Exclusive: Prince William ‘had staff watch new Harry documentary for anything that needs addressing’

Prince William is said to have completely cut ties with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their repeated attacks on the royal family.

Nevertheless, both he and Princess Kate will likely take an interest in a new documentary focused on the Sussexes’ life in Montecito, according to an expert. The Lost Prince, from award-winning filmmaker Ulrike Grunewald, takes an inside look at the couple’s life in California and their search for relevance since stepping down as working royals in January 2020.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, royal expert Duncan Larcombe said he believes William and Kate will be aware of the German documentary. “I think there’s a strong chance they would probably have someone watch it on their behalf, just so they can flag up anything that needs addressing,” he said. “William is a bit better than Harry at ignoring what’s said about him, but he still does take interest.”
Mr Larcombe further suggested that the show could affect Harry’s attempts to reconcile with the royals. “It’s hard to say if the documentary will impact Harry’s relationship with the royals because there are signs that things might be thawing,” he said.

“It’s been quite a long time now since Harry and Meghan have dropped any bombshells. Since Harry’s book Spare came out in January, it’s been a relatively quiet time and he’s kept his mouth shut. Since then, he’s met up with his dad – albeit very briefly. It would be a real shame if the documentary put those possibilities of a thawing in the relationship back a peg or two.”

Mr Larcombe went on: “I think any documentary that continues the criticism of Harry and Meghan’s modus operandi is going to be damaging. It’s in Germany so it’s probably not going to make a big storm over in the US. But it’s still a major blow for a couple who have seen their popularity plummet like a stone falling in a well since they left the UK.”
Certainly, The Lost Prince could make for uncomfortable viewing for Harry and Meghan. One major area of focus is the couple’s desire to be ‘half in and half out’ of the Royal family – a proposal that was shut down by the late Queen.

That is a huge compromise to demand off the monarchy. If they were to be perceived to be promoting their commercial projects while representing the Queen, then that’s also… starting to border on corruption there because they should never be using the monarchy as a platform.”

Royston further added: “The particular way in which Harry and Meghan crashed out of the Royal Family, firing hand grenades at Harry’s relatives, caused their reputation to be significantly damaged. And that has had a major impact on their capacity to make the world a better place because a lot of people just aren’t listening to them at all.”

Elsewhere, the couple face scrutiny for the huge gulf between their ‘noble’ work and their luxury lifestyle. Meghan, especially comes under fire for her decision to wear expensive designer clothing during high-profile visits to impoverished nations. As the Mirror’s Russell Myers notes: “If you’re going to places like Nigeria, like Colombia, which have huge socio-economic problems, some of the world’s poorest communities in these countries, and you’re turning up wearing tens of thousands of pounds worth of designer clothes – it really doesn’t send the right message.”