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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle split from Netflix, marking an end to their $100 million multi-year deal signed five years ago. The fate of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s multi-year Netflix deal has been highly debated for years, with the couple’s failure to churn out a variety of creative content in the last five years posing concerns about the possibility of a future renewal. While the duo stepped up in the final phase of the deal, releasing Harry’s critically panned docuseries, Polo, and Meghan’s cooking show, With Love, Meghan, it appeared their performances on those shows were hardly enough to keep their deal with Netflix from getting canceled.
News broke this week that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would part ways with Netflix this year upon the expiration of their multimillion-dollar deal in September. According to The Sun, the couple and the streaming giant mutually agreed to part ways quietly, without any official announcement. Confirming the canceled deal, a source disclosed that the contract with Netflix was done, and Harry and Meghan would produce “no more shows” for the streamer.
Meghan Markle Ticked Off Netflix Execs With ‘As Ever’ Brand
Although described as amicable, this split may have arisen from something deeper. Since launching As Ever alongside her Netflix cooking show, Meghan Markle has continued promoting the lifestyle brand, prioritizing her entrepreneurial efforts. This shift in priorities reportedly did not escape the notice of Netflix executives, leaving them “infuriated.” Hence, the decision to cast the couple aside despite a promising start to their deal’s final year could have a connection to that. The source explained,
“Netflix execs are well aware that Meghan’s priority now is her own brand, and they won’t play second fiddle to that. Publicly, there will not be a statement, and of course, if things change dramatically, they’d be open to a one-off project down the line.”
The source claimed that the streamer had already weighed in on the consequences of the lapsed deal and foresaw no remarkable regrets ahead. For one, Netflix already reaped the most out of the couple before the split, and knew they hardly had anything else to offer after their initial docuseries, Harry and Meghan. Additionally, considering their initial hits with the couple and the figures it generated, the streaming giant is not exactly “unhappy with how things turned out.” The source divulged,
“Netflix were clever in that they got a hell of a lot of viewers for the first documentary series, and knew, realistically, it would prove the zenith of content from the Montecito pair.”
Following the groundbreaking success of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first-ever Netflix documentary, titled Harry and Meghan, in the wake of their scandalous royal exit, the duo has struggled to attain a fraction of those numbers in subsequent shows. Their Netflix flop became more glaring last week when the streamer unveiled its list of most-viewed shows in 2025 so far. Neither Harry nor Meghan’s respective releases made the streamer’s top 300. While With Love, Meghan ranked 383rd on that list, Harry’s Polo has barely scored 500k viewers since its release in December.
Harry and Meghan Split With “Clever” Netflix After False Reassurance
These disappointing numbers, coupled with the negative ratings and criticisms on both shows, make the canceled deal an obvious choice. Yet, things looked quite hopeful for the duo at the start of 2025, especially with Meghan launching her lifestyle brand in collaboration with Netflix and gaining full support of the company as her entrepreneurial journey took off.
That seemed like an indication that the streamer was with the couple for the long haul, improving the prospects of a deal renewal, especially for the duchess. Although Meghan still has her lifestyle brand to fall back on after the multi-year Netflix deal gets canceled in September, for her husband, Prince Harry, this blow may hit harder as a huge loss of a major source of his $60 million net worth.
While the discussions reportedly played out quietly, Harry and Meghan seem to be aware of Netflix’s decision beforehand and put the necessary measures in place. Last month, the duo reportedly let go of at least six staff members, including UK press officer Charlie Gipson, in a bid to cut costs. While this surprising group firing earned the couple criticism for “counting pennies,” despite their lavish lifestyle, it appears their move was simply damage control to mitigate the impact of the Netflix blow on their finances.
