Netflix: Harry and Meghan ‘rip off’ Laguna Beach’s opening title card

Harry and Meghan are accused of ripping off Laguna Beach’s iconic opening title card with their disclaimer about the Royal Family ‘declining to comment’ on their Netflix docuseries

Royal fans have cheekily accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of ‘copying’ the famous title card from early 2000s reality show Laguna Beach.

The Netflix documentary about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opens with a disclaimer, featuring white text on a black background, explaining the footage was filmed before the death of Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and that the Royal Family had declined to comment on the allegations made in the series.

Some viewers said the opener looked suspiciously similar to Laguna Beach’s iconic title card, which coincidentally also specified the time frame of production.

Royal fans have cheekily accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of ‘copying’ the famous title card from early 2000s reality show Laguna Beach 

The first episode of the Netflix docuseries begins with the text: ‘This is a first-hand account of Harry and Meghan’s story, told with never-before-seen personal archive.

‘All interviews were completed by August 2022.’

The screen then fades to black and another title card appears: ‘Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series.’

The Netflix documentary opens with a disclaimer, featuring white text on a black background, explaining the footage was filmed before the death of Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II

The Netflix documentary opens with a disclaimer, featuring white text on a black background, explaining the footage was filmed before the death of Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II

The screen then fades to black and another title card appears: 'Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series'

The screen then fades to black and another title card appears: ‘Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series’

The content and layout of these disclaimers reminded some royal watchers of Laguna Beach’s title card, which read: ‘The following program was shot over an eight-month period in the city of Laguna Beach, California.

‘The people, the locations and the drama… are real.’ 

Laguna Beach, which aired on MTV from 2004 until 2006, followed the lives of a group of high school students in Laguna Beach, California.

The content and layout of these disclaimers reminded some royal watchers of Laguna Beach's title card. Laguna Beach, which aired on MTV from 2004 until 2006, followed the lives of a group of high school students in Laguna Beach, California (cast pictured)

The content and layout of these disclaimers reminded some royal watchers of Laguna Beach’s title card. Laguna Beach, which aired on MTV from 2004 until 2006, followed the lives of a group of high school students in Laguna Beach, California (cast pictured)

Laguna Beach's title card coincidentally also specified the time frame of production, adding the disclaimer that 'the people, the locations and the drama... are real'

Laguna Beach’s title card coincidentally also specified the time frame of production, adding the disclaimer that ‘the people, the locations and the drama… are real’

The students featured on the show were Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari, Lo Bosworth, Trey Phillips, Talan Torriero, Morgan Olsen and Christina Schuller.

Stephen was memorably at the centre of a love triangle with Lauren and Kristin.

Laguna Beach was a cult hit and spawned a more successful spin-off, The Hills, which followed Lauren as she pursued a career in the fashion industry in LA.

The similarities between the title cards were noted by popular Instagram account @laguna_biotch, which is run by Kelli Williams, who also hosts the podcast Beyond the Blinds

The similarities between the title cards were noted by popular Instagram account @laguna_biotch, which is run by Kelli Williams, who also hosts the podcast Beyond the Blinds

The first three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries were released on Thursday, and the disclaimer about the Royal Family being approached for comment was swiftly denied by palace sources.

According to various reports, a ‘senior source’ in the royal household countered the written statement of ‘members of the royal family declined to comment on the content within this series’ which appeared at the start of episode one.

A Netflix source has disputed this, saying ‘communications offices for King Charles and the Prince of Wales were contacted in advance and given the right to reply to claims within the series’.

The first three episodes of Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries were released on Thursday, and the disclaimer about the Royal Family being approached for comment was swiftly denied by palace sources

The first three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries were released on Thursday, and the disclaimer about the Royal Family being approached for comment was swiftly denied by palace sources

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