Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Netflix docuseries could touch on her sister Samantha Markle's Twitter activity after Newsweek was told it was referenced in an interview.
Harry & Meghan is set to debut on December 8 with an initial batch of three episodes followed up by a further three on December 15.
Christopher Bouzy, the founder of data analysis firm Bot Sentinel, told the show's producers during an interview that Samantha Markle had been suspended from Twitter.
Bouzy investigated anti-Meghan Twitter accounts in 2021, identifying a network of 83 accounts that were responsible for 70 percent of the hostile messages about her.
Outside of his comments on Samantha Markle, Bouzy also told the show's producers about how some anonymous Twitter accounts compared Meghan and her children—Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor—to monkeys during the two-hour interview.
Bouzy told Newsweek he anticipated having a "significant segment" but did not know which of his comments would be included in the finished product and which would be left out.
The businessman, who features in the teaser trailer, said: "We talked about Meghan's sister, we talked about everything. One thing is, they've been tight-lipped about what's in this thing."
The discussion of Samantha Markle was about "her having those accounts, which she got suspended for, and also some of those negative things that she said about her sister," he said.
In March 2022, Samantha Markle's then lawyer told Newsweek: "Regarding 2019, Samantha was never been 'banned' or 'suspended' from Twitter. In 2019, her account was "restricted" for three days regarding a political tweet that had nothing to do with Meghan.
"There have been many imposter accounts on Twitter and other social media where individuals pretend to be Samantha."
Samantha Markle is currently suing Meghan for defamation through the federal court in Florida over the duchess' Oprah Winfrey interview and segments of her biography Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
Twitter Trolls Compared Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet to Monkeys
Elsewhere in the interview, Bouzy said he told the documentary of the racist abuse Meghan and her children experienced on social media and also talked about coverage in the mainstream media.
Bouzy told Newsweek: "Many of the accounts that were and are still targeting Meghan use racial slurs, use images that would be considered racist including imposing her face on a monkey or comparing her to a monkey and her children as well."
"A lot of the vitriol is surrounded by race because they include these racist remarks when they're commenting. Hopefully, it will illustrate what the couple's been going through especially with the online vitriol, the hatred, the targeted harassment," he said. "Hopefully it sheds some light on that so people who don't understand and don't know what's going on will be able to finally see what's been happening to this couple."
Harry & Meghan Sparks U.K. Media Backlash
Harry & Meghan has already sparked a backlash in the U.K. media with biographer Tom Bower, author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, among those to take aim at the Sussexes, not only over the teaser but also Harry's memoir.
He told GB News: "I fear that the Netflix documentary and then obviously the book is going to cause even more damage and it needs leadership—it needs leadership from King Charles because, at some stage, they are going to have to draw a line and say the Sussexes have really gone too far in their bid for fame and fortune at the expense of the Royal Family.
"I've repeatedly warned about this for months now. It's quite clear what they're doing is very skillful, and damaging—colossally damaging. That trailer—what an amazing portrayal. It's just full of threats and poison, and innuendo and direct attacks on the Royal Family."
Bower added: "I think the first step, which I think would be very popular, will be to take away the Sussexes' titles. Of course, Harry is born of Prince and will remain a prince.
"I think the next thing is for King Charles to announce that the Royal Family has no relationship whatsoever with the Sussexes and they no longer are members of the Royal Family as far as he's concerned."
Referring to the backlash, Bouzy said: "I think it's reactive, no one has actually seen it yet. They're already being negative towards the couple and this, once again, is indicative of what they've been going through. We've only seen trailers that are less than two minutes long if that. I think people need to reserve their opinions and comments until they actually see it."
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
