Lights, camera, action! EXCLUSIVE pictures reveal the camera-shy documentary crew that shadowed Meghan and Harry’s every step to visit veterans in NYC and NJ. So was it a royal progress or a reality show?
- Harry and Meghan were accompanied by a film crew on their Veterans Day trip to New York City last week, prompting speculation that their visit was part of a new Netflix show
- Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show a team of two women and one man bundling camera equipment hidden under coats and bags out of the couple’s high-end residence at 860 United Nations Plaza Wednesday
- The crew were later seen setting up and filming Harry and Meghan, and even joined them in an Airstream van on their way to the veterans’ gala at the Intrepid Museum
- The following day, the duke and duchess were spotted leaving NYC and headed to a New Jersey army base, with the same camera crew getting into a Mercedes van later
- The Sussexes’ three-day New York excursion included a luncheon at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on Thursday
- Journalists and photographers at the events were restricted, with information carefully distributed by the couple’s public relations team in the following days
- The Sussexes signed a multiyear $100million deal with Netflix last September to make content including documentaries, docu-series and feature films
- The couple stayed at a luxury apartment on Manhattan’s East Side on 860 United Nations Plaza, where penthouses range between $3.75M to $6.9M, according to listings
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle brought a film crew on their Veterans Day trip to New York, DailyMail.com can reveal, sparking speculation that the visit was part of a new Netflix show by the duke and duchess.
During an intensely stage-managed outing where the former royals dodged press and tried to restrict pictures to approved photographers, Harry and Meghan were accompanied by a three-person camera crew that hid their equipment in an apparent attempt to keep the film project under wraps.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a multiyear deal with Netflix last September to make content including documentaries, docu-series and feature films, after reportedly asking for up to $100million in negotiations with Hollywood executives.
Prince Harry and Meghan brought a camera crew along with them during their three-day Veterans Day trip to New York City, sparking speculation the visit was part of a new Netflix show involving the former royals
Unlike their last New York City trip in September, the couple dodged the press and tried to restrict pictures to approved photographers last week
But DailyMail.com photos show the duke and duchess were followed by a camera crew for the duration of the trip
Harry and Meghan attended the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala at the Intrepid Museum in New York City on the eve of Veterans Day where the duchess donned a show-stopping red gown by Carolina Herrera
The Sussexes at the time said they planned to focus on creating informative, as well as ‘inspirational family programming’, and hoped to ‘share impactful content that unlocks action’ through Netflix’s ‘unprecedented reach.’
However, it is unclear who commissioned the entourage of videographers accompanying the couple on their trip last week.
Harry and Meghan’s new film project comes as reports claim the Royal Family may have grounds to sue Netflix over its portrayal of the monarchy in hit series, The Crown, after friends of The Firm sought legal advice.
The show’s fifth season, which will premiere next year, has been seen as particularly explosive – especially as many viewers consider it a documentary rather than a drama – since it’s set to depict some of the royals’ most controversial moments such as Princess Diana’s divorce from Charles and her infamous 1995 interview with Martin Bashir.
Harry’s lucrative partnership with Netflix has drawn criticism as a result, with royal experts accusing him of failing to take a stand against the streaming giant’s ‘disrespectful’ portrayal of his late mother.
His brother Prince William faced another blow from showrunners over the weekend when it emerged that they had filmed the Princess Diana ‘revenge dress’ scene only 800 yards from his Kensington Palace bedroom.
The late princess’s younger brother Earl Spencer also revealed Monday that he had rejected The Crown’s request to film at his family home of Althorp, telling the producers: ‘Thank you but no thank you.’
A team of two women and one man were spotted following the couple with film equipment as they headed to the USS Intrepid for a veterans gala
Security guards help each other with their suits as a film crew film them ahead of the gala
The pair had a three-car convoy and at least six security detail protecting them during the trip. A film crew film is seen leaving their private residence to head to the USS Intrepid
In photographs exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, a film crew were spotted bundling camera equipment hidden under coats and bags out of Meghan and Harry’s high-end residence at 860 United Nations Plaza
The three-person camera crew were seen trying to hide their equipment in an apparent attempt to keep the project under wraps
A female member of the team was seen holding film equipment as a man carried what appeared to be a camera wrapped in a black jacket in an apparent bid to keep the project under wraps
The Sussexes’ three-day New York excursion last week included a stay at a luxury apartment on Manhattan’s East Side, two online summits, a red carpet gala on Wednesday honoring veterans at a museum aboard aircraft carrier USS Intrepid moored in Manhattan, and a luncheon at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on Thursday.
Journalists and photographers at the events were restricted, with information carefully distributed by the couple’s public relations team in the following days.
But in photographs exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, a team of two women and one man were spotted bundling camera equipment hidden under coats and bags out of their high-end residence at 860 United Nations Plaza, setting up and filming Harry and Meghan – and even joining them in an Airstream van on their way to the veterans’ gala.
The couple’s eight-man security team rented a fleet of cars including a Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes Bluetec Airstream RV with blacked out windows to accommodate the ex-royals and the film crew.
Beginning their trip on Tuesday, Meghan joined The New York Times DealBook Online Summit while Prince Harry took part in Wired magazine’s RE:WIRED virtual summit.
At the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala on Wednesday night Meghan wore a bold red Wes Gordon ballgown and $23,000 Cartier diamond tennis bracelet that belonged to Harry’s mother Princess Diana.
Their security detail were dressed up too – though more modestly in rented Men’s Warehouse tuxedos.
Meghan was filmed by the camera crew leaving their sprinter van and heading to the event flanked by three bodyguards.
While in New York, the Sussexes avoided Diana’s favorite hotel, the Carlyle, instead opting for the glamorous 860 United Nations Plaza on Manhattan’s East Side where penthouses range between $3.75million to $6.9million, according to listings on StreetEasy.
The couple stayed in a four-bedroom apartment that reportedly belongs to lawyer Barry Bloom, who has represented hotel and real estate families the Loews and the Tisches, according to Cindy Adams of the New York Post. The couple kept a low profile by entering and exiting through the basement.
Asked on the red carpet whether Meghan was proud of her husband, she replied: ‘I’m always proud of him.’
The morning after the gala, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted leaving their NYC apartment on Veterans Day as they headed to a New Jersey army base
Prince Harry was spotted leaving their private residence at 10:20am on Thursday before going to the military base, getting into their rented Sprinter van while holding a laptop
The prince gets into a Mercedes Bluetec Airstream RV with blacked-out windows ahead of their New Jersey leg of their trip
The same camera crew was seen getting into the Mercedes van on Thursday when Harry and Meghan were set to spend Veterans Day on an army base in New Jersey
Harry, who served in the British Army for ten years, handed out medals for the Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families who are living with the ‘invisible wounds of war’.
After their charity gala Harry and Meghan spent Veterans Day on an army base in New Jersey, enjoying lunch with service members and sharing stories of the mental health challenges of being in the armed forces.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is the Department of Defense’s only tri-service base and is home to over 46,000 members of the armed forces and their families.
The duke and duchess hosted a luncheon with service members from all six branches of the military, and were pictured laughing over lunch and listening intently to a discussion.
Photographers were restricted at the event and photographs were released after the event by the Sussexes’ own communications team via SSGt Jake Carter, a public affairs officer in Task Force Liberty.
Prince Harry was spotted leaving their private residence at 10:20am on Thursday before going to the military base, getting into their rented Sprinter van while holding a laptop.
Security detail were seen loading up what appeared to be Meghan’s dress in a monogrammed garment bag and a tuxedo as they left their private residence
The couple’s entourage brought out suitcases and covered clothing from the building and loaded into a second Range Rover
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seen on Thursday visiting Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey to mark Veterans Day
Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are seen listening intently as military personnel discuss their experiences
The couple ate lunch with the service members, with Harry beaming as he shared his stories of a decade in the British army
The group discussed their families, community, and the value of service, according to a spokesman for the couple
Harry – who spent a decade in the British army until retiring in 2015, and completed two tours of Afghanistan – discussed with service members the isolation they often feel when returning home, and stressed the importance of supporting veterans.
‘My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with — wherever in the world we were,’ he said.
‘But in war, you also see and experience things you hope no one else has to.
‘These stay with us, sometimes like a slideshow of images.’
A spokesman for their charitable foundation, Archewell, said: ‘Throughout their visit, they discuss mental health, the value of community and living a life of service.’
The spokesman said the couple have ‘committed themselves to remembering, reflecting and honoring service members, veterans, and military families from around the world’.
The couple’s eight-man security team rented a fleet of cars including a Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes Bluetec Airstream RV to accommodate the ex-royals and the film crew
A grey Mercedes Sprinter bus arrived outside the luxury building just before 6pm Wednesday to take Harry and Meghan to the USS Intrepid gala
Last year sources told the New York Times that the Sussexes met with executives from Disney, AppleTV, NBCUniversal before eventually settling on Netflix, which boasts over 190 million subscribers.
Two of those executives reportedly told the newspaper the couple were looking for a payout ‘in the neighborhood of $100million’.
Announcing their exclusive partnership with Netflix last September, they said they aimed to share ‘impactful content’.
‘Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,’ the couple said in a statement. ‘As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.’ The former royals said Netflix’s ‘unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.’
‘We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,’ Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement at the time.
A photograph supplied via Archewell showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Intrepid Museum last night
A photograph supplied via Archewell showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Intrepid Museum last night
The couple’s trip to the East Coast, their second in two months, after a September visit to the UN and 9/11 memorial, came after Meghan apologized to the Court of Appeal in London on Wednesday for failing to remember she told a royal aide to brief the authors of the Finding Freedom biography.
The duchess, who previously insisted she and Harry did not cooperate with the two writers of the gushing book, said she had ‘forgotten’ providing the aide details of what to reveal ‘when you sit down with them’.
The Mail on Sunday is seeking to defend itself against Meghan’s claims that it unlawfully breached her privacy by publishing extracts of a letter to her father Thomas Markle.
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