Whether you love them or hate them, one thing is certain: we can’t stop talking about the royals.
The royals are a hotbed for scandals and intrigue, none more so than the love story, controversy, and polarizing notoriety surrounding Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
Lifetime is back with Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace, the sequel in what has become the Harry & Meghan trilogy following Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance and Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal.
We’ve witnessed the sordid ordeal of these royal renegades unfold before our eyes and make headlines over the years, including that infamous, scathing Oprah Winfrey interview and the royal couple’s retreat to the States.
The film, picking up a few years into their marriage, will explore the difficulties Harry and Meghan faced at the palace among the royals and balancing that with parenthood to baby Archie.
The film will cover the moments leading up to Harry and Meghan’s final decision to flee the palace and their royal life behind them as Meghan grew more isolated and depressed and the media were crueler and relentless.
The Firm, in all of its infamy, is explored as Harry feared that similar factors that contributed to his mother’s death would befall his wife and child.
And if it isn’t juicy enough, the film will also touch on the tense, fraught relationship dynamics between Harry and William, Meghan and Kate, and the brothers and their father, Prince Charles.
The trailer is all campy goodness, and it reads like a soap opera, so for fans of dishy soap goodness, with exaggerated and questionable performances and pure extraness, this will likely be unadulterated, fun viewing!
Manifest‘s Sydney Morton and The Punisher’s Jordan Dean star as the royal couple, Meghan and Harry.
The film also includes Jordan Whalen and Laura Mitchell, returning after Becoming Royal to play William and Kate.
Maggie Sullivan also returns from the previous two films to play Queen Elizabeth. Steve Coulter will star as Prince Charles, along with Deborah Ramsay as Camilla.
In a surprising move, the film will also have Bonnie Suter as Princess Diana, presumably in flashbacks.
The trailer is deliciously dramatic.
William and Kate come across as positively villainous, especially Kate, who states, “Let it be known who the real royals are.”
Hmm, is that shade, Ms. Middleton?
Harry expresses that there is tension between him and Meghan and the other royals. He implies that “they” (is it the press or his brother? We don’t know) are suggesting that he and Meghan aren’t part of the family.
Harry also seems stern and determined to protect his family, stating that he won’t be bullied into playing the same game that killed his mother.
Oof!
We also catch some glimpses of what one can only presume is The Firm, micromanaging Meghan and making her life a living hell while also failing to protect her from the onslaught of media attacks.
The queen has a limited appearance in the trailer, but she comes across as passive in the face of this drama and unaware of why Meghan can’t stop causing such a stir.
Despite Harry’s determination to protect his family, it seems Meghan is the driving force behind making moves, with her even telling Harry at one point that she has a plan in motion.
On the surface, one would be quick to assume that the film is geared toward Harry and Meghan’s perspective, portraying them as victims of an archaic monarchy who had no other choice but to flee and even bring down the system.
But given the campy nature of it all, it doesn’t seem to shy away from critiques about the couple’s sensationalism.
Check out the trailer below and give us your impression! Will you be watching?
Harry & Meghan: Escaping the palace premieres Labor Day, September 6, at 8/7c on Lifetime.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.