Premiering Labor Day at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST
Standing in Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, filled with family, friends, and megastars, Prince Harry [Duke of Sussex] and actress, Meghan Markle wed [May 19, 2018] in radiant fashion, where philosophies of hope, change, new ideals, were taking shape before our eyes on national television.
Remembering like it was yesterday:
Visionaries and dreamers sat glued to their seats [myself included], watching in remote anticipation at the wedding of the century. I believe we can call it that, the largest nuptial in history, airing locally and syndicated.
We’ve seen other royal weddings televised before, but none like this, that reveled around little Black girls and women across the globe, gesturing to them with warmth and assurance that fairytales do come true, that they could get the beau of their wildest fantasies if they continued to believe in love.
Meghan Markle gave us common gals a glimmer of optimism that given opportunity, we could find our night and shining armor. We could sit in high places, become respected and welcomed into royalty with open arms moving beyond Facebook post and sub-tweets of things hoped for like vivid dreams. If this fantasy life could happen to Meghan, it could surely happen for us. We could circumvent racism, shrewdness and dogged rules that governed the very fabric of our souls as black women till this day. If only that were true...
Michelle Obama gave us inspiration. Her principled stance motivated women in general that they were a voice, they had authority and power to change the practices of nations if they were focused and set the bar high enough; but even Michelle Obama experienced bias, which is one of the reasons she initiated the phrase, “When they go low, we go high.”
When we, and I speak for all Black women when I say we, congratulated Meghan for doing the unthinkable, in stealing the heart of Prince Harry, and marrying him… We were proud. We are still proud, but our gaudy celebrations turned to shock and bewilderment as we watched from the sidelines at the wedding of the century turn to darkness.
Things began to crumble for Harry and Meghan, even after the birth of their son, Archie. The reality of an inflexible culture surrounding Queen Elizabeth, her cruelty and decree, surfaced publicly, making it difficult for Meghan to be anything more than a puppet on demand for the royal family, which drove her to the brink of madness.
Lifetime is airing part of their tumultuous story 9/6/2021 at 8:00pm EST.
The movie is their truth subdued in darkness like a sunken ship, a stale marriage, to not just one man, the immobilizing effect that an entire family, media, and country, had on one woman. They hated Meghan for who she was, and who she is not.
Prince Harry could’ve allowed their actions to dictate another life, much like the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, or he could do something about it, that would alter history and idealism for the better.
Instead of allowing history to repeat itself, in a bold move that no one saw coming, Harry Duke of Sussex, declared independence, and moved Meghan and their son to California.
In a recent interview with actors Sydney Morton [Meghan Markle] and Jordan Dean [Prince Harry], Dean said the role empowered him.
“Him having the bravery to do what he did and living the life that he’s had… he’s a soldier too, and not just a prince as a title. He’s seen war and he’s gone through tragedy in his life.
There’s an enormous amount of pressure and tension that, a lot of it unwanted, and having the bravery to make that decision, knowing it’s only going to garner more attention, even more scrutiny and more opinions,[ I think] takes guts, [I think] takes love for his family and an enormous amount of bravery and truth to make that decision; So, for me, I love playing a version of that, and trying to find times where I have those same guts.
I think honestly, this is not the same level by any means. It’s exposing being an actor and it’s a brave and honorable profession where you’re putting yourself out there and the work is you. Again, it’s not the same and I’m not comparing it to what Harry had gone through by any means. I think, trying to find bravery in your day-to-day life, whether that’s on set or working on a challenging scene, or just at home, I think it’s inspiring to know that you can live your truth.”
Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace explores what really happened inside the palace that drove Harry (Dean) and Meghan (Morton) to leave everything behind in order to make a future for themselves and their son Archie. The movie will detail Meghan's growing isolation and sadness, their disappointment that "The Firm" was not defending them against the press's attacks and Harry’s fear that history would repeat itself and he would not be able to protect his wife and son from the same forces that may have contributed to his mother’s untimely death. Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace will examine the dynamics between Will (Whalen) and Harry, Kate (Mitchell) and Meghan, and Harry with Will and Charles (Coulter), that lead to the ultimate break from the royal ties.
Sydney Morton is known for her roles in “She's Gotta Have It,” “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker,” and “Manifest.” She currently stars as Meghan Markle.
Jordan Dean has appeared in Marvel’s The Punisher, Z: The Beginning of Everything, High Maintenance, The Sinner, Bull, Royal Pains and more. He currently stars as Prince Harry.