OUR LOVE, OUR TRUTH

Meghan and Harry's doccie is a showcase for their steamy romance and smouldering resentment

- NICI DE WET

IT WAS expected to be a devastating zinger of a show, with transatlantic TV bombs hurled in a fresh declaration of war on the royal family - and there certainly were eyebrow-raising moments in Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary.

But what stood out above all else wasn't revenge and betrayal of the royals - instead the overwhelming theme was one of love.

Finally, here were the Sussexes, telling their story in their own words, interspersed with many never-before-seen pictures documenting their early romance and their transition to family life.

And there's no denying it: they're clearly crazy about each other.

Prince Harry, long tortured by the trauma of his past, looks happier than he has in years warmer, more relaxed, smiling easily, laughing often, in his element as a husband and family man. Meghan is all sunshine smiles and loving looks, a wife is still smitten with her guy.

The documentary, released in two volumes of three one-hour episodes each, is Harry and Meghan doing what they've long wanted to do: tell their "truth".

Which they do, of course, unpacking many raw, complex and sensitive issu that are bound to have ramifications for the future. But it's the story of their relationship that's the main takeaway from all this.

Even viewers jaded from the ongoing narrative of the Sussexes being hellbent on destroying the royal family found themselves being swept up in the romance.

Netflix reportedly paid $100 million (R1,7 billion) for them to dig deep and tell their "truth" - but the streamer could've paid that money for a work of fiction and it wouldn't have had the same impact.

In fact, if they'd taken the bones of the Sussexes' tale and transferred it into a mini-series, it would've looked downright far-fetched.