AND that, folks, is a wrap.
Amid dwindling viewing figures, the plug has been pulled on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s £100million Netflix deal – and as their clout and currency drip away, one alarming question remains.
6
A second series of With Love, Meghan has been filmed and will be released, but no further projects with the streamer have been plannedCredit: BackGrid
Where do they go from here?
You see for the Duke of Sussex, in particular, this might just be the biggest blow since he claims his brother Prince William knocked him to the floor onto a dog bowl during a 2019 confrontation over his marriage to Meghan, as recounted in his autobiography, Spare.
Desperate to prove himself and justify the couple’s 2020 departure from ‘the firm’, the much-hyped Netflix partnership commercially anchored their new life providing profits as well as purpose.
BIGGEST BLOW
Of course, an 18-bed Montecito mansion luxe lifestyle doesn’t come cheap.
But as well as the big bucks, the streaming giant was an opportunity for the Sussexes to establish themselves as major media players.
The deal through their media production company, Archewell, promised content which “informs but also gives hope” through a “truthful and relatable lens” – but in the end only delivered the big switch-off.
FAMILY MUD-SLINGING
Trouble is – family mud-slinging and royal revelations aside – it seems the pair ran out of interesting things to say…. even when sat in the executive producer’s chair.
No, the viewing public wasn’t gripped by the documentary, Polo, with its glimpse into the privileged and glamorous “Sport of Kings” and a favourite pastime of the 40-year-old prince.
In fact, only 500,000 people have watched the series in six months – which also featured a cameo appearance from the Sussexes hob-knobbing with the fellow glossy posse, including Meghan’s mega
mate Serena Williams.
And it seems the Duchess’s jam-making no longer hits the sweet spot.
According to Netflix’s latest data, the 43-year-old’s lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, failed to break into its top 300 programmes
for the first half of 2025.
Harry & Meghan peace talks motive EXPOSED – they’ll beg for handouts now Netflix deal’s scrapped
6
Harry and Meghan only made a cameo in their Netflix documentary PoloCredit: Netflix
6
Meghan’s Netflix show With Love, Meghan didn’t make the top 300 programmes for the first six months of the yearCredit: PA
OK, so Meghan’s reincarnation as the millennial Martha Stewart undoubtedly created a buzz initially.
Many were ready to lap up the former Suits star’s aspirational and artful fruit platters and floral place arrangements and a slice of the luxe homemaker ‘authentic’ life – albeit one filmed at a rented Santa
Barbara property rather than her own estate.
But inevitably a show heavy on style over substance was always destined to fizzle out – with proceedings wilting faster than the Duchess’s much-used edible flower sprinkles.
FIZZLED OUT
Perhaps it all explains the whiff of desperation around some of the couple’s recent activity – including a greater sharing of family images, despite reportedly wanting to keep their children out of the spotlight.
We’ve seen more of son Archie and daughter Lilibet’s faces on Instagram – including in a recent Father’s Day tribute picture and on Lilibet’s birthday last month.
And what about that most unroyal candid throwback video of Meghan twerking in a hospital room to induce labour before her daughter was born back in 2021?
6
Meghan and Harry kicked off their time as non-working royals with a bang, with their Netflix tell-all seriesCredit: NETFLIX
6
Meghan shared a video of her and Harry dancing in hospital before giving birth to LiliCredit: Instagram
The late Queen would not have been amused.
Not to mention Meghan’s much maligned mood board posted on Instagram – that pictorial celebration of the couple’s ‘love story’ including baby scans and romantic clinches all smacked of a
thirst for attention that was on the wane.
Meanwhile, signs of a more meaningful Plan B are emerging.
Meredith Maines, the Duke’s chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan’s UK public relations team
were pictured meeting with King Charles’ communication secretary at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House in recent weeks.
Could this signal the start of renewed dialogue between father and son and some sort of return – however occasional or part time – for the exiled Prince?
It’s long overdue. Meghan will be staying put, firmly ensconced in California with an eye on the next project.
But make no mistake, the LA sun is setting on Harry’s American dream.
No one can put a spin or gloss on waning public interest and a high-profile flop project.
How Meghan and Harry are investing their Netflix millions
HARRY and Meghan have begun investing their Netflix millions in a property portfolio.
They have bought a new home in Portugal, around the corner from Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband.
But the Sussexes, who have been spending an increasing amount of time apart, do not plan to live in their new pad, The Sun understands.
It is not known if the property will be rented out, used for Airbnb-style holiday lets or used purely to park money.
But it is seen as the first step of putting earnings from their TV and book deals into a global property empire.
“They’re being smart with their money,” a source said.
They pocketed £75million from streaming giant Netflix where they laid into fellow royals in a six-part series.
Meanwhile Harry, who got a £15million advance for his autobiography Spare, also inherited £8million from the late Queen Mother after turning 40 in September.
Palace insiders have been concerned about what will happen when the Sussexes run out of cash.
They have huge overheads, forking out a fortune on security in the US and for when Harry visits the UK.
And they are still paying a mortgage on the £11million Montecito mansion they bought after quitting as working royals in 2020.
Insiders say the Portugal home will be part of a financial portfolio which will include more real estate.
The Duke has lost face and will feel the effects acutely.
This is the time for getting back to basics and being true to himself, which means a shift away from celebrity and tacky commercial work to charity work and projects with more substance.
The couple’s increasingly separate appearances of late indicate their working future lies in individual roles that play to their different strengths and interests.
It’s the end of a joint brand that assumed an adoring public would only simper and sympathise with their ‘plight’ against the a British monarchy.
6
Prince Harry walking through a minefield in Dirico, AngolaCredit: AP
Prince Harry’s official visit to Angola last week – retracing his mother Princess Diana’s 1997 landmine walk may have attracted some criticism for copying, but it is in fact a reminder of where his focus should be and true value lies.
It’s easy to forget amid the recent petulance, faults and feud that this is a man who connects well with the public, who can induce good will and – when channelled the right way – deploys soft royal power perhaps better than anyone without the stuffiness, very much like his late mother.
It’s why his Californian exile remains a waste of his time and talents.
The Netflix flop may be a fresh low point in the Sussex story but perhaps it can signal a turning point for change and a more constructive new chapter.