A new German documentary, The Lost Prince, by award-winning filmmaker Ulrike Grunewald, has sparked criticism of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, raising questions about the contrast between their defense work and their affluent lifestyle.
The film delves into the couple’s life in Montecito, California, after their exit from the royal family, and examines Harry’s evolving role in relation to the monarchy.
A notable point of contention highlighted in the documentary is Meghan’s choice to wear high-end designer outfits during her visits to disadvantaged countries, which some say undermines the message of solidarity with struggling communities .
As the Mirror’s Russell Myers notes of the documentary: “If you go to places like Nigeria, like Colombia, which have huge socio-economic problems, some of the poorest communities in the world in those countries, and that you end up in ten thousand dollar designer clothes – it really doesn’t send the right message.”
Meanwhile, Dai Davies, former head of royal protection and divisional commander of the Metropolitan Police, accuses Harry of not mixing much with ordinary people during what he describes as their “carefully orchestrated” international trips. “In Colombia, although there are very rich people, the vast majority, 85 or 90 percent, are very poor,” Dai said.
“And what I’ve noticed from these tours is that he mixes with the upper classes. He doesn’t really do that, except in the orchestrated, carefree areas where he mixes with the so-called ‘normal people ‘ – well, that’s not the case.
“These are carefully orchestrated campaigns from what I can see…I look at the evidence dispassionately and the evidence I have seen is that it’s all about Harry and Meghan. It doesn’t matter much- something to do with a so-called real justification for going there.”
The documentary also criticizes Harry and Meghan for exploiting their past royal connections to fund their opulent lifestyle.
It alleges that the couple spend only about an hour a week on their Archewell Foundation, which has reportedly seen a sharp drop in donations, from $13 million (£10.2 million) in 2021 to just $2 million. dollars (£1.5 million) in 2022.