The final straw? King Charles III could be out for “retribution” as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s Netflix docuseries brings the royal family’s drama back into the spotlight.
“I think there will be muted responses to whatever specifics are in there, but we have to wait and see what the accusations are,” royal expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, December 6, days before the premiere of the first three episodes.
According to the King: The Life of King Charles III author, Harry’s relatives are “horrified” about what might be revealed in the highly anticipated series. “I think they’re still holding their breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, there are two shoes that are gonna drop because it [airs in two parts],” he teased. “I just think the sense of betrayal is shifted over now to genuine combat mode because this is a war between the two [sides].”
King Charles III attending the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, September 2022. Stephen Lock/Pool/Shutterstock
Andersen added that while Charles, 74, has “extended olive branch after olive branch” to Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, since their 2020 step down, there could still be consequences for the Sussexes overseas.
“I think [Harry] will be invited to the coronation,” the writer predicted. “I think they will go in May unless everything blows up [in] everyone’s face and irreparable damage is done. … The titles, the charities and whatnot — there’s a lot left that Charles could do to punish Harry again.”
Although Andersen thinks it could “absolutely” be likely that Charles revokes his youngest son’s royal titles, the monarch may also go the “keep calm and carry on” route like Queen Elizabeth II so often did before her death at age 96.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they would be leaving their senior duties behind. The couple subsequently moved to California, where they’re raising son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 18 months, and signed an overall deal with Netflix to create original content through their Archewell Productions company.
Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
On the duo’s docket were documentaries, movies, series and children’s programming, but the most eye-catching project put their story front and center. Us confirmed in November that Harry and Meghan’s documentary series would premiere before the new year — and the first look promises plenty of bombshell revelations and never-before-seen details.
“It’s really hard to look back on it now and go, ‘What on earth happened?’” the Spare author wonders in a dramatic trailer released on Monday, December 5. “No one knows the full truth [of what happened]. We know the full truth.”
The Invictus Games founder goes on to call out the royal family’s “dirty game,” claiming: “There’s a hierarchy of the family. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.”
Harry and the Suits alum collaborated with famed documentarian Liz Garbus on the show, simply titled Harry & Meghan. “It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” the former lifestyle blogger told Variety in October. “But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
Since their exit was made permanent in February 2021, the couple have been outspoken about their experiences as senior royals. Following their CBS tell-all, a source exclusively told Us that “Charles may never forgive Harry” for airing their private conflicts and “dragging his name through the mud.”
Harry & Meghan hits Netflix on Thursday, December 8, with the second half available to stream one week later.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
