The Commonwealth has previously been described as “Empire 2.0” in a brutal attack against the late Queen Elizabeth II’s “life’s work”. This description was made by writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s highly-controversial Netflix series, which was simply titled ‘Harry & Meghan’.
Speaking in the six-part series – which was released in December 2022 – academic Professor Kehinde Andrews also claimed “nothing has changed” from the UK’s colonial past. The Commonwealth is often dubbed the late monarch’s greatest work. The late Queen died on September 8, 2022 – just three months before the Sussexes’ show aired on Netflix.
Speaking to The Times, one insider said of the attack: “That was shocking. It goes to the root of attacking her legacy.”
As reported by the Mirror, another insider added: “That was unexpected. This was a full-scale attack on not just the Commonwealth but the Queen’s association with the Commonwealth. It is an attack on her life’s work.” Previously speaking about the Commonwealth during the couple’s engagement interview, Meghan said: “There is so much work to do in the Commonwealth.”
On her 21st birthday, the late Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, delivered a heartwarming speech to the world in a live broadcast transmission from Cape Town, during the Royal Family’s South African tour in 1947. The most famous line from her speech read: “My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family.”
Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, who now reside in the US after stepping down as senior working royals in 2020, were previously president and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.