The Duke and Duchess of Sussex executive produced the Netflix docuseries Polo, which began streaming last week. Netflix did not spend any time or money on promotion for Polo. Neither did Harry and Meghan’s production company Archewell. Harry and Meghan also gave zero interviews or public statements in support of Polo, almost like they were making a point of not promoting it at all. Compare that with Meghan offering statements to the New York Times and InStyle on behalf of her investments in Cesta Collective and Highbrow Hippie, their silence and lack of promotion continues to make zero sense to me, but I understand I’m alone here. Obviously, I’m not playing 3D chess like Harry and Meghan, who are being targeted yet again in another exhaustive Mail exclusive. Nature abhors a vacuum, and the Mail’s Alison Boshoff wrote an exclusive which could easily become the sole narrative about the Sussexes’ business with Netflix. Some highlights:
The critical response to Polo was awful: Little wonder that the streaming giant now appears to be distancing itself from the show. Indeed, there has been no serious attempt by Netflix to promote the series – something surely almost unheard of for a five-episode programme. The company invested in no poster campaigns for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s latest project and its sole promotional attempt consists of a two-line statement from Harry on the streamer’s website.
The Sussexes were heavily involved with the making of ‘Polo’: Executive produced by both Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43 – they also make a brief appearance onscreen in the documentary – the series reflects the prince’s enthusiasm for this elite sport. And, indeed, behind the scenes, both he and Meghan were very hands-on when it came to the filming and editing of the show. The pair, I am told, spent many, many hours poring over footage, offering advice on what should make the cut.
The Waleses are projecting a more marketable image: It would seem that another reinvention for Harry and Meghan has not had the desired impact. What a contrast to William and Kate who, despite their most challenging year yet, have been projecting an entirely more marketable image. Indeed, the Princess of Wales was this week nominated for the prestigious Time Magazine person of the year title, while William has received many plaudits for his well-judged handling of President-elect Donald Trump when both recently attended the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Christmas plans: William also spoke warmly this week of spending Christmas Day with 45 members of his family. Unsurprisingly, the question of whether Harry and Meghan will be welcome among the royal throng pulling crackers at Sandringham is something of a moot one. While nobody is commenting officially – on either side of the Atlantic – the answer to that question is clearly ‘No’. A royal source says: ‘The unspoken understanding is that an invitation is not on the cards.’
Meghan’s 2025 launches: Next year, then, looks to be an uncertain year for the Sussexes, particularly for Meghan, who faces her greatest solo challenge of all – the launch of her Netflix cookery show and of her much-discussed lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Indeed, after the apparent failure of Polo, so much hangs on her cookery show that some are calling it the ‘last chance’ for her to ‘save’ the couple’s lucrative Netflix deal – which is, after all, their chief source of funding.
Make or break: One Californian source tells me: ‘It’s make or break. People say Netflix are exhausted. It’s so much work with her and, bluntly, the “deliverable” does not seem to be worth it.’ Another entertainment executive remarks: ‘Her show will have to be an enormous hit to turn around their deal and their reputations in this town.’ Well-placed sources indicate the launch of the show and the brand will happen in the first quarter of the year and, judging by the fact that it’s not part of any Netflix schedules in January, we must expect late February – after Harry’s Invictus Games in Whistler, Canada – or even March for the launch.
Secrecy around Meghan’s cooking show: A Netflix source says details of Meghan’s project are being shared with only a ‘tiny’ audience of executives in the US. ‘It’s a very tight circle,’ I am told. ‘Everything to do with her is kept completely secret.’
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos wants Meghan to be their version of Joanna Gaines: So striking are the parallels between [Meghan and Joanna Gaines] that some believe Sarandos is betting big that Meghan will strike a chord with ordinary viewers like down-to-earth Gaines has. They say the duchess will be his version of Gaines – although Meghan’s sophisticated vibe is far distant from Gaines’s down-home Texan charm. Sarandos said of Meghan in September: ‘I’ve been out with a lot of famous people before – the way that people react to Meghan is otherworldly.’
Where ‘Meet Me at the Lake’ stands: Netflix have bought the rights to the chick-lit book Meet Me At The Lake for the Sussexes – an unusual move, as you would expect the producers to find the cash. But whatever stage the scripting is at, it has yet to enter production. The same is true for the couple’s TV series retelling the story of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations through a feminist lens with Miss Havisham as the heroine. Again, it has yet to enter production. Neither show, then, looks likely to be completed or broadcast before the Netflix deal is up for renewal.
It’s increasingly bizarre to me that the launch of Meghan’s show and ARO product line keep getting pushed back. She filmed the show back in April and May, and it feels like nothing is ready even now. I know Meghan likes to deliver completed projects, but… yeah, it will be interesting to see when all of this stuff comes out. If Sarandos is making a point to groom Meghan into a duchess-y version of Joanna Gaines, I would hope that the financing and promotion is there to back it up. It’s also bizarre that they were “given” Meet Me at the Lake as a property to develop and… absolutely nothing has happened with it. No casting, no director selected, nothing about a workable adapted script.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
