Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are set to be the subjects of a new German documentary that promises to unveil "fresh secrets" about the couple's life in their exclusive Californian neighborhood, OK magazine reported on Wednesday. The documentary, produced by journalist and royal expert Ulrike Grunewald for Germany's ZDF network, will provide viewers with an inside look at the Sussexes' residence in Montecito and explore surprising royal connections.
Grunewald, who has previously worked on several royal documentaries for ZDF, including "The Windsors" in 2009 and "How German is the Queen?" in 2015, travelled to California with a team of five to investigate the affluent community where Harry and Meghan have settled with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The upcoming documentary is expected to feature interviews with a selection of experts and journalists, including former Fleet Street royal reporter Richard Mineards.
In his latest column for the Montecito Journal, Mineards revealed that he was "grilled" for two hours by Los Angeles-based producer Melanie Hillmann under the direction of Grunewald. "The interview is airing in due course as part of a prime-time documentary on ZDF Royal," Mineards wrote.
The announcement of this new documentary comes on the heels of Harry and Meghan's own explosive docuseries with Netflix, in which the couple opened up about life behind the Palace walls and made several bombshell claims about the Royal Family. In the series, Harry detailed the breakdown of his relationship with his brother, Prince William, and alleged that members of Kensington Palace had "lied to protect" the heir to the throne.
The Duke of Sussex also discussed the tense Megxit crisis meeting held with the late Queen Elizabeth II in January 2020 and further criticised his family in his debut memoir, "Spare." The couple's decision to step down as senior working royals and relocate to the United States has been a topic of great interest and speculation among royal watchers and the general public alike.
Grunewald's documentary is expected to delve into the Sussexes' Montecito neighbourhood, home to numerous celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Hollywood power couple Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. The Duke and Duchess purchased their $14.65 million (£11.8 million) mansion in 2020, which boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a tennis court, a tea house, and a two-bedroom guest house.
The journalist's previous work on royal documentaries, including "Man Fergie! - The Duchess and the Secret of the Windsors" in 2020 and "Princess Diana's Dangerous Legacy" in 2021, suggests that the upcoming documentary may also explore the historical and familial connections between the British Royal Family and German noble houses.
