Prince Harry’s emotional reaction to a text message from Prince William was captured by the makers of their Netflix show in footage that has gone viral on TikTok.
Cameras were with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the dramatic moments after Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement in reaction to their interview with Oprah Winfrey in which she famously said “recollection may vary.”
In Episode 6 of Harry & Meganthe couple were together in what appears to be the office of their Montecito mansion while the duchess had their friend Tyler Perry on speaker phone.
The prince then showed her his phone screen, which was displaying a message not visible to the cameras.
“What am I looking at? Wow,” Meghan said. She then turned back to her call and told Perry: “H just got a text from his brother.”
“I wish I knew what to do,” Harry said. Meghan replied: “I know. Let’s take a breather. Get some air and then decide.”
Meghan then gives Harry a long hug as the pair take a moment to process the content of the text message, which remains secret to this day.
The footage resurfaced four months on in a TikTok video that has gone viral with close to 1 million views and 23.9k likes.
The footage appears with the caption: “Meghan Markle giving H a big hug after he received the harsh text from his brother Prince William shows her love for her mans.”
In the show, Meghan reads Perry the queen’s statement in full, which said: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Meanwhile, William was asked about the interview by a journalist during a royal visit that week and said: “We are very much not a racist family.”
Little in the Netflix show gives any indication of how Harry and Meghan felt about the queen’s statement, whether they felt reassured and comforted or whether they felt it implicitly disputed their account.
However, actress Janina Gavankar, a friend of the couple, went on ITV’s This Morning with Meghan’s knowledge and took a swipe at the reference to recollections varying the day after Buckingham Palace issued the statement.
She said: “I thought I’m so thankful that they [Buckingham Palace] are finally acknowledging the experience.
“But on the other side I thought I know that the family and the staff were well aware of the extent of it and though their recollections may vary, ours don’t because we lived through it with them. And there are many emails and texts to support that.”
Jack Royston is the chief royal correspondent at Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
Prince Harry’s emotional reaction to a text message from Prince William was captured by the makers of their Netflix show in footage that has gone viral on TikTok.
