Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have received a boost after a turbulent period in their post-working royal life that saw them split with their media partner Spotify and face down being publicly labeled "f****** grifters" by a podcasting executive.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the couple's hit debut Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan has been nominated for a Hollywood Critics Association TV Award, in the category for "Best Streaming Nonfiction Series."
The couple's six-part series, which documented their love story and the circumstances surrounding their dramatic split from the monarchy in 2020, is nominated alongside celebrity-fronted shows such as Eugene Levy's The Reluctant Traveler, Rainn Wilson's Geography of Bliss and Jeremy Renner's Rennervations.
The couple also face stiff competition from Apple TV's dinosaur epic Prehistoric Planet and Disney's The 1619 Project, which assessed America's development through the lens of its Black citizenry from the consequences of slavery to the growth contemporary political and cultural movements.
The nomination signifies Harry and Meghan's first major act of recognition from their Hollywood contemporaries for their on-screen work. The couple not only fronted their Netflix show, taking part in extensive interviews and handing over self-shot family home videos, but also co-produced the series through their Archewell Productions company.
The show was one of the most highly anticipated media releases of 2022, with rumors of a reality-style documentary project being discussed in connection with the Sussexes long before any official announcement.
Meghan first confirmed that the couple were filming a show about their lives in October 2022, telling Variety they were "trusting" their story to director Liz Garbus.
"It's nice to be able to trust someone with our story—a seasoned director whose work I've long admired—even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it," she said. "But that's not why we're telling it. We're trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens."
The series debuted on December 8, with a second installment following on December 15. The release of a trailer a week earlier saw the project air amid controversy, with claims that the preview contained stock footage of intense paparazzi encounters that were not of Harry or Meghan but featured other celebrities.
The show contained a number of bombshell revelations about the couple's royal life, including critical assessments of royal family members. In one episode Meghan recounted meeting Kate Middleton for the first time, telling viewers she was shocked that the formality that existed within the royals in public was still displayed in private. Harry also claimed that his brother, Prince William, had screamed and shouted at him during a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II to negotiate his and Meghan's exit from the monarchy.
The series topped Netflix's top ten charts in a number of global markets despite a number of negative reviews.
For their part, the rest of the royal family refused to comment on the show or the revelations made within it, but an unnamed royal source claimed that they hadn't been contacted by Netflix with a right to reply.
This was disputed by the production team and in a later interview, director Liz Garbus said: "They did that to discredit us…and by discrediting us, they can discredit the content of the show… We lived through some of those moments that were a little bit like Alice Through the Looking Glass."
The nomination and seal of approval from the Hollywood Critics Association comes at an important time for Harry and Meghan, particularly the latter, as she was recently criticized by a talent agent following the announcement that the couple's Archewell Audio production company had agreed to part ways with partner Spotify.
CEO of the United Talent Agency, Jeremy Zimmer, made headlines in June when he cast doubt on Meghan's abilities in an interview for news outlet Semafor.
"Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent," he is quoted as saying. "And, you know, just because you're famous doesn't make you great at something."
In addition to their nomination for the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards, Harry and Meghan's Netflix show has been tipped for additional industry nods, including a potential Emmy nomination.
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Netflix via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith 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.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
