On December 3, the German network ZDF will air a new documentary about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which aims to give audiences a closer look at the couple’s life in Montecito, an exclusive enclave in Santa Barbara. The filmmakers visited the town and interviewed at least one of the duke and duchess’s neighbors.
The documentary Prince Harry—The Lost Prince, will look at the couple’s search for relevance following their exit from their royal roles in early 2020 and their subsequent move to the United States. “Even in his self-imposed exile in Montecito, California, he remains a public figure. His commitment to charitable organizations—such as the Invictus Games for war veterans, which he founded—keeps putting him in the spotlight. But the second-born of King Charles, who was at times the most popular royal of the Windsors, is now a controversial figure,” the network said in a press release. “Paparazzi and the tabloid press are a thorn in his side.” (A representative from ZDF did not immediately respond to VF's request for comment.)
In an interview with Express, director Ulrike Grunewald said that working on the documentary helped her understand why the royals were so concerned when Meghan and Harry left their royal roles. “The most damaging allegations can only come from within. Revelations that shock the royal family only come out of Prince Harry‘s or Meghan Markle‘s mouths,” she said. “I begin to understand the late Queen’s verdict that you can’t be ‘half in and half out.’”
Grunewald added that so far Meghan and Harry are still trying to make a legacy for themselves. “At the moment it is hard to see any big achievement of their Archewell Foundation, which claims to work for the improvement of communities,” she said. “But there are still voices who see the high potential of the couple not only for the British monarchy but also for a liberal society.”
In April, Montecito resident and former British newspaper journalist Richard Mineards said he sat for an interview with Grunewald and her producers during their trip to southern California. “Los Angeles-based producer, Melanie Hillmann grilled me for two hours on my Riven Rock neighbors, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, under director Ulrike Grunewald,” he wrote in the Montecito Journal. “The interview is airing in due course as part of a prime-time documentary on ZDF Royal."
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