Netflix has shared the first trailer for its Prince Harry and Meghan Markle documentary, and it’s clear from the brief video that the world is about to see the couple in a whole new light.
The one-minute trailer for Harry & Meghan, set to a slow and dramatic piano soundtrack, opens with a series of behind-the-scenes black-and-white photos showcasing the highs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private life — selfies while on vacation, holding hands while Harry cradles a guitar, canoodling in a photo booth, a silhouette of a pregnant Markle and a photo of the couple dancing at their 2018 wedding reception.
But as the video continues, the music intensifies and so do the visuals; there’s a photo of Markle crying while on the phone, one of a frosty-looking Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting separate from Markle during the Sussexes’ final official engagement in 2020 and a brief flash of Harry and Markle wiping their eyes during an interview.
“Why did you want to make this documentary?” director Liz Garbus asks the couple from behind the camera.
“No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” Harry says. “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
The trailer for the six-part docuseries is the first time Netflix has publicly acknowledged the project, and the streaming service is billing it as an intimate series that “explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
A serious-looking Markle looks directly into the camera at the end of the trailer and coolly asks: “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
The streaming service promises “a never-before-seen look at one of the most-discussed couples in history.”
While Netflix doesn’t disclose the official start date for the docuseries — a note on the trailer says it’s “coming soon” — several entertainment publications say we could see the series stream as soon as Dec. 8.
No matter when the series airs, however, it’s sure to be a busy season for the Duke and Duchess. Royal watchers are also anticipating the Jan. 10, 2023 release of Prince Harry’s official memoir, Spare.
The trailer release comes at a slightly awkward time for the Royal Family. On Wednesday, Prince William’s godmother and royal aide Lady Susan Hussey resigned after making racist comments to a Black British-born activist at a royal engagement hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are also facing a mixed reception as they arrive in Boston to begin their first U.S. tour in years. According to an ITV News royal correspondent, the Prince and Princess of Wales faced cheers — but also “some boos along with chants of ‘U.S.A, U.S.A'” — at Wednesday’s Boston Celtics game when they appeared on the screen at TD Garden in Boston.