Netflix announces release date of Polo docu-series, Prince Harry and Meghan face backlash

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a rocky relationship with the British public since they stepped down as working royals and moved to the US in 2020. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released several media over the years sharing their side of the story.

In 2021, the couple were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, where they dropped several bombshells. Then, in 2022, they released their Netflix docu-series, detailing their lives while working royals, which was not well received by many.

Then, in 2023, Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare, which is reported to have made the Prince millions. On September 9, 2024, Netflix announced the date of Prince Harry’s latest docu-series, and once again, it has been met with major backlash due to the timing.

Netflix announces date of Prince Harry’s docu-series

On September 9 Netflix announced on X that Prince Harry’s polo docu-series will be premiering in December of this year. The docu-series will ‘follow elite global players’ and also show a ‘behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of the sport’.

Prince Harry has been playing polo for several years now and it was announced in April 2024 that a polo-focused series was upcoming with Netflix. The series was primarily filmed at the US Open Polo Championship in Florida.

However, as with most things that Prince Harry and Meghan do, it has been met with major backlash by the public due to the timing of the announcement, which clashed with a major announcement by Princess Kate.

Prince Harry and Meghan facing backlash due to timing of their announcement

The announcement made by Netflix comes shortly after Princess Kate gave a major health update. As many know, the Princess of Wales took a step back from Royal duties at the beginning of the year to focus on her health.

Since then she has made a handful of appearances (Trooping the Colour, the Wimbledon final). The mum-of-three has also occasionally given the public some updates about her health. On September 9, 2024 - the same day Netflix made their announcement - Princess Kate shared an emotional video explaining that she is free of cancer, but still recovering.

The Princess of Wales described the last nine months as ‘incredibly tough for us as a family’ and that her situation gave her a ‘new perspective on everything’. The video showed her with her family, Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Princess Kate shared home videos of the five of them in a much more casual setting than usual, showing intimate family moments. As expected, the announcement that Prince Harry’s series was airing in December was met with backlash as it was shared on the same day as his sister-in-law’s update.

X users took to the post to express their distaste at Netflix’s announcement:

I’m sure you will release it during Catherine’s Christmas special

Boycott Netflix!

Another wrote:

Lmao right on schedule…this is so pathetic even for them.

Another user wrote that they believe Meghan is behind the post:

I don’t think that was Harry’s doing this. This has Meghan written all over it

However, despite the backlash, it could be just a coincidence that both posts were made on the same day. Indeed, Netflix likely had a set date to announce the docu-series which has been in the works for months.

As with any sort of marketing, there are usually set dates for each phase, first the announcement, then a date for the trailer and other promotional videos and posts.

Read more:

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Sources used:

People: ‘Netflix Drops First Look at Prince Harry's Polo Docu-Series (Including Title and Release Month)’

Express: ‘Timing of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new Netflix trailer sparks fan fury’

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