Last night we got a preview of what the expect during next week’s Royal Wedding when Lifetime aired Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance.
While you would traditionally assume a made-for-tv-movie would bring sensation to the most vanilla of stories, given the details we know of this real life fairytale romance, it would appear that there wasn’t any room for fabrication, right? WRONG.
Leave it to the team at Lifetime to add a little Hollywood flair to this whirlwind affair, so today we’re breaking down the top Facts vs. Fiction of the movie.
FACTS:
Meghan Fought Proctor & Gamble About an Ivory Soap Commercial
At 11 years old, while we were all probably doing completely useless tasks, Meghan was fighting women’s rights when she recognized a problem with a 90s Ivory soap commercial. The soap referenced women fighting grease in the kitchen and Meghan took a serious issue with that phrasing. Writing Proctor & Gamble she fought the stigma that only women have a place in the kitchen and ultimately had the company update the ad switching out “women” to “people”.
Harry and Meghan Went on a Secret Soho House Date in Toronto
This one is true and while I cannot confirm that they were dressed as a frog and Hillary Clinton (talk about the ultimate jinx MM!), it is confirmed that they were in attendance that evening, in full costume. The couple wanted an outing during one of Harry’s first visits to Toronto and in order to fly under the radar and be in public without the threat of revealing their relationship, they took advantage of this Halloween event.
The Corgis Loved Meghan Instantly
The corgis loved Meghan instantly as Harry revealed during their first interview with BBC after announcing their engagement. Meghan called the affection, “very sweet,” while Harry joked, “For the last 33 years, I’ve been barked at. This one walks in, and absolutely nothing! Just wagging tails.” How cute. Please note for future reference, Must Love Dogs is at the top of the list when looking for the Queen’s approval.
Harry’s Relative Wore a Racist Brooch
While unclear if this was during Pippa’s wedding reception or a lunch at Buckingham Palace, yes, some outdated old twat, Princess Michael wore a blackamoor brooch – a decorative style that depicts African people as exoticized figures and is considered widely offensive. It is also unknown is Meghan and the Princess crossed paths while she wore the offensive piece, though Meghan was in attendance at both events, but photo evidence was enough to send Twitter into an uproar, arguing how out of date the piece was and ultimately touching on how out of touch the monarchy is. NOT THE BEST MOVE MICHAEL.
Meghan is Not the First Biracial Royal
Queen Charlotte in the house! It is widely believe that Queen Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – an 18th century royal was in fact the first biracial member of the royal family. Even though this cannot be entirely proven as fact, many royals believe it to be true given her depiction in historical paintings.
FICTION:
Wills and Kate had reservations about Meghan
First of all, the movie portrayed Wills as an actual doormat for snooty Kate and her opinion on Harry’s love life. That being said, in the movie Kate felt that American’s were too loud, Meghan would be Royal Roadkill and the challenges as a biracial commoner outweighed their chances at TRUE LOVE. Please Kate, PLEASE. What we actually know of the original Royal rulebreakers is that they fully support Harry and Meghan and have appeared to be nothing but pleasant in all public appearances as a foursome. I can’t wait to see more of this group as Meghan continues to climbs the royal ranks. Can you imagine that Friday night Happy Hour?!
Annabella Exists
In the Lifetime movie we meet Annabella, a close member of Harry and Wills inner circle. But despite us all wanting to believe it’s true, she in fact does not exist and was simply created to portray to continued criticism that Harry and Meghan have and will receive now that they are in the public eye.
Meghan was Single when She First Met Harry
These timelines are blurred but the alleged story is that Harry and Meghan were briefly introduced prior to their first date in Toronto while he was here prepping for the first Invictus Games. While Meghan was dating a Toronto-based chef at the time, she was allegedly still with him when Harry and her first exchanged phone numbers. Was she with him at the time of their actual first date? Doubtful, but still this is a debatable point for you to gab about with your friends as the wedding approaches.
Harry and Meghan Broke Up After He Released His Public Protection Statement
WOULD YOU BREAK UP WITH A PRINCE? There are actually two instances in the movie where Meghan has reservations with dating Harry and instead of, you know, having an adult conversation with him, she concludes that the only solution is the break up. Because that’s what you do when a literal prince is courting you! Of course neither of these breakups happened. Both Harry and Meghan were smitten from the get-go and despite all the challenges they faced in the beginning, they firmly faced them together, as a united front.
Meghan Wasn’t Invited to Pippa’s Wedding Reception
While it is true that Meghan was not invited to Pippa’s wedding ceremony (whether due to a No Ring, No Bring rule or so as not to deflect attention from the bride), there was never any last minute invitation to the reception. In the movie Prince Charles has a change of heart that results in his request for Harry to go get Meghan who was FaceTiming in a hotel room (this girl LOVES FaceTime). While this is all well and good for Lifetime, in reality Meghan was always going to be in attendance after the ceremony, which was yet another sign that she and Harry were steady and serious.
Featured Image: Photo courtesy of Lifetime