Harry and Meghan on Netflix: Avoid the documentary, just read the headlines

But even without seeing any of it the fall out has become hard to avoid. And then my news editor asked me to write an opinion piece on the first three episodes, so here I am on the sofa watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their sofa talking about how they want the world to give them some space. The irony is not lost as hungry viewers cause Netflix to crash.

You get the impression that they want people to feel sorry for them but the only time I can truly feel Harry’s pain is when he talks about his mother Diana’s death. There is no fact checking to be done here, to lose a parent at a young age must be a truly life-changing experience and one which has clearly deeply scarred him.

So much has been written about the first three episodes which went live on Thursday, particularly the comments about unconscious racism in the Royal Family and about how male royals tend to marry women "who fit in the mould".

Juicy enough to make headlines, but not exactly the explosive revelations that viewers might have been expecting.

When you consider Princess Diana’s tell-all interview on Panorama in 1995 or more recently Prince Andrew’s grilling on Newsnight, this Netflix documentary is low on scandal and high on self-worth.

I found much of the first trio of episodes rather boring as a large part of the three hours is taken up by the very slow recall of how Harry and Meghan met and fell in love. Every now and again to stop viewers from drifting off the pair will punctuate a reel of loved-up Instagram snaps with a vague comment about something or someone who has wronged them.

Clearly made for an American audience, the documentary tries to make historical connections and draw parallels which are a little tenuous. For example the account that Brexit was brought about by racists, while at the same time Harry and Meghan announced their engagement – a coincidence that meant the American actress could not be accepted by the majority of the UK because she was both foreign and of mixed-race.

At the beginning of episode two, Meghan is talking about the media interview the couple gave when they got engaged. Without a hint of irony she describes it as an "orchestrated reality show".

What has annoyed some people so much about the documentary is that the couple are trashing the institution that sustains them. Were it not for their royal ties I doubt Netflix and Spotify would have paid them what is reported to be more than £100 million to tell their story.

Given that the Queen devoted her life to public service, it does not sit well with many that her grandson Harry and his wife appear to have chosen a life of self-service.

It isn’t the first and it won’t be the last Netflix documentary which has a distinctly one-sided feel to it. We are told at the beginning the Royal Family did not choose to make any comment on the show, but this has been contested.

They may eventually choose to speak publicly but as yet most of the trashing of the royals has been fairly hazy, for example even the talk of racism is termed as “unconscious bias”, therefore it might be better for them not to comment as a royal statement would give the documentary greater credence.

One of the most interesting bits for me was when Meghan recalled the exaggerated curtsey she gave when she first met Harry’s grandmother, the Queen. As she performs the curtsey again for the benefit of viewers, ridiculing its purpose, Harry is clearly not a happy chappy.

It jars with the rest of the narrative which sees the pair regularly firing broadsides at the royal lifestyle. Perhaps it’s the theatrical nature of Meghan’s lampooning of royal etiquette that elicits a moment of quiet seething for Harry.

Another of my takeaways from the show is that Meghan likes to refer to Harry as ‘H’ and Harry will call her ‘M’. Once the Netflix cash dries up and they’re in need of a few bob they could always offer themselves up as brand ambassadors for a certain high street clothing store.