Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s Candid ‘African Journey’ Documentary: 7 Revelations

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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s Candid ‘African Journey’ Documentary: 7 Revelations

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan gave royal enthusiasts new insight into their lives in their new documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. "I don't think there is a new way or the old way," the 35-year-old prince told ITV News at Ten’s Tom Bradby about the monarchy’s future in the doc, which aired in the U.K. on Sunday, October 20. "We're certainly not trying to lead the way. We're trying to do what feels natural to us, and be authentic." Harry and Meghan, 38, tied the knot in May 2018. A year later, the former Suits star gave birth to the couple’s son, Archie. Last month, the twosome embarked on their first royal tour with their son. During the two-week tour, Meghan made headlines for her inspiring speech in Cape Town's Nyanga township. "I would hope that people — the world — will get to a point where you just see us as a couple who is in love, right?” the duchess told Bradby about discussing her heritage during the speech. “Because I don't wake up every day and identify as being anything other than who I've always been. I'm Meghan and I married this incredible man, and this, to me, is just part of our love story. … But for me, when I made the choice to add those words into the speech, it was really at the last minute, and I said to Harry, 'What do you think if I add this in? I don't know. It just felt right.’” [sendtonews type="float" key="9aOL0lgbrC-3110860-14453"] Meghan added Harry supported her decision to add the line, “I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister” while speaking in Cape Town. “He very kindly and supportively said, 'If that's what feels right, then that's what you should say.' Because it's true," Meghan explained in the doc. “Before I was part of this family, that's how I identified, with people and connection, as a mother now, as a wife now, but just as a woman of color, which has been brought to the forefront in a more prominent way.” In addition to reflecting on their recent royal tour, Meghan and Harry opened up about dealing with the British tabloids during the documentary. Earlier this month, Harry announced his plans to pursue a legal battle against the British media for “bullying” Meghan. “It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy,” an insider told Us Weekly about the pair’s unprecedented court battle. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.” Harry & Meghan: An African Journey is set to air on ABC Wednesday, October 23, at 10 p.m. Scroll through for seven takeaways from the telling documentary:

Credit: Shutterstock

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s Candid ‘African Journey’ Documentary: 7 Revelations

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan gave royal enthusiasts new insight into their lives in their new documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. "I don't think there is a new way or the old way," the 35-year-old prince told ITV News at Ten’s Tom Bradby about the monarchy’s future in the doc, which aired in the U.K. on Sunday, October 20. "We're certainly not trying to lead the way. We're trying to do what feels natural to us, and be authentic." Harry and Meghan, 38, tied the knot in May 2018. A year later, the former Suits star gave birth to the couple’s son, Archie. Last month, the twosome embarked on their first royal tour with their son. During the two-week tour, Meghan made headlines for her inspiring speech in Cape Town's Nyanga township. "I would hope that people — the world — will get to a point where you just see us as a couple who is in love, right?” the duchess told Bradby about discussing her heritage during the speech. “Because I don't wake up every day and identify as being anything other than who I've always been. I'm Meghan and I married this incredible man, and this, to me, is just part of our love story. … But for me, when I made the choice to add those words into the speech, it was really at the last minute, and I said to Harry, 'What do you think if I add this in? I don't know. It just felt right.’” [sendtonews type="float" key="9aOL0lgbrC-3110860-14453"] Meghan added Harry supported her decision to add the line, “I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister” while speaking in Cape Town. “He very kindly and supportively said, 'If that's what feels right, then that's what you should say.' Because it's true," Meghan explained in the doc. “Before I was part of this family, that's how I identified, with people and connection, as a mother now, as a wife now, but just as a woman of color, which has been brought to the forefront in a more prominent way.” In addition to reflecting on their recent royal tour, Meghan and Harry opened up about dealing with the British tabloids during the documentary. Earlier this month, Harry announced his plans to pursue a legal battle against the British media for “bullying” Meghan. “It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy,” an insider told Us Weekly about the pair’s unprecedented court battle. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.” Harry & Meghan: An African Journey is set to air on ABC Wednesday, October 23, at 10 p.m. Scroll through for seven takeaways from the telling documentary:

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Meghan’s Friends Warned Her About Marrying Harry

“In all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand and hear,” Meghan, who met Harry in 2016, admitted. “But when I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’”

She continued: “And I very naively — I’m American. We don’t have that there — [I said,] ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not in any tabloids.’ I didn’t get it. So it’s been, yeah, it’s been complicated.” 

Meghan went on to say that the British media’s coverage of her is not “fair.” 

"When people are saying things that are just untrue and they're being told they're untrue but they're allowed to still say them, I don't know anybody in the world that would feel like that's OK, and that's different than just scrutiny,” she explained. “What would you call that? That's a different beast. That's really just a different beast.” 

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Meghan’s Mental Health

The former actress was visibly emotional while discussing her “really challenging” life as a new mom and member of the British royal family. 

“Especially as a woman, it’s really … it’s a lot,” she explained. “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed … And also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Meghan added that she wants to “thrive” and not “just survive.” 

"You've got to feel happy, and I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip,” she said. “I tried, I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging, and the biggest thing I know is that I never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, and that's the part that's really hard to reconcile. I don't know — just take each day as it comes."

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Harry’s Rift With William

Reports surfaced earlier this year that there was tension between Harry and his brother, Prince William. In the doc, Harry admitted that the siblings have “good days” and “bad days.”

“Part of this role and part of this job, this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably stuff happens,” Harry said. “But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment but I’ll always be there for him and as I know he’ll always be there for me.”

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The Possibilities of Moving to Africa

The royal couple revealed Archie, 5 months, “clearly loves” Africa. 

"He found his voice now, he's bouncing up and down and making more noise than he's ever made before and he's smiling all the time,” Harry said.

"He was happy before,” Meghan added. “He's the happiest here the past two days.” 

The twosome aren’t so sure about making a permanent move, however. 

"I don't know where we could live in Africa at the moment, we've just come from Cape Town,” Harry said. “That would be an amazing  place to be able to base ourselves. But with all the problems going on there … I don't see how we'd be able to make as big a difference as we want to.” 

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Harry’s Grief Over Princess Diana

Harry, whose mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997, compared grief to “a wound that festers.” 

“I think being part of this family in this role in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back. So in that respect, it's the worst reminder of her life, as opposed to the best,” the prince admitted. “Being here now 22 years later, trying to finish what she started, it will be incredibly emotional, but everything I do reminds me of her. But as I said, with the role, with the job and the pressures that come with that, I get reminded of the bad stuff, unfortunately.” 

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Harry’s Fears About History Repeating Itself

In Harry’s lengthy statement about his legal battle with the British media, he compared Meghan’s “private suffering” to his late mother receiving backlash from the press. 

“My mom clearly taught me a certain set of values of which I will try and always uphold despite the role and the job that sometimes that entails, if you know what I mean,” Harry said. “But I think I will always protect my family, and now I have a family to protect. Everything that she went through and what happened to her is incredibly raw, every single day, and that's not me being paranoid, that's just me not wanting a  repeat of the past. And if anybody else knew what I knew, being it a father, be it a husband, be it anyone, you would be doing exactly what I'm doing as well.” 

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Meghan’s Nickname for Harry

Meghan referred to her husband as “H” in the doc.

“I have said for a long time to H, that’s what I call him, ‘It’s not enough to just survive something,” she said. “That’s not the point of life. You have got to thrive. You have got to feel happy.’”