The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been defended amid criticism their new Netflix series allegedly used footage and photography in a misleading manner. Picture: Reuters
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been defended amid criticism their new Netflix series allegedly used footage and photography in a misleading manner.
Supporters of the couple and allies of the couple say the clips “tell a story” and aren’t meant to be “literal”.
Trailers for the show have seen Prince Harry, 38, claims he and his wife Meghan, duchess of Sussex, 41, suffered from leaks and planted stories and the royal saying he had to do everything in his power to “protect my family”.
The previews include clips that supposedly show the Sussexes being mobbed by photographers.
But it has emerged they happened at different events including a “Harry Potter” premiere and Katie Price arriving at court.
One of the shots in questions sees the Sussexes being photographed from above, as Harry makes claims about the leaking and planting of royal stories in the press.
A former member of royal staff told The Times: '(Meghan) never confronted scenes where she was mobbed because we did so much to protect her … so they’ve had to make them up.”
But another insider close to the Sussexes, who share children Archie, 3, and 18-month-old Lilibet, insisted the use of stock footage was “standard practice”.
They told the Daily Telegraph: “You use stock images to tell a story. It’s not meant to be literal in a trailer.”
Among the couples’ critics are the royal editor of the Evening Standard, Robert Jobson, who said the pictures were not taken invasively.
He tweeted about one image: “This photograph used by Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty.
“It was taken from a accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only three people were in the accredited position. H and M (Harry and Meghan) agreed the position. I was there.”
He was backed up by ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship, who tweeted: “The filming of Archie at Archbishop Tutu's residence was highly controlled.
“And the ITN Productions camera filming the Sussexes' Africa documentary was there with their permission. It was not a media scrum. They spoke to (ITV News presenter) Tom Bradby inside.”