'Downbeat' Prince Harry made latest documentary sound like 'one long complaint', says royal biographer

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been making headlines post the release of ITV’s latest documentary ‘Harry & Meghan: An African Journey’. 

The couple had revealed in the documentary that they were struggling to deal with the heavy public scrutiny and negative press by British tabloids. Meghan admitted that she was "not really ok" and confessed that she and Harry were "existing, not living.'' 

Prince Harry opened up about his relationship with his brother Prince William and how they have good days and bad days like any other. He also spoke about how the British tabloids have been particularly mean to his wife Meghan. 

Royal biographer Penny Junor, who spoke to MEA Worldwide exclusively, said the entire documentary was rather disappointing and sad. 

“I have never seen Harry so downbeat. He is normally so charming and funny and ebullient and enthusiastic about his charities and his work. This felt like one long complaint, when given their circumstances and privilege, there are a lot of people who have more to complain about,” she shared.

Junor also shared the new parents should just put their heads down and ‘get on with their work’. Given that the royal pair are in a ‘fragile mental state’, immersing themselves in their work will “generate positive publicity which, in turn, will help their fragile mental state”, she said.

She added that Harry and Meghan are a ‘wonderful’ pair, but should remember that they are part of the British monarchy and not celebrities. 

There has been an ongoing debate as to how Meghan and Harry have used taxpayers' money on the renovations of their home or christening of their baby with no updates to the public. Being that they are in the British monarchy, the couple made a big mistake by keeping the public in the dark about these milestone events. 

“If they want to be private citizens, the public would entirely understand, particularly after the recent documentary. But they should not accept money from the taxpayer. If they do, then there is a tacit understanding that they will do as other royals have done before them, namely they will allow the public to share in the important milestones in their child’s life, like his christening, his first day at school and his birthdays, by being allowed to see photographs,” she shared.    

Upon being asked whether Harry and Meghan’s attack on British tabloids could be a knee-jerk reaction to the press calling the couple out on the use of private jets, Junor shared that the couple would have been very upset at the press reaction to using private jets. 

“I imagine they were very hurt by all the negative publicity over the last year - negative publicity is always very hurtful whoever you are. So yes, I think it is entirely possible that their attack on the tabloids was a reaction to that. But I think it was a mistake. The British tabloid press are very powerful and not good people to start a war with.”