Prince William and Kate Middleton’s friends ‘sickened’ by the couple’s portrayal in Harry and Meghan’s docuseries trailer

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William and Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Future)

published 4 December 2022

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s friends have spoken out after an 'unflattering' photo of the couple was included in the trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming docuseries.

Friends of Prince William and Kate Middleton have said they are 'sickened' over the portrayal of the royal couple in the trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries.
The friends claim that the image featured in the trailer is purposefully 'unflattering'.
In other royal news, Kate Middleton accessorises a rented dress with Princess Diana's necklace for the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston

The first official teaser trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all Netflix series features many never-before-seen photographs of the couple and has given royal fans a much anticipated glimpse into their lives behind the scenes. But some eagle eyed viewers may have noticed one photograph in the 72-second sneak peak that cast a different royal couple in a somewhat unflattering light.

There was already speculation that Harry and Meghan were snubbing Prince William and Kate Middleton with the timing of the trailer's release, which coincided with their high-profile visit to America. But now friends of the royal couple, who spotted a photograph of the pair featured in the trailer, are sure that the Sussex's are attempting to cast them in a bad light, it has been claimed.

A black and white image of a stony-faced William and Kate, which was taken during the 2019 Commonwealth Day Ceremony at Westminster, flashed up only briefly but it's inclusion in the teaser has not gone down well.

Friends of the Wales' are reportedly livid and have described the trailer as "everything we feared".

Richard Eden, the Editor of the Daily Mail Diary, claimed to have spoken with friends of Prince William and Kate, and has said they were "appalled" by the video. Speaking to Mail+, he said, "I've heard from friends of Prince William and Catherine today, and they've been frankly sickened by what's appeared in this video."

According to Eden, the friends believe that the filmmakers "seem to have gone to great lengths to find the one unflattering image of Catherine for this trailer".

The much anticipated series is set to be split into six episodes, and, according to Netflix, it "explores the clandestine days of their [Harry and Meghan's] early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution".

In a statement, Netflix said, "With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.