Meghan Markle Faces Fresh Backlash as Jeremy Kyle Revisits Controversial Netflix Curtsy Scene

Meghan Markle has come under renewed fire after TalkTV presenter Jeremy Kyle singled out her reenactment of a curtsy to the late Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, describing it as one of the most disrespectful moments in the couple’s public account of their royal experience.

Kyle made the remarks during a discussion with Dickie Arbiter, Queen Elizabeth II’s former press spokesman, as attention returned to the long-running tensions between Prince Harry and Meghan and the wider Royal Family.

The exchange also revived questions about the couple’s relationship with Prince William and Princess Catherine, following conflicting reports about whether Harry and Meghan were considering an apology for comments made during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Jeremy Kyle singles out Meghan’s curtsy reenactment

The discussion came amid a report suggesting that Harry and Meghan had begun to reconsider some of the remarks they made publicly about the Royal Family.

According to a source quoted by the Daily Express, Harry had been angry with his relatives at the time and supported Meghan, but the couple had since recognised that certain comments may have gone too far and amounted to a “low blow”.

However, the reported plans for an apology were subsequently disputed. On October 7, PEOPLE reported that a source close to Harry and Meghan denied that the couple intended to apologise, describing the Express report as inaccurate.

Although accounts of a possible apology remain conflicting, the renewed discussion brought an earlier moment from the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary back into the spotlight.

Kyle was particularly critical of Meghan’s decision to recreate her first curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II in a humorous fashion.

“Do you know what I thought was her most disgusting and lowest blow?” he asked, before turning his attention to the scene involving the late monarch.

The presenter suggested that the moment stood out from the couple’s other controversial revelations, prompting further discussion about whether Meghan’s portrayal had crossed a line.

Why the Netflix scene attracted criticism

In Harry & Meghan, released in December 2022, Meghan recalled learning that she would need to curtsy when meeting the Queen for the first time.

She explained that she had been sitting in a car with Harry when he asked whether she knew how to curtsy. Meghan initially assumed he was joking, as the formality of royal protocol was unfamiliar to her.

She later demonstrated the gesture she remembered performing when she met Elizabeth II, lowering herself into an exaggerated curtsy while extending her arms.

Laughing as she reenacted the encounter, Meghan said, “Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

She also questioned whether she had carried out the gesture correctly and described the experience as intense.

The scene attracted considerable attention when the documentary premiered, with viewers examining both Meghan’s portrayal of the encounter and Harry’s reaction as he sat beside her.

For Kyle, the humorous reenactment was particularly objectionable because it involved the late Queen, whom Meghan had met as a member of the Royal Family.

He argued that the monarch deserved greater respect and described the scene as Meghan’s “most disgusting and lowest blow”.

His criticism took on added significance given that Elizabeth II died in September 2022, just months before the documentary was released.

Dickie Arbiter delivers his own blunt assessment

Dickie Arbiter, who served as the late Queen’s press spokesman, also expressed strong disapproval of Meghan’s portrayal.

He described the scene as “revolting”, making clear that he found the reenactment deeply uncomfortable to watch.

Arbiter also focused on Harry’s apparent reaction during the sequence, suggesting that the Duke of Sussex looked uncomfortable as he watched his wife recreate the encounter.

He questioned whether Harry had challenged Meghan over the scene, expressing doubt that he had confronted her either while filming was taking place or afterwards.

His observations added another dimension to the debate, shifting attention from Meghan’s actions to Harry’s apparent response and the possibility of disagreement behind the scenes.

The exchange reflected a wider controversy surrounding the Netflix series, in which the couple discussed personal experiences and their difficult relationship with the Royal Family.

While Meghan presented the curtsy as an amusing illustration of her unfamiliarity with royal customs, Kyle and Arbiter interpreted the same scene as an inappropriate way to portray the late monarch.

The wider controversy surrounding the Oprah interview

Kyle’s criticism also came against the backdrop of the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, which remains one of the most contentious episodes in the couple’s relationship with the Royal Family.

During the interview, Meghan revealed that there had been “concerns and conversations” about how dark Archie’s skin might be before he was born. She declined to identify the person involved, explaining that doing so would be damaging.

Harry also chose not to disclose the individual’s identity.

Following the broadcast, Oprah clarified that Harry had specifically told her that neither Queen Elizabeth II nor Prince Philip had been involved in those conversations.

The revelation became one of the interview’s most widely discussed claims and intensified scrutiny of the relationship between the Sussexes and other members of the Royal Family.

Since then, questions about whether Harry and Meghan regret making certain matters public have continued to resurface, particularly amid reports about their strained relationship with William and Catherine.

However, the latest claims about a possible apology remain disputed, with sources offering conflicting accounts of the couple’s intentions.

A moment that continues to divide opinion

The curtsy reenactment remains a divisive part of Harry & Meghan because viewers have interpreted the scene in sharply different ways.

Meghan appeared to use the anecdote to illustrate how unfamiliar and overwhelming royal protocol had initially seemed to her. Critics, including Kyle and Arbiter, instead viewed her exaggerated portrayal as disrespectful towards Elizabeth II.

Their disagreement centres on how the scene should be understood: as a light-hearted recollection of an unfamiliar experience or as an inappropriate way to portray a monarch who had welcomed Meghan into the Royal Family.

With questions about the Sussexes’ relationship with William and Catherine continuing to attract attention, the renewed criticism has once again brought the documentary’s most controversial moments into focus.

And while reports of a potential apology remain unconfirmed, the debate over Meghan’s portrayal of the late Queen shows little sign of disappearing.