Prince Harry claims people were ‘happy to lie to protect’ Prince William in new Netflix trailer
Netflix has released a new trailer for the second installment of their docuseries about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titled 'Harry & Meghan.'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry is getting candid about his decision to step back as a senior working royal.
On Monday, Netflix released a new trailer for the second installment of their docuseries "Harry & Meghan," which drops on Dec. 15. The first three episodes were released on Dec. 8.
In the clip, the 38-year-old is seen speaking to the camera as he reflects on how he and his wife Meghan Markle struggled with the British tabloids targeting them. Harry also claimed that he and the former American actress were treated differently from his older brother, Prince William.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Prince of Wales, 40, is heir to the British throne.
"They were happy to lie to protect my brother," alleged Harry in the trailer, before adding that he and Markle, 41, were the victims of "institutional gaslighting."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us," he added.
Harry also noted that he was left to "wonder what would have happened to us had we not got out when we did."
"I said, ‘We need to get out of here,’" Harry recalled.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seen here during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June, stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Chris J Ratcliffe)
The trailer also showed a self-shot of Harry that appeared to be taken on a cellphone. The father of two is seen speaking while on a flight.
"We are on the freedom flight," said Harry.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the trailer, the former "Suits" star spoke about the impact of the couple’s decision to step back. Upon their announcement in 2020, the U.K. government removed their 24-hour police protection because they were no longer entitled to taxpayer-funded security.
"Our security was being pulled," said Markle. "Everyone in the world knew where we were… I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in Montecito, California, with their two children. (Netflix)
The trailer ends with a clip of the Sussexes enjoying their new lives in the coastal city of Montecito, California, with their son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 1.
"To move to the next chapter you’ve got to finish the first chapter," said Harry. "I’ve always felt as though this was a fight worth fighting for."
"It gave us a chance to create that home we had always wanted," chimed Markle.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kinsey Schofield, royal expert and host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital she was appalled by Harry’s latest claims.
Prince William, seen here with his wife Kate Middleton, is heir to the British throne. (Max Mumby/Indigo)
"Harry and Meghan’s documentary is littered with dishonesty to bolster their calculated version of events," she alleged. "When Harry says, ‘They were happy to lie to protect my brother, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,' I am confident he is referencing The Firm. They likely fixed this soundbite [during editing] to not come off as aggressive but if the British media is so terrible then protecting Harry and Meghan would never be on their radar and Harry would not expect that of them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Harry has provided the palace with many more controversial stories to navigate than William ever could," Schofield claimed. "William is the heir. Of course, the palace is going to protect him. Keep your nose out of trouble and nothing can be said about you… The palace worked overtime to change Harry's image from an angry bar dweller to a war hero. Had they not actually protected Harry with a very strategic transformation, there is no way he would have the platform he has now to slander his family. He was popular. Because The Firm worked very hard to make him likable."
"Instinct tells me that the palace staff stopped defending Meghan over the fact that she has been accused by multiple employees of cruel treatment," added Schofield.
On Friday, Britain’s press erupted in outrage at the docuseries, which lambasted the U.K. media over its treatment of the royal couple.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The first installment of "Harry and Meghan" dropped on Dec. 8. (Netflix)
But much of Britain reacted to the Netflix show with a shrug. Buckingham Palace had no comment, and the prime minister didn’t watch.
In the first three episodes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as friends and loved ones, detailed the couple's early lives and blossoming romance. It led up to their fairytale wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018, and their growing discontent with what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of the duchess and a lack of support from the palace.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harry has long railed against press intrusion that he says clouded his childhood and contributed to the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at age 36 while being pursued by photographers.
In the doc, Markle claimed that the media wanted to "destroy" her, while Harry says his wife was subjected to a press "feeding frenzy." That riled British newspapers, many of which splashed their anger across front pages and editorial columns.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King Charles III, seen here with his wife Queen Consort Camilla, declined to comment on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix docuseries. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Bob Seely, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party, said he would try to introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the couple of their royal titles. Seely said Prince Harry was attacking important British institutions, "as well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption." Meanwhile, Employment Minister Guy Opperman branded the couple "utterly irrelevant" and urged people "to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said it did not back Seely’s bill or a Netflix boycott.
"It’s a matter for the public what channels they want to watch," said spokesman Jamie Davies. He said the prime minister had not watched the series, and the government "would never comment on royal matters."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King Charles III declined to comment on the Netflix series during public engagements in London on Thursday or during a visit Friday to Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, where he met the team’s owners, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Both said they had not watched the series, with McElhenney joking, "I’ve never heard of it."
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In the previous trailer, Meghan Markle can be seen crying while she sits beside Prince Harry. (Netflix)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked away from royal duties in early 2020 and moved to California to start a new life as campaigners, charity benefactors and media personalities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.