Harry and Meghan respond to 'untrue narrative' regarding privacy amid docuseries release

One thing does not mean the other, so say, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

In response to critics of their newly released Netflix docuseries, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asserted that their decision to step back from their royal duties two years ago never meant they were stepping out of the limelight.

On Dec. 8, Netflix released the first part of their latest docuseries, “Harry & Meghan.”

The project takes audiences on a tour of the couple’s early courtship, the experiences that led to their decision to step back from their duties as senior members of the British royal family, and their life in the aftermath of that decision.

The day after the “Harry & Meghan” premiere, on Dec.9, Deadline reported it had become Netflix’s “biggest show of the year in the UK.”

Still, online and in British media, questions about the couple’s choice to make a documentary continue to arise.

Piers Morgan, British broadcaster and longtime Meghan Markle critic, for example, was quick to hash out his distaste for the series with multiple posts on Twitter soon after it became available for streaming. Meanwhile, others noted that the decision to put more intimate details of their lives on display for the world to watch seems incongruent with their announcement two years ago to distance themselves from the British royal family.

Still, in a statement issued to TODAY.com, a global press secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex clarified their decision to give up their royal duties and how it related to their private life meant.

“Their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties,” the press secretary said. “Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series. They are choosing to share their story on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.”

“Harry & Meghan” runs a statement at the top of each episode that claims it had sought comment from the royals with a statement that says, “Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series.”

However, a senior royal source confirmed to NBC News that Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace were approached for comment by a third party production company and apparently couldn’t verify the authenticity of the request for comment.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the series to NBC News.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com