‘Cheesy and overeager’: Meghan’s voiceover debut is panned by critics

Meghan may now be free to earn income as she pleases, as she and Prince Harry are no longer senior members of the royal family, however her return to the small screen has been met with mixed reviews from critics.

The Duchess of Sussex’s first gig post-royalty is narrating Disney+ film Elephant, which follows a herd of African elephants as they set out on an eight-month trek across the Kalahari Desert. The movie, aimed primarily at families, will be available to stream on Disney+ from Friday, April 3.

However, while Meghan was known and loved for her role as super-smart paralegal Rachel Zane on legal drama Suits long before she met Prince Harry, her latest acting venture has received some harsh feedback from top film critics.

Ed Potton from UK broadsheet The Times accused Meghan of “laying it on thick” throughout the documentary. He wrote: “On the evidence of this feature documentary Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is swapping pomp and circumstance for schmaltz and cheesiness …  To anyone raised on [David] Attenborough’s urbane authority, though, it all feels a little bit shallow.”

Empire magazine‘s Ian Freer wrote: “For her part, Markle’s delivery of the commentary is wholesome and over-eager to please (“It’s time for a pool party!” “Wait a minute! Who’s this guy?” “Oh, look who’s cut in front of the line? Oh, Jomo!”) but just about stays the right side of annoying.”

While Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described the movie’s theme as “repetitive and rather dry”, however he also credited Meghan with delivering “an inviting version of the wholesome but amused Disney narrator singsong”.

It wasn’t all bad though as Telegraph critic Robbie Collin – who gave the movie a three star rating – described the duchess as a “fine fit” as narrator, and assured families who are currently home schooling their children due to the coronavirus outbreak that the film will perfectly fill an afternoon.

The reviews come on the first day that Harry and Meghan are free of the restraints associated with being senior members of the British royal family, as the terms of their agreement to leave the ranks came into effect on April 1.

Yesterday – March 31, 2020 – marked the couple’s last day as key representatives of Her Majesty the Queen, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked the occasion with a poignant message to their supporters on social media.

“As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile. Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise,” the couple wrote on Instagram.

“What’s most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic. As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute.”

The Sussexes, who signed off the personal message as simply ‘Harry and Meghan’, said their work will continue, despite the recent coronavirus crisis.

Harry and Meghan finished the message by saying: “Thank you to this community – for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great!” they added. “Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another.”