Already have an account?
Get back to the

Prince Harry Claims Royal Family Is Willing to ‘Lie to Protect’ Prince William in New Netflix Teaser: ‘Institutional Gaslighting’

Ready to tell all. Prince Harry called out the British royal family’s rules — and hinted at tension with Prince William — in the first look at volume 2 of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan.

Related: All the Never-Before-Seen Photos From Harry and Meghan's Docuseries: Pics

“I wonder what would have happened to us had we not got out when we did,” the Spare author, 38, tells the camera in the new trailer, which dropped on Monday, December 12, describing the events leading up to his and Meghan Markle‘s exit from their senior royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex and the Suits alum, 41, relocated to California in 2020 after announcing earlier that year that they were stepping away from the royal spotlight. In the teaser, Harry captures a front-facing video from the couple’s “freedom flight” to North America.

Prince Harry Claims Royal Family Is Willing to Lie to Protect Prince William in New Netflix Teaser 2
Prince Harry Netflix

“To see this institutional gaslighting … They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” the former military pilot claims.

As footage and tabloid headlines flash from Harry and Meghan’s royal tenure, an expert alleges that The Firm was “actively recruiting people to disseminate disinformation” about the Archewell cofounders in the U.K. press.

Related: Prince William and Prince Harry’s Complicated Relationship Over the Years

Meghan, for her part, reflects on “being fed to the wolves” after her May 2018 wedding to Harry and the dangers that came with being in the public eye. “Our security was being pulled,” she recalls. “Everyone in the world knew where we were. … [Leaving] gave us a chance to create that home that we had always wanted.”

The dramatic teaser concludes with Harry asserting: “I’ve always felt as though this was a fight worth fighting for.”

Prince Harry Claims Royal Family Is Willing to Lie to Protect Prince William in New Netflix Teaser 4
Sophie Countess of Wessex, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Anne on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. David Fisher/Shutterstock

Harry and Meghan’s exit strained the duo’s relationships within the royal family, and the pair have since been vocal about the highs and lows of their experiences as senior members. When the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan hit Netflix on Thursday, December 8, a disclaimer stated that The Firm “declined to comment on the content within this series.”

A palace source, however, alleged to Us Weekly that the royal family was not “approached for comment regarding the content of the series.” Royal correspondent Omid Scobie reported after the premiere that Netflix contacted the offices of King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Kate and William, 40, who were “given sufficient time to respond.”

Over the years, Harry has been candid about his relationship with his older brother, who is now first in line for the throne following the September death of Queen Elizabeth II. In the 2019 ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, the BetterUp CIO noted that he and William were “certainly on different paths.”

Related: Prince Harry's Ups and Downs With the Royal Family Over the Years

After the Sussexes moved to California, they sat down for a bombshell interview with CBS to shed more light on their royal exit. During the March 2021 broadcast, Harry said he felt “let down” by his father, 74, and the new Prince of Wales.

Prince Harry Claims Royal Family Is Willing to Lie to Protect Prince William in New Netflix Teaser 3
Prince William Paul Grover/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

“As I said before, I love William to bits. We’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience but we are on different paths,” he added, claiming that both Charles and William were “trapped” within the royal line of succession. “The relationship is space at the moment and time heals all things, hopefully.”

Earlier this year, a source exclusively told Us that the brothers’ bond is “doomed” and “irreparable” following Harry and Meghan’s step down. “[William] doesn’t know who [Harry] is anymore and the trust between them is strained,” the insider noted in June. “They’ll never recover from the damage that has been done.”

Part 2 of Harry & Meghan premieres on Netflix Thursday, December 15.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!