Meghan Markle is no stranger to Hollywood. Her headlining television series Suits recently aired her final episodes as attorney Rachel Zane, having been filmed before Meghan left her star-studded life for a life of royalty many only dream about.
Now with the world looking onward in great anticipation for the nuptials of Prince Harry and America’s actress-turned-royalty Meghan Markle, the media worldwide has remained unrelenting in both their doses of praise and criticism. Most notably in the array of spotlights on the event that shook the world is Hollywood’s many takes on retelling the fantasy story of the century.
Yet the Royal Family is no stranger to Hollywood’s flattery. In the whirlwind of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement and wedding in 2011, American television networks Lifetime and Hallmark Channel were both credited with the releases of separate films recounting the events of the couple’s meeting, dating, and eventual engagement. Nearly coming as no surprise, Hollywood has acted once again.
This coming Sunday, 13 May, Lifetime television network will premiere their interpretation of the romance between Harry and Meghan in their exclusive movie Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance. The screenplay is said to have been written in nearly two weeks. The channel is well-known for its mostly unauthorised takes on the lives of many individuals in the modern spotlight.
According to the movie’s co-writer Terrance Coli, “There is so much drama in the real story we didn’t have to make a lot up.”
Contrarily to the Hallmark Channel’s previous attempt to recall the events of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s early days of romance, the network is instead releasing two of Markle’s popular Hallmark movies together in stores across America. The “Royal Wedding Collection” as it has been titled features Ms Markle’s films “Dater’s Handbook” and “When Sparks Fly” both from 2016.
Yet not all that has glittered in Hollywood is gold. Trevor Engleson, Markle’s ex-husband, has since denied claims that his upcoming Fox comedy which features a man whose ex-wife marries royalty has anything to do with true-to-life events. Even young Prince George hasn’t avoided the scrutiny with his face being the unfortunate centre feature of Gary Janetti’s degrading Instagram posts supposedly poking fun at Ms Markle in various manners. He has since stated that it is fictional and only for fun.
It is undeniable that the romance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has taken the world by storm. And Hollywood has ensured that they have put their mark on the history-making event, as well.
