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Harry and William reconciliation 'difficult' as Duke attacks brother
Harry & Meghan: Lorraine discusses final Netflix episodes
Prince Harry's potential reconciliation with Prince William will be "very difficult" after the Netflix documentary as most of the criticism is directed to the Prince of Wales, a royal expert has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have fired fierce allegations at Kensington Palace over the dedicated campaign to protect Prince William's public image over the couple's own. The second part of the controversial Netflix series starring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was released on Thursday.
In the latest episodes, Prince Harry grossly criticised the British monarchy over what he claims was a failure to protect both himself and his wife Meghan Markle from damning media coverage.
In the documentary series, Harry appears saying: "I would far rather get destroyed in the Press than play along with this game or this business of trading.
"And to see my brother's office copy the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking."
The Duke of Sussex has alleged Kensington Palace press office acted to rectify false or damaging reports concerning other members of the Royal Family, chiefly his brother Prince William, but the firm failed to offer the same protection for him and Meghan.
Reacting to the content of the documentary series, Royal Holloway professor Pauline Maclaran told Express.co.uk: "I think these three episodes are certainly putting Harry and Meghan's perspectives over more clearly, particularly the damage to Meghan caused by the tabloid press and the hounding she experienced.
"All this comes over quite vividly and it's hard not to feel sympathy for the excessive pressure she felt from this and the injustice of it all. So they delineate their war with the tabloids well in my view.
"The most damaging part to the royal family must certainly be their implied complicity in making Meghan tabloid fodder and the accusations that leaks to the press were sometimes part of a deliberate smear campaign by William's press office to draw attention away from other royal gossips.
And she added: "It does seem that it will be very difficult for any reconciliation of the brothers after this.
"William takes the most criticism and Harry does not beat about the bush in what he says in relation to him. I think this will be a very awkward moment for the royals to navigate."
Prince Harry has previously spoken of the tense relationship he now shares with his brother, Prince William, since he and Meghan made the decision to step down as senior royals.
In their ground-breaking 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex said: "I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together.
"I mean, we have a shared experience. But we, you know, we're on different paths."
Speaking of his brother, he added: "The relationship is space at the moment. And, you know, time heals all things, hopefully."
Ahead of the second half of the series, a new trailer was released by Netflix which teased dramatic revelations about Buckingham Palace protocol.
In the video, Prince Harry condemned the notion of "institutional gaslighting," which follows his earlier claim, included in the first trailer, that there was a "planting" of media stories.
The Duke of Sussex added: "They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us."
The dramatic revelation was a clear indication that the second half of the series promised to delve deeper into the relations between the two royal brothers.
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A further trailer released just a day before the second instalment premiered, spoke of a "war against Meghan" and claimed the Duchess was used as a "scapegoat for the Palace".
Lucy Fraser, who is credited in the series as a friend of the couple, said: "They would feed stories on her, whether they were true or not, to avoid other, less favourable stories being printed."
The trailer suggested there was "evidence" of "negative briefings" from Buckingham Palace concerning Prince Harry and Meghan in order to suit the "agenda" of others.
Meghan added: "A story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute and they go: 'We've got to make that go away'."
The new episodes have aired as the Prince of Wales is set to attend a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
Prince William will be accompanied by other senior royal figures, including King Charles and the Queen Consort, and his wife the Princess of Wales will host the event.
This year's service has been dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth II and, as host, the Princess of Wales is expected to pay tribute to the former monarch.
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