Paparazzi Photo In Prince Harry, Meghan Doc Trailer Allegedly From 2011 'Harry Potter' Premiere

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming Netflix docuseries has been accused of using in its trailer an image from an event that took place years before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met to show the couple being hounded by paparazzi.

In the teaser for "Harry & Meghan" released on Dec. 1, an image of dozens of photographers pointing their lenses at an unseen subject is shown, before Prince Harry says, "I had to do everything I could to protect my family."

While it seemed like the picture was taken from moments in the couple's marital life, The Sun alleged that the photo was actually captured at the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in Trafalgar Square, London, on July 7, 2011, years before Prince Harry and Markle met.

BuzzFeed News also reported that the shot of paparazzi was taken at the "Harry Potter" premiere in 2011. International Business Times could not independently verify the claims.

The picture depicts The Sun photographer, Doug Seeburg, at the premiere, according to the outlet. Seeburg said no member of the royal family was present at the event.

"I remember going to the premiere," he told The Sun. "It was a huge event. Crowds and crowds of fans had turned out in the rain and camped overnight to see the actors. There were no members of the royal family there."

"In the Netflix trailer it's implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple – but that's nonsense," he continued. "For a picture from that premiere to turn up in this trailer about Harry and Meghan seems like lazy picture research."

The photo is featured on the stock image website Alamy, which states that it was taken in July 2011.

Netflix did not comment on the picture's use in the trailer, according to the outlet.

Markle and Prince Harry didn't meet until 2016, and neither attended the premiere, the New York Post reported.

Newsweek noted that the use of stock images to provide context or background is "not unusual" in documentaries.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, reacted to the use of the photo in the trailer. She said she believes that it is unlikely that Prince Harry had known when the picture was taken but that its appearance in the docuseries teaser "weakens his point."

"I don't imagine Harry would have realized, but Netflix [has] been careless here as it weakens Harry's comment about protecting his family. This fake picture weakens his point," Seward told The Sun.

Royal author and correspondent Robert Jobson also claimed that one of the photographs used in the latest teaser for the docuseries to represent intrusive press photographers was actually from a pre-arranged and authorized photo call.

The photo in question featured a photographer taking a snap of Prince Harry, Markle and their young son Archie from a balcony at Archbishop Desmond Tutu's home in South Africa, which the Sussexes visited during an official tour in 2019.

Jobson, who is a royal editor for the London Evening Standard and several other outlets, said that the photographer taking the Sussexes' picture was part of an accredited press pack at the archbishop's residence.

"This photograph used by Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from an accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu's residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. [Harry and Meghan] agreed the position. I was there," Jobson tweeted Monday alongside the picture.