BBC journalists have addressed Meghan Markle’s claim that her and Prince Harry’s engagement interview was “staged”.
Part I of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix series, which is titled Harry & Meghan, was released on Thursday morning.
The first three episodes have made a number of bombshell claims about the Royal Family and the press, and three more episodes are scheduled for release on December 15.
On such claim Meghan made is that her and Harry’s engagement interview in 2017 was “staged”.
BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell and BBC Radio 4’s Mishal Husain have since addressed the claims.
Mishal stated “recollections may vary” about their engagement interview.
“We know recollections may vary on this particular subject, but my recollection is definitely very much: asked to do an interview and do said interview,” she said.
The Netflix docuseries claimed the engagement interview was part of an “orchestrated reality show,” with Meghan alleging: “It was, you know, rehearsed.”
“We weren’t allowed to tell our story, because they didn’t want it,” she continued, to which Harry agreed: “We are not allowed to tell our story. That’s true. That’s the consistency.”
The allegation has been vigorously disputed by the BBC.
Mishal told Radio 4’s World at One: “We went and had a conversation with Harry and Meghan and two members of their team beforehand and we talked about what the interview would cover, what they felt comfortable sharing.”
“After that, we went and set up our cameras. They went away for a bit and did their photocall and when they came back we recorded a 20-minute interview.”
The then-director general of the BBC Lord Hall, issued a statement defending Mishal’s journalism.
The statement says that the Duchess of Sussex’s allegation that the interview was “an orchestrated reality show” is “simply untrue”.
BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas described the docuseries as “relatively benign so far” during his appearance on the News at Six.
He branded the Duchess of Sussex’ claim that people were “out to destroy” her as “absurd”.
He quoted Meghan’s statement, which said “‘no matter what I did they were still going to find a way to destroy me.'”
The royal correspondent said: “Now if you were watching these three hours without all the surrounding noise you might think this was a rather touching love story of a couple seeking happiness but of course there is no escape from that surrounding noise.”
“And I think Buckingham Palace on the central and most central and most sensitive issue of race will be relieved there is no new explicit allegation against the royal family – though Harry does say there is a huge level of unconscious bias.”
“His main complaint – and it is a familiar one – is of press intrusion. And this suggestion that there is, what amounts really to a conspiracy between the Palace and the press. And that I think is where credibility is really stretched beyond what is reasonable.”
“Consider one of the things that Meghan said – ‘no matter what I did they were still going to find a way to destroy me. The first point who is they she is referring? I think it is the Palace but most particularly the press.”
“But the idea that anyone was out to destroy her frankly I think is absurd and simply does not stand up to proper and reasonable scrutiny;” he added that Meghan and Harry “obviously are convinced that they were victims.”
Nicholas later appeared on the News at 10, where he described the Sussexes as “a couple who continue to divide opinion very sharply.”
“It’s a couple who either could not or would not fit into the accepted template of the British royal family. Supporters I think will see these films and regard them as a touching love story, a couple seeking happiness in difficult circumstances.”
“Critics will see the films and see them as further evidence of their indulgence, their self obsession.”
“Royal officials who were assigned to them tried desperately to help them. They found it very, very difficult. And yet it is the Sussexes who are convinced that they were the victims.”
