.
It opens with more of Harry's video diaries inexplicably filmed in portrait mode.
"We are leaving Canada and we are headed to Los Angeles," he explains.
Their new life, having stepped back from royal duties, is about to get under way. "I wonder what would've happened to us had we not got out when we did," Harry reflects.
The opening credits roll. We're almost there.
WATCH: 'I wanted to get help but wasn't allowed' - Meghan on her mental health
Video content
Series puts Commonwealth in the spotlight again
Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent
In an earlier episode of the series, writer Afua Hirsch described the Commonwealth as "the British Empire 2.0".
It was a term she'd used previously, going as far back as a 2018 Guardian column in which she called the group of nations "a vessel of former colonies with the former imperial master at its helm".
The term has since sparked some outrage. The Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English, for example, described it as "a direct attack on [the Queen] and her legacy".
But it's a view of the Commonwealth that - whether you agree with it or not - won't be unfamiliar to many minority ethnic people in the UK.
Now, in episode five, that idea of the Commonwealth as a continuation of empire is unpacked a bit more.
We see flashbacks to the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 2021 tour of the Caribbean, including a now-infamous photo of the couple greeting people through a fence in Jamaica.
We're shown Charles at a ceremony in which Barbados officially declared itself a republic, with a president as head of state instead of the British monarch. A man is shown calling for reparations.
A question posed by Hirsch in the series - whether the institutions of modern Britain are inclusive or instead perpetuating a "history of exclusion" - is not going away.
The King reigns over 14 non-British nations - known as "Commonwealth realms". But four of those - Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - have said they intend to hold referendums on becoming republics.
Harry talks of press 'feeding frenzy'
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Episode five is drawing to a close in our live watch-along of Netflix's Harry & Meghan.
Harry suggests that, had Meghan been more embraced, she could have been used to do good work on behalf of the royal family throughout the Commonwealth.
"Anyone inside that system, whether it's my family, staff, PR, whoever it is... missed an opportunity with my wife, and how far that would go globally," he says.
Then, an archive clip is played from March 2020. Fortunately, Harry documented what was happening despite the fact the couple wouldn't sign their Netflix deal for several more months.
"These next few months are when we are going to be at our most vulnerable, when the press no doubt create some sort of feeding frenzy," he is seen telling his smartphone in the clip.
Back in the present day, Harry complains about losing the publicly-funded security he had enjoyed his whole life - something he had not fully appreciated when he and his wife took the decision to step down.
"And then just like that, this thing called Covid," says Meghan, throwing ahead to the events of the next episode as this one comes to an end.
Meghan discusses death threats
More now from episode five, in which there's further discussion of the impact of the press on the Sussexes' lives. Meghan draws a link between tabloid journalism and threats on her life.
She says she received a tweet saying: "Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs to kill her. Maybe it should be me."
Reacting to the threatening post, she says: "I'm a mom. This is real life..."
Suggesting the media has a role in the hate, she adds: "You are making people want to kill me.
"It's not just a tabloid. It's not just a story. You are making me scared."
She asks: "Are my babies safe?"
Harry and Meghan reflect on farewell tour
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
Back to our live blog of episode five - where it is March 2020 and the couple have returned to the UK from Canada. They are preparing to step down from royal duties.
"That last week, it was bittersweet," says Meghan. "That farewell week, we did all these engagements back to back, it was a real whirlwind."
Meghan recalls she "wore a lot of colour that week" - a departure from her previous attempts to blend in and not steal focus from other members of the royal family.
She suggests the British public "were so embracing" as they said farewell.
By this point, there was of course some hostility towards the couple, but the events were largely attended by fans.
What was the royal baby chimp tweet?
Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent
In episode four, Harry says a tweet comparing baby Archie to a chimp was "one of the first things" he saw after the birth in 2019.
The tweet, posted by former BBC radio presenter Danny Baker, included an old photo of a couple holding hands with a chimp and walking down some steps. The text read: "Royal Baby leaves hospital."
"Archie's just been born," Harry says in the documentary. "Media, social media starts to take on a life of its own. Someone in the media posting a photograph of a couple with a chimp, and at the top it said, 'Royal baby leaves hospital'. That was one of the first things I saw."
The BBC sacked Baker shortly afterwards, saying that the tweet "goes against the values we as a station aim to embody".
Baker tweeted an apology and said the tweet was a "stupid unthinking gag pic", before calling the BBC's decision "a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity" and accusing the corporation of throwing him "under the bus".
Lunchtime recap
If you're just joining us this lunchtime, here's a quick recap at some of the most significant moments from the final episodes of Netflix series Harry and Meghan:
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have again declined to comment on the series or the claims made in it.
Harry recalls Sandringham meeting
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment Reporter
As episode five continues, Meghan recalls the "ticking clock" that led to the announcement the couple made in January 2020.
"With our team, we decided we would put out a statement that we were going to, sadly, be stepping back. Not stepping down, but to just have a reduced role," Meghan says.
The media interest in the pair goes through the roof after the statement is posted on social media.
There are more clips from Loose Women (something we warmly welcome) of the panel discussing their decision.
A suggestion is made that the announcement took the royal family by surprise, "blindsiding" the Queen. Harry and Meghan insist they had given their relatives a heads-up.
Harry remembers goes in to a meeting which was called with the Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles at Sandringham. "I went in with the same proposal that we'd already made publicly," he recalls.
Harry says was given five options - one being all in, five being all out. "I chose option three in the meeting, half in, half out. Have our own jobs, but also work in support of the Queen," he says.
"But it became clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate."
As we reported earlier, the discussion allegedly led to Prince William ultimately shouting at his brother, something Harry describes as "terrifying".