In the past week, the British media has ramped up their criticism – all of it unhinged – of the Polo series streaming on Netflix on December 10th. The critics have only seen the trailer, but they’re convinced that the series is a tacky, gauche, elitist, pathetic exercise in Prince Harry selling out his family yet again, unless Harry never appears in the series, in which case Polo is doomed for other reasons. The one complaint no one can lodge against Harry is that “no one in the royal family would ever deign to make a documentary or docuseries!” Pretty much as soon as Harry and Meghan got $100 million from Netflix, Prince William began filming his own documentaries to copy his younger brother. All of William’s documentary efforts are failures, because he chooses to center himself in complicated issues. He wastes everyone’s time by yammering about how much HE cares about the environment or homelessness or whatever Harry cares about. Well, alongside all of the insults and criticism for Polo, wouldn’t you know that William made an announcement for his latest documentary:
The Prince of Wales is to feature in a new BBC documentary about the Earthshot Prize amid a PR push on his work projects in both the UK and the US. Prince William will introduce the Earthshot Report – which will be presented by the actress Hannah Waddingham and highlight the “impact and exciting growth” of finalists – to the BBC audience, a royal source said.
In a brief trailer released on social media, the Prince says: “Our planet needs our help and every year counts, so what have we achieved in 2024?” He was filmed sheltering under an umbrella as he walked through woodland in Buckinghamshire.
The documentary will be broadcast on the BBC on Dec 15 and on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the US on Dec 18. The announcement comes just weeks after a two-part ITV documentary explored the Prince’s efforts to tackle homelessness, which was available to international audiences on Disney+.
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness was broadcast in October and featured extensive interviews with the Prince as he described how he had tried to work out how best to use his platform, having taken inspiration and guidance from the work of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Earthshot documentary is the latest example of efforts to ensure the Prince’s key work projects are disseminated to as wide an audience as possible. It comes as he gradually increases his profile on the international stage, positioning himself as a global statesman while preparing to one day become King.
A Palace source said: “We are always looking for innovative new ways to tell these stories.”
This latest documentary comes four years after ITV released Prince William: A Planet for Us All, which involved camera crews following him for two years to learn about his “personal mission to find ways to protect the natural world”.
One might even say that William’s navel-gazing elitism will be showcased in another make-or-break moment for the heir to the throne. If he makes yet another boring, unwatchable, self-centered documentary, people will tune him out completely. It’s worth pointing out that many people would watch documentaries about homelessness or the environment if the issues were framed the right way and the films were centered on the human stories, the relatable stories. The reason why William’s homeless documentary bombed wasn’t because people think the subject is a bummer, it’s because William is a charisma vacuum, the anti-rizzler, and yet he demands to be centered because all of this is about his one-sided competition with his brother.
#TheEarthshotReport takes a deep dive into previous Earthshot Finalist stories, looking at the global picture and showing how we are progressing towards a sustainable future.
Introduced by Prince William and hosted by @hanwaddingham from 15 Dec on #BBCiPlayer. pic.twitter.com/RpJvm1vVL9
— The Earthshot Prize (@EarthshotPrize) December 2, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Kensington Palace, ITV.