The Heartlessness Around Heart of Invictus Reviews
A Gut-wrenching Documentary Can't Deter the Media From Ragging on Prince Harry
I found myself breathless as I watched the last 15 or so minutes of episode 3 of Heart of Invictus. Without spoiling it, we are thrown a curveball—a new storyline—on top of the already moving stories we are following already. I had tears streaming down my face and promptly made myself a bowl of Cookies n’ Cream ice cream at 10:30am because damnit I needed it. Basically a sweet tooth’s equivalent to a whisky and a cigarette.
That coupled with the phenomenal job Oscar winning director Orlando von Einsiedel does with Heart of Invictus makes the reviews—largely driven by hate for the Executive Producer who is involved in court cases with many of their employers over their behavior—all the more frustrating. And saddening. Not even injured UK veterans were enough to break the singleminded obsession some in the British media have with Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams gave the game away in Newsweek, co-signing the idea that the documentary was a “flop”, when he noted the absence of, “direct attacks on the royal family”, which drives headlines and lead to more viewers. It also provides the British Media with plenty of content to spin and spin they did.
The attacks rolled in from the British media. Prince Harry is in a fraction of the 5 part limited series, but you wouldn’t know that by the number of articles placing Harry in the foreground, while the subjects of the documentary are entirely out of focus. Heart of Invictus provides a backdrop in which the British media can cash in on negative articles about Prince Harry and fuel the vitriol he purposefully left behind when he exited the relationship between the British Royal Family and the British media.
Here’s a sampling of articles from the British media about Heart of Invictus. Clearly there are mixed opinions from Fitzwilliam’s compatriots over if he attacked the British Royal Family:
British Media Responds to Heart of Invictus
They only needed one flash of that red hair to run with stories such as this sniveling screed from the Daily Mail: “Prince Harry's decision to talk about himself - again - instead of brave wounded servicemen has left me with a bitter taste”. How dare the founder of the charity show up in the [checks notes] documentary on said charity and how dare he act like he can relate to the invisible and visible injuries sustained by vets when he [checks notes again] served for 10 years and suffers from PTSD. The. cheek.
Jan Moir books herself a Christmas visit from the 3 ghosts like she’s Ebenezer Scrooge with bangs writing that it, “takes a special kind of able-bodied person to bear witness to the limbless and the wounded, the 'double amps', the blind and the horribly maimed, and then talk about losing his mother at the age of 12.”
If Jan is referring to his conversation with Darrell…Darrell is an able-bodied person with PTSD…just like Prince Harry.
Jan also writes:
Can I just press pause to say that no one is oblivious to the obvious? Millions are inspired by the power of the human spirit every day of the week. Indeed, few fail to be moved by its limitless capacity for resilience and beauty, for the endless bounty it gives to humanity.
And yet here you are Jan. Unmoved by an incredible documentary about that limitless capacity for resilience and beauty despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Understandably it’s hard to see the beauty of the human spirit when yours is locked in seven horcruxes across Britain.
Is There a Line Between Opinions and Mistruths?
Heart of Invictus does not need to be universally loved. Art is subjective, but where is the line between opinions and misleading articles? The British media appear unable to accurately recount Heart of Invictus through the haze of Harry hatred that sends them running for their poison pens. For instance, The Telegraph bizarrely wrote,
“It’s not all about Invictus, though, is it? How can it be? While the struggles of the ex-military personnel profiled in the first installment are hugely emotive, they ultimately and unfortunately function as filler between the Harry stuff – and it looks like everyone involved knows it.”
You cannot be a serious person and write this.
Is it a lack of critical thinking or a conscious betrayal of it that led to some truly unhinged reviews of Heart of Invictus? If Prince Harry actually made the documentary about himself—again impressive given the little time he spends in it—why not spend the review focused on telling the stories of the six featured vets? In focusing on Prince Harry, the British media is doing the exact thing they accuse him of doing.
Harry and Diana
It’s impossible not to think about Princess Diana while watching Heart of Invictus. Not just the way her son is preserving her legacy with his dedication to helping others, but also the media coverage of her charitable endeavors when she was alive. I wrote about her anti-landmine campaign in a post here and how the media covered it. It feels all the more relevant given the timing of the documentary drop (the day before Diana’s death). Yearly, the British media effusively praises Princess Diana on August 31st (the anniversary of her death) on a litany of things, such as, her charitable efforts, completely ignoring how she was covered at the time. The disconnect between praising Diana while bashing her son for his charitable endeavors is a good reminder of the similar coverage Diana received when she was alive and the unfortunate cycle that continues today.
Like Harry, Diana was involved in a documentary from the BBC called Heart of the Matter (great Don Henley song) to bring attention to her anti-landmine work with The Red Cross. One writer bluntly put it that they wouldn’t have watched the documentary if not for her presence.
It’s the same with Prince Harry. It’s one of the reasons the British Royal Family have patronages and show up at ribbon cuttings and listening sessions at charity’s; it brings public attention. My hope for Heart of Invictus is that if people come for Prince Harry, they stay for the incredible stories woven throughout this 5 part limited series.
The articles on the documentary would reasonably lead one to assume that the documentary must end with Prince Harry hogging airtime and pontificating about his unique struggles. It doesn’t. It concludes fittingly with Yuliia/Taira from Ukraine who says:
How do I take away something positive from this hell? Everyone who got through captivity, who have injuries, they also have a chance to get strength from this experience instead of weakness. That is Invictus.
The “why” of the Heart of Invictus is literally spelled out at the end of the documentary, and yet most of the British Media completely missed it.
-Meredith
Source Notes:
Heart of Invictus on Netflix
Congratulations on the book deal. Sad to see you leave Lady Audaci-Tea, but understand your reasons. Great article, when will we know how Heart of Invictus did?
Thank you Meredith you do such an excellent job & I to cried clapped & cherries yelled with joy & anticipation while watching the games thank you Netflix & H&M I look forward to next year's games & it's such a shame how the British press choices to print negative press regarding Harry & the games but they've got a continuing watcher in me with the games they where absolutely beautiful to watch!