South Park has made headlines for the controversial portrayal of Harry and Meghan.
In a recent episode of the adult animated series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the royal couple is satirized with a series of gags referencing events of recent years.
Viewers have labeled the episode as “cheeky,” and it was reported on Tuesday (Feb. 21) that Markle herself was “upset” by the content.
A representative for the couple denied reports they were considering a lawsuit, calling the speculation “nonsense”.
Still, the episode is true South Park form does not hold back. Here are the references you may have missed.
The social media candle is making waves
The writers drew on Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral for a small joke addressed at the beginning of the episode.
The characters based on Harry and Meghan attend the Canadian Queen’s funeral and when they arrive, they walk past a candle identical to the one that became the source of social media discussion back in September.
Following the televised broadcast of the Queen’s funeral, unverified claims suggested that the Royal Family deliberately put Markle behind a candle; many viewers said all they could see of Markle during the broadcast was her black hat.
If anything, the look of the candle South Park was designed to make waves on social media, unlike Markle.
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“South Park” referred to the furore of candles after Queen’s funeral
(Paramount Plus)
Harry’s Memoirs
Perhaps an obvious one: the book Harry promotes in the episode is titled WAAAGHwhich is a nod to his memoir Reservewhich appeared in January.
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In the book, which The independent said “set the royal family on fire,” Harry spoke of his hatred of the press, strained relationship with his brother William, and struggles with loneliness, trauma and PTSD.
At one point in the episode, South Park character Kyle tells his friends, “They’ve got a huge jet parked in front of my house and they keep wanting me to buy their book.”
MichelleObama
In the episode, the characters based on Harry and Meghan meet a brand manager, who labels Meghan a “sorority girl, actress, influencer, and victim”. Meanwhile, Harry has been described as “royal prince, millionaire, victim of world traveler”.
Meghan’s profile is also shown, and eagle-eyed viewers have noticed the phrases “Lawyer Pretending” and “First Lady Botherer” in her list of hobbies. The first is a nod to Meghan’s role in legal drama To takewhile the latter refers to quotes from royal expert Tom Bower in Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.
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‘South Park’ refers to claims about Meghan’s relationship with Michelle Obama
(Paramount Plus)
Bower claims Obama was “alarmed” after a series of meetings with Markle, who was reportedly unsure of how to find her place within the royal family. He claimed that Obama told Markle, “Take your time and don’t be in a rush to do anything.”
TV interviews
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‘South Park’ poked fun at Harry and Meghan’s TV appearances
(Paramount Plus)
Harry and Meghan’s various TV appearances, including a sitdown with Oprah Winfrey and an appearance on ITV News, were broadcast in the episode. The signs based on the couple appear on Good morning Canada to insist they want privacy — however, the host points out that Meghan is holding a sign that reads, “Don’t look at us.” Harry’s sign reads, “We don’t want privacy.”
When the host asks the prince if he “hates journalists,” he replies, “That’s right. We just want to be normal people — all that attention is so hard.”
They eventually walk off the show.
Their move to California
In the episode, the royal couple give up their duties to move to South Park, with the character based on Meghan exclaiming, “If we moved here, people would think we really want to be serious about being normal.”
This is a direct reference to the couple’s move to California after announcing they would be stepping down as senior royals in 2020.
Their move to South Park angers the main characters, with Kyle recounting accusing the Prince’s wife of “bossing” him, adding, “I’m tired of hearing about them! I can’t leave them! They are in my fucking face!
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Characters based on Harry and Meghan move to South Park
(Paramount Plus)
Harry’s frozen penis
After moving to South Park, the Harry and Meghan characters are furious after realizing photos of their new home have been leaked to the media.
When Kyle clashes with the couple, his new neighbours, the Meghan character accused him of “victimizing” her, with Harry stepping in to defend his wife by saying, “This is a disgrace – we’ll just see how he treats my blue penis.”
This is a reference to Harry’s revelation in his memoir that he suffered from a frozen penis during his brother William’s wedding to Kate Middleton, following a 200-mile expedition to the North Pole in March 2011.
from Megan GK magazine cover
In a small moment in the episode, several magazine covers appear on screen, many of which feature Meghan’s interviews with Fashion And The cut.
However, it is she GK one, published in 2018, that raises eyebrows. The actual cover of the magazine read “Meghan’s annus mirabilis”, which, translated from Latin, means “Meghan’s wonderful year”.
The Latin wording itself was a nod to a speech by the Queen in 1992 called her “annus horribilis”. The speech, which was featured in the most recent season of The crowncame after a particularly bad year for the monarchy.
Parker and Stone saw an opportunity and instead of “annus mirabilis” used the phrase “Princess Anus” on the fictional version of the magazine’s cover.
South Park is available to stream in the UK on Paramount Plus.