Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Netflix documentary appears to have edited a speech by the Queen in order to alter its meaning, a communications professional has claimed.
The first three episodes of the documentary were released last week, providing an intimate look at the Sussexes’ relationship with each other and with the royal family – but voice coach Susie Ashfield noticed something unusual about a segment with the late Queen.
The first episode of the show includes a section from the Queen’s 21st birthday speech in which she says: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to the service of our great Imperial family to which we all belong.”
Broadcast from South Africa on April 21, 1947, then-Princess Elizabeth delivered a particularly famous speech that was considered by many to reflect the principle of service that she would embody for the rest of her life.
But later in the episode, as Ms Ashfield highlighted on TikTok, the speech was included again – only this time, with the words “your service” edited out. Ms Ashfield said this “changes the meaning of the statement entirely.”
She said: “I don’t know what the lesson to learn is here, but I suppose if you are going to be speaking and it will be recorded there is a chance you will get misquoted, your words might get taken out of context, or in this case, some part might be removed to change the meaning of the statement itself.
“So try not to let that happen to you. And if it does happen to you, remember there will be some people out there who might notice.”
Her Majesty even referred back to the speech on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee, in her message during which she backed Camilla to be Queen Consort.
“As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service,” she said in February 2022, just seven months before she died.
One commenter on Ms Ashfield’s video remarked: “Christ, it feels like the whole Netflix series is going to be dishonest.” However, another disagreed, saying: “In both statements, she’s dedicated to imperialism. The meaning of that is the same whether she’s also “in your service” or not.”
The edited version of the speech was included during a discussion in which it was claimed the Queen’s life mission was to “fight” for the Commonwealth, with the suggestion that the family of nations could be seen as “Empire 2.0”.
