Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on ‘borrowed time’ as Netflix desperately tries to ‘milk some value out of them’

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a $100 million contract with Netflix five years ago, the executives were no doubt rubbing their hands together while imagining how lucrative the deal could be. But after five projects, it’s clear that the Sussexes have failed to deliver the goods, and now the streaming giant is after its pound of flesh.

A source claimed that the couple’s latest show, With Love, Meghan, may be a last ditch attempt from Netflix to recuperate some of the money that was put up for Harry and Meghan to produce their shows – effectively milking the Sussex brand for all it’s worth before time runs out. 

The couple have worked on five projects with Netflix, starting with Harry & Meghan in 2022, and followed by Live to Lead that same year. In 2023, they released their third series, Heart of Invictus, and just last year saw the release of POLO. Now of course, we have their latest endeavor, With Love, Meghan. Out of all the shows they worked on, only their first project was what could be deemed as a success, this was also the only project to address the drama between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.

The end could be near for Harry and Meghan

The source, who claims to have knowledge of the original deal between Netflix and the Sussexes, told the Sunday Times that “There’s a feeling that Netflix hasn’t got great value for money.” Part of the issue comes from the apparent belief that the streaming service would have exclusivity when it came to the Sussexes. Of course, this didn’t end up being the case, as Harry and Meghan would go on to sign a deal with Spotify which led to the creation of the Archetypes podcast. Although, it wasn’t very successful and the deal came to a premature end.

Now it looks like Harry and Meghan’s Netflix career is in its death throes, too, with a Los Angeles source claiming the couple are “on borrowed time.” Another company insider claimed that “The word bandied around internally is ‘nightmare’.”

Is there any hope for the Sussexes?

As Lenny Kravitz once sang, “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” so there’s still a chance that Meghan’s new show could pull in the kind of viewership Netflix wants to see. A royal source suggested viewers might “tune in” to watch, either as fans or as haters, “As long as Meghan and Harry are selling themselves, people will tune in — whether they’re fans or watching through their fingers.” That is certainly a possibility, although the general consensus from critics thus far is that the show is pretty boring, so even for a hate watch, it might not be worth it.

Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, has expressed her confidence in the couple and claimed that the streaming giant will stand by Harry and Meghan. Whether she truly meant that or not will probably be revealed once we see the viewing figures for With Love, Meghan.