‘South Park’ Uses Meghan Markle’s Own Words Against Her in ‘Worldwide Privacy Tour’ Spoof
One week after South Park skewered Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in an episode titled “The Worldwide Privacy Tour,” fallout from the series continues. The installment took pointed shots at the couple over their requests for privacy while being ever-present in the media. However, did the series’ creators use Meghan Markle’s words against her as the basis for the episode?
Details regarding ‘South Park’s’ brutal roast of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not directly named in the episode, it featured characters described as Canadian royalty. The seemingly unhappy pair were dubbed “the prince of Canada and his wife.”
The parody mocked the royals in several different ways. Harry was illustrated wearing the light grey suit the Duke of Sussex donned while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Meghan, “his wife,” sported a pink dress and hat similar to the Duchess of Sussex’s outfit for Trooping the Color in 2018.
The Feb. 15 episode centered on the characters settling in a fictional Colorado town after embarking on a “worldwide privacy tour.” At one point, the characters hold signs that read, “We want our privacy” and “stop looking at us.”
However, did Meghan Markle unknowingly hand South Park‘s creators the ammunition they needed to create the hot-button episode? Here are the details.
Meghan Markle addressed ‘privacy’ issues in a landmark Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry
Seated alongside Prince Harry and pregnant with their second child, Meghan Markle addressed lingering privacy issues in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The couple famously spoke out against the royal family in the landmark CBS News special in March 2021.
Meghan and Harry’s interview addressed why they decided to step down as senior royal family members. The couple moved to Canada in late 2020, settling in California before the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown in early 2021.
Meghan discussed the invasions of privacy she and Harry experienced before leaving England for good to Winfrey. The reporter questioned whether Meghan and Harry should expect to lose privacy due to their royal status. Meghan said, “I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic. We’re not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn’t expect.”
“If you’re at work and you have a photograph of your child on your desk. And your co-worker says, ‘Oh, my gosh, your kid’s so cute. That’s fantastic! Can I see your phone so I can see all the pictures of your child?'” Meghan stated. “You go, ‘No. This is the picture I’m comfortable sharing with you.'”
She further described how the couple shouldn’t have to share everything about their lives because that was a total loss of privacy. However, it was the dichotomy of having a constant media presence and needing privacy that South Park‘s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, ran with. However, will Meghan and Harry take legal action against how they were portrayed?
Will the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sue ‘South Park’ creators?
Watch the all-new "Worldwide Privacy Tour" full episode for free now: https://t.co/tkYfVgJ0GD pic.twitter.com/lZ9ILs6dVN
— South Park (@SouthPark) February 17, 2023
According to their spokesperson, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle will not take legal action against the series per People Magazine. “It’s all frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports,” the couple’s spokesperson said.
This statement came after reports Meghan was reportedly “upset and overwhelmed” by the episode. It was reported she was “annoyed by South Park but refused to watch it all,” a source told The Spectator.
This is not the first time South Park has lampooned the royal family. The series previously took shots at the House of Windsor in an episode titled “Royal Pudding.” In that episode, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding was skewered.
In “Royal Pudding,” the “Princess of Canada” [Kate Middleton] was “pure of heart, strong in body, hot in the face.” The character was abducted by an energy cube that crashed the wedding. The roof of the church collapsed, killing several spectators before Middleton was beamed off through a hole in the ceiling.
