'An attack on the Queen's proudest legacy': Meghan and Harry's Netflix show is accused of 'offensive' attack on late Monarch after Commonwealth was branded 'Empire 2.0'
- Commonwealth was branded 'Empire 2.0' in Harry and Meghan Netflix show
- Bombshell docuseries has been accused of attacking the late Queen's legacy
- Couple served as President and Vice President of Queen's Commonwealth Trust
Harry and Meghan's bombshell Netflix documentary has been accused of attacking the late Queen's legacy after branding the Commonwealth 'Empire 2.0'.
The association of nations, much-loved by Her Majesty, is given the label by academic Afua Hirsch, while author Kehinde Andrews claims 'nothing has changed' from the UK's colonial past, apart from the Royal Family's 'better PR'.
The commentators suggest this racist legacy made it difficult for Meghan to be both assimilated into the firm and widely accepted and loved by the British public.
But the comments have been described as 'deeply offensive' by some viewers.
Prince Harry and Meghan previously served as President and Vice President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, which supports youth empowerment in Commonwealth countries.
When Meghan was announced as Vice President in March 2019, she said her work would 'highlight the Trust's partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, and in particular its work supporting women and girls.'
However, the couple lost their patronages when they stepped down as working royals in January 2020.
Giving her analysis of the remarks, Mailplus+ Royal Editor Rebecca English said: 'A lot of people I've spoken to found this particularly offensive when it comes to Harry and his much-loved grandmother and see it really as a direct attack on her and her legacy - when she of course isn't around to defend it.'
Harry and Meghan in episode three of their bombshell Netflix documentary: Prince Harry and Meghan previously served as President and Vice President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust
Author Afua Hirsch (pictured) brands the Commonwealth Empire 2.0 in Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary, before describing Harry as 'anti-racist'
She said that while Harry and Meghan do not comment themselves on the Commonwealth, their hired talking heads do, adding: 'This programme of course, we mustn't forget, is produced by Archewell, their production company.'
The comments have also created a backlash on social media.
TV pundit Dan Wootton tweeted: 'The only mercy in the late Queen's death is she didn't have to watch Harry and Meghan using Netflix to trash her beloved Commonwealth to millions around the world as the Empire 2.0. Disgraceful.'
Another pointed out that Harry and Meghan were once president and vice president of the Queen Commonwealth Trust, accusing the pair of being 'hypocrites'.
Twitter users react to the Commonwealth being branded Empire 2.0 in Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries
The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental association that consists mainly of former territories once controlled by the British Empire.
Association is voluntary. Headed by the King and based at the Marlborough House in London, the association is voluntary and is designed to promote peace, human rights, democracy and other core values among its member nations.
It currently holds more than 2.5 billion people and encompasses more than 11.5 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers).
The Queen was dedicated to the organisation and made more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries during her historic 70-year reign.
It comes after the Sussexes' Netflix documentary today unleashed a series of incendiary claims labelling Britain a 'racist' country.
In one segment, Harry says the Royal Family has 'unconscious bias', and is 'part of the problem' when it comes to racism in Britain.
The accusations are levelled across the first three hour-long episodes of Harry & Meghan, which dropped at 8am on Thursday.
Lengthy segments are also given to academics Afua Hirsch and David Olusoga (pictured) who say British tradition is 'filled with racist imagery' and say anti-immigration sentiment is a 'cipher for race'
Even the UK's departure from the EU is dragged into the fray, as Harry says the series is not 'just about our story', adding: 'This has always been much bigger than us', amid the back drop of a Brexit protest (pictured) followed by former-PM Boris Johnson vowing to 'take back control of this country'
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