The new trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix docuseries has sparked outrage for allegedly using photos to suggest that the press was invading the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s privacy.
One of the photographs used in the latest teaser for the docuseries “Harry & Meghan” to represent intrusive press photographers, according to the royal author and correspondent Robert Jobson, was taken at a pre-arranged and authorized photo call. The International Business Times was unable to confirm his claims independently.
A photographer took the photo in question from a balcony at Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s home in South Africa, which the Sussexes visited during an official tour in 2019.
The image appeared in the trailer as Prince Harry said:
“You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.”
Jobson, a royal editor for the London Evening Standard and other publications, stated that the photographer who photographed the Sussexes was part of an accredited press pack at the archbishop’s residence.
Jobson tweeted Monday alongside the picture:
“This photograph used by Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from an accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. [Harry and Meghan] agreed the position. I was there.”
Jobson then shared a photo of Prince Harry and Meghan introducing their son to the archbishop that he said he took during the visit on Twitter.
The royal correspondent had written alongside the photo:
“This shot by me from the same accredited pool position on my iPhone was taken at Archbishop Tutu’s Cape Town residence. There was no intrusion. I was part of a 3-person UK palace pool. Nobody else was allowed in and we shared the words and photos with the UK Media.”
According to Page Six, the royal family usually invites a “royal rota” of journalists to accompany them on official visits and foreign tours. Only one or two reporters and photographers will be invited to accompany the royals on these trips, and these press members will then report back to their colleagues.
Jobson defended Buckingham Palace and denied any “conspiracy” after one Twitter user speculated that the royal rota was “being set up” and that the use of the photos “has been planned for a long time.”
Jobson replied:
“No, it’s just a misperception of the truth. We were covering an official visit where they had taxpayer-funded protection and all the trappings. This is just nonsense. The palace was not part of some ‘setup.’ No conspiracy here, just lies, and misuse of photos taken from pools.”
Chris Ship, royal editor at ITV News, also reacted to the use of the photo in the docuseries trailer, tweeting that the author of “William At 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch” “makes a valid point.”
Ship wrote:
“The filming of Archie at Archbishop Tutu’s residence was highly controlled. And the @ITNProductions camera filming the Sussexes’ Africa documentary was there with their permission. It was not a media scrum. They spoke to Tom Bradby inside.”
Brady, an ITV News anchor, spoke with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their 2019 African tour for ITV’s documentary “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.” During their conversation, the duchess admitted to “struggling” with royal life, while her husband stated that he and his brother were “on different paths.”
Following Jobson’s tweets, some royal supporters and social media users defended Netflix, Prince Harry, and Markle.
One person commented on Jobson’s tweet:
“You have no idea under what context that was used, so stop making up narratives. You people have done it a million times, and we’re all sick of it. Did they say it was intrusion? I think the point is that as working royals, they lived in a constant press bubble, approved or not.”
Another pointed out:
“It’s not meant to be literal, it just conveys the vibe. Chill.”
The three-part docuseries about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will debut on Netflix on Thursday.
The final three episodes will air next week.