Prince Harry's Netflix tensions as absence from polo documentary leaves bosses 'unhappy'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's five-part documentary series about polo has reportedly left Netflix executives 'unhappy' as it features very little of him
Prince Harry seems to have ruffled feathers at Netflix with his latest project for the streaming service, amid rumours of growing tensions.
Reports surfacing today suggest that the Duke of Sussex has somewhat disappointed his Netflix chiefs due to his limited presence in a new five-part documentary series exploring the elite realm of international polo.
The series, which was anticipated to feature Prince Harry prominently, is said to be centred on his polo-playing pal Nacho Figueras, with Harry himself barely making an appearance. This development follows an £80million deal inked with Netflix, where executives likely envisioned a treasure trove of personal content and revelations.
According to the Daily Mail, the documentary focuses less on Harry and more on the charismatic Figueras, an Argentinian polo star often referred to as 'the David Beckham of polo'. While Figueras is a celebrated figure within polo circles, he lacks the widespread allure of Harry and Meghan, leading to disappointment among Netflix bosses regarding the show's final cut, as it spotlights the lesser-known sportsman.
A source allegedly disclosed to the publication that Netflix had hoped for "more bang for its buck" from the deal with the Duke, reports the Mirror.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the power couple behind the production company Archewell, are set to release a new series titled 'Polo' this December. The show is one of the select projects that have come to fruition following their whopping $100million deal with Netflix for multiple shows back in 2020.
Despite the high expectations, insiders have cheekily dubbed it 'the Nacho Show'.
A Hollywood producer expressed disappointment to the publication, saying: "What Netflix have received in return doesn't look great. People want personal stuff. Apart from their documentary series, which had the drama of them quitting the Royal Family, everything else they've produced has been underwhelming."
The same source lamented the lack of Prince Harry's presence in the polo-themed series: "Any reasonable person tuning into a show about polo made by Prince Harry would expect Harry to take a starring role. That he's not is hugely disappointing for Netflix. Let's face it, polo isn't exactly a mainstream sport so the attraction would have been watching Harry. Without him, it's marginal at best."
With the Netflix contract set to expire next year, the pressure is on for the Sussexes to deliver a hit. Yet, the insider branded the upcoming series as "The Netflix deal expires next year, so the Sussexes need a big hit. This sounds like a big nothing burger."
Another source highlighted the absence of Royal allure in the show about the sport of kings: "For a show about a sport of Kings, polo barely features any royalty. It's not the Harry show, it's the Nacho show."
Furthermore, another comment reportedly made to the paper critiqued the choice of focus: "Nice of Harry to do his mate a favour, but Nacho speaks broken English and is just not mainstream enough to pull in the ratings."
