They say all eyes will be on the Queen during her Platinum Jubilee this June. But let’s face it, at least some eyes will be on ex-royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as they arrive in the UK for the celebrations. And their decision to attend is already causing tension, as Palace insiders say they don’t trust the returning couple – and will not grant access to the Netflix camera crews currently following the Duke and Duchess around.
“The Sussexes are under huge pressure to make this docuseries juicy and prove they’re worthy of Netflix’s mega-bucks,” says an insider close to Meghan, 40, and Harry, 37, who signed a $100m deal with the streaming giant back in 2020, after stepping down as senior royals and moving to the US.
“That money came with certain conditions and expectations, so Netflix need them to deliver ratings gold. The bosses know the couple’s brand is tied into their status as royals, so they’re leaning on them to make sure this documentary delves deep into their history and ongoing dramas with the royals – whether that causes chaos back in the UK or not.”
The royal rebels confirmed recently that they were “excited and honoured” to be attending the monarch’s special Jubilee celebrations, along with their two children, Archie and Lilibet. But Palace sources were quick to announce the news that the pair would not be joining the Queen and other high-ranking royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour on 2 June.
We’re told one of the reasons for this is that many royals are now “wary” of seeing and speaking to the couple, particularly Prince William. There has been well-publicised awkwardness between the brothers for years now, made worse when Harry and Meghan did a royal-slamming interview last March with Oprah Winfrey.
Last week, a source said, “William wants to talk to Harry and try to heal the rift between them, but he’s fearful it will find its way onto Netflix, Oprah, or into Harry’s upcoming book,” while royal biographer Tom Bower told The Sun, “William will worry that Harry and Meghan will pull a stunt to try and get the limelight.”
As heat told you last week, Archewell Productions – the company Meghan and Harry created to make scripted series, docuseries, features, and children’s programming – took a blow when Meghan’s show Pearl was axed before it even aired.
It left the former Suits actress humiliated, and she quickly deleted any mention of the series from their website. But sources last week claimed she was still hopeful, as she began pitching Pearl to rival networks Apple and Amazon. But there’s no denying the cancellation has left the couple shaken.
“Meghan and Harry struck this deal with Netflix when their star power was at its peak,” says the insider.
“All the major networks were lining up to work with them and they drove a hard bargain. If they were negotiating today, it’s unlikely Meghan and Harry would secure even half that $100m figure, and they know it.
“They’re in constant talks with their point people at Netflix, who hold strategy meetings and sessions with all the key players up to twice a week. The couple are trying to act calm about the situation, but it’s clear they’re concerned and feeling huge pressure. They don’t see the harm in having cameras around them at the Jubilee, but they’re also worried about ruffling any more feathers with the royals. They need to work out how to navigate this.”