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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly found themselves in strained relations with Netflix following the success of their documentary series last year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a lucrative multi-million dollar deal with Netflix in 2020 to produce content for the streaming giant. However, little has materialized since their documentary debut in late 2021 according to royal insiders.
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In late 2021, Harry and Meghan travelled to Colombia for an international tour where they spoke on issues of online harms affecting children and opened up about their experiences with parenthood. This trip came on the heels of their highly watched Netflix documentary series which provided an inside look at their lives since stepping back from royal duties. The six part series was a ratings hit for Netflix and seemed to solidify Harry and Meghan's place as major content producers for the platform.
However, royal biographer Angela Levin has revealed that Netflix is growing impatient waiting for further content from the Sussexes. While Harry and Meghan have projects planned, including a lifestyle series focused on Meghan's cooking and a behind-the-scenes exploration of Harry's involvement in polo, Levin claims these likely won't materialize until at least February 2023. She explained to Darren Grimes on his podcast that "the documentary was six episodes full of grumbles and gruffs that did phenomenally well but nothing else has" materialized since.
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According to Levin, Netflix executives are "not really keen" on the ideas that have been proposed so far like Meghan's cooking or Harry playing polo. They feel these concepts lack originality and wouldn't captivate audiences in the same way as their documentary. With nothing new in the pipeline, Netflix is reportedly growing tired of waiting on the Sussexes to deliver. As Levin stated, "technically they have messed up completely because they haven't done it properly."
With their Netflix deal being a major source of funding as the couple aims for financial independence, failure to produce fresh content on schedule could prove problematic. Levin speculated that if Netflix were to end their agreement with Harry and Meghan, it may prompt Harry to seek financial assistance from his father, King Charles. The couple's multi-year deal with Spotify to produce podcasts has also failed to produce any substantial output to date.
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During their Colombia trip, Levin claimed there was a noticeable lack of audio recorded by the cameras filming Harry and Meghan's four day visit. This raised eyebrows, as Harry was reportedly asked about potentially apologizing for Britain's role in the slave trade during its time ruling over Spanish colonies in the region. However, without audio, what exactly was said remains unknown.
Levin suggested Meghan wanting to retain control over the message and prevent journalists from knowing exactly what Harry said could explain stopping the audio. Had Harry apologized for Britain's involvement in slavery, it would have put his father King Charles in an awkward situation according to Levin. As the monarch, apologizing for historical wrongs committed before Charles' time could set a precedent some feel the King would not want to establish.
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Additionally, Colombia was under Spanish rule for most of its history involving the slave trade, not British. And Britain had already apologized in decades past through Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. For Harry to wade into such complex historical issues unprompted could be seen as overstepping and misunderstanding nuanced contexts, in Levin's view. The lack of transparency and control exhibited in Colombia raises further questions about Netflix's confidence in the couple's stewardship of large content deals.
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In summary, while Harry and Meghan's Netflix deal promised great things, fulfillment has so far proven elusive according to sources. Delays in producing fresh content and perceived lack of original ideas has the company growing fed up with waiting. Failure to deliver as promised could jeopardize their lucrative contract and ambitions of financial freedom. Increased censorship of activities like in Colombia further damages trust at a time when the couple's business relationships face renewed scrutiny. Moving forward, Harry and Meghan will need to step up execution to avoid wasting the major opportunities presented through platforms like Netflix.
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