The British royal family drama surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is just the latest scandal to rock Queen Elizabeth II’s family and reign. The ups and downs of the royal family are well-chronicled in the press but also make for popcorn-crunching viewing on screen.
The royal family movies and documentaries chronicle everything from the aftermath of Princess Diana’s tragic death to the romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton to the tortured love life of Princess Margaret. And you can get a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s fairy tale-gone-awry. Go along for the ride as they fall in love, get married at Windsor Castle and then face the good and bad of their royal duties. Their story is even more dramatic than the legal shenanigans on Markle's old show, Suits (which you can stream on Amazon Prime).
Here are the best Prince Harry and Meghan Markle movies and royal family dramas and documentaries streaming on Netflix, Amazon and elsewhere:
Harry and Meghan: An African Journey
Call it the documentary heard around the world — and the beginning of the Megxit revolution. When the doc first aired in October 2019, the biggest takeaway was that Meghan Markle struggled with the pressure of the royal family spotlight. “Thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m OK,” the teary-eyed duchess told the reporter who inquired about her mental health. In hindsight, Prince Harry drops several clues about his future plans. “My mum [Princess Diana] clearly taught me a certain set of values of which I will always try and uphold despite the role and the job that sometimes that entails, if you know what I mean," Harry said. "I will always protect my family and now I have a family to protect." Well, now we definitely know what Harry meant — quitting the royal family.
Stars: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance (2018)
Lifetime loves to rip from the headlines as much as the Law & Order franchise, so when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, the network jumped to make this fictionalized account of their courtship. The movie follows the couple from their meet-cute on a blind date to the paparazzi crush once they go public to their families’ reactions (Prince William and Kate Middleton are portrayed as stuffy and snobby). It’s super cheesy and riddled with cliches, yet still interesting to watch in the wake of Megxit.
Stars: Murray Fraser, Parisa Fitz-Henley
Watch Now (Lifetime)
Harry and Meghan: Becoming Royal (2019)
The follow-up to Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance inexplicably features new actors playing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their lack of chemistry is noticeable. Production value is also way down from the first movie. The sequel’s one redeeming quality is how much it leans into all the juicy gossip surrounding the royal wedding, including the drama with Meghan’s father, the relationship between Meghan and Kate Middleton and even Meghan’s rule-breaking fashion choices.
Stars: Charlie Field, Tiffany Smith
Watch Now (Lifetime)
The Crown (Netflix)
The award-winning royal family drama, one of the best shows on Netflix, chronicles the reign of the matriarch herself, Queen Elizabeth II. At the start of the series, she is a carefree young princess but soon learns that heavy is the head that wears the crown. The most powerful woman in the world still struggles with a rebellious younger sister, a husband chafing at restrictions, and, you know, acting as head of state of a rapidly changing country. And even in season 3, when a new cast takes over, the older and more experienced Elizabeth finds that royal family matters aren’t any easier — as we see with the brouhaha over Prince Charles and his paramour Camilla Shand.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Stars: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies
Creator: Peter Morgan
Watch Now (Netflix)
William & Kate: The Journey (2016)
Before Prince William and Prince Harry diverged on their different paths, Wills was just a prince charming who found his English rose in Kate Middleton. This four-part documentary chronicles their relationship and marriage, from college romance at the University of St. Andrews to the births of their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The centerpiece is their fairy tale wedding, which was watched by millions of people around the world.
Stars: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Watch Now (Tubi)
Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy (2017)
Prince William and Prince Harry commission this and another documentary to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death. The brothers talk about Diana in interviews, as do her friend Elton John and brother Charles Spencer. The doc includes previously unseen archival footage, photographs and home video, as well as an in-depth look at her work with AIDs, homelessness, landmines, and other causes. For everyone who teared up watching two young boys walking behind their mother's coffin, it's heartwarming to see how much they've matured. Too bad they are on "separate paths" now.
Watch Now (HBO Go)
The Queen (2006)
The aftermath of Princess Diana’s shocking death is depicted in this royal drama, featuring the always excellent Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. When she decides to treat her former daughter-in-law’s death as a private matter, rather than an official one, the public turns against the royal family. It’s up to Prime Minister Tony Blair to persuade the queen to relax her famous stiff upper lip and mourn Diana’s death openly with and for the masses.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell
Director: Stephen Frears
Watch Now (Hulu with Starz add-on)
Diana: In Her Own Words (2017)
In 1991, Diana, Princess of Wales, participated in a series of interviews recorded with her permission for Andrew Morton’s forthcoming book. Those tapes center this NatGeo documentary, as Diana reflects on her very complicated life, her tense marriage with Prince Charles, battling depression and her feelings about the “other woman” (Camilla Parker-Bowles). It’s a raw first-person account that shows just how vulnerable the most famous woman in the world really was.
Watch Now (Netflix)
Diana (2013)
Is this biopic starring Naomi Watts as the magnetic Princess Diana any good? Ah, no. As one reviewer put it, "This is a script they might have found in the boot of the car." But Diana fans will still enjoy seeing her shine in the last two years of her life. Divorced and free from the constraints of the royal family, she embarks on a new life of charitable endeavors, fashion and romance with Dr. Hasnat Khan. The movie at least keeps things classy by not showing a reenactment of the deadly car crash.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 8%
Stars: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Watch Now (Tubi)
Margaret: The Rebel Princess (2019)
A generation before Prince Harry agitated to redefine his role within the royal family, another second-born child chafed against tradition-bound institution of the monarchy. The two-part documentary series explores the Princess Margaret’s roller coaster life against the backdrop of the cultural and sexual revolution of the 1960s.
Watch Now (Amazon with PBS Masterpiece add-on)
Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute (2016)
The queen has been through a lot; the Harry and Meghan controversy is just the tip of the royal family drama iceberg. Yet, she’s also a woman, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a cousin and a friend. This documentary provides unprecedented access to royal family members — including Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Princess Anne — as they reflect on the matriarch’s long and eventful life. Particularly arresting is the home footage of Windsor children of different generations looking so happy and carefree. Oh, for the innocence of youth (even royal youth).
Stars: The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, the Princess Royal
Watch Now (Netflix)
The Royal House of Windsor (2017)
To truly get a sense of the current royal family’s history of scandal, go back in time to how it all started — with George V, who changed his house’s name to Windsor. The six-part documentary digs up all the dirt on Edward VIII’s abdication, Prince Philip’s controversial attempts to modernize the monarchy, Diana’s death and Prince Charles’ future reign. And it addresses the big question facing all the royals: How long will the monarchy last?
Watch Now (Netflix)
