Netflix has effectively ended its partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to a scathing exposé published on Wednesday by entertainment industry bible Variety that declares the streaming giant is “done” with the royal couple after years of underwhelming projects and mounting tensions.
The Hollywood trade publication’s brutal takedown exposes a relationship that soured despite the couple’s $60 million deal signed in 2020—far less than the widely reported $100 million figure but still a substantial investment that Netflix executives now apparently regret.
According to Variety, the mood at Netflix headquarters has shifted to “we’re done,” with insiders pointing to disappointing releases and creative disagreements that left both sides frustrated. Archewell Productions delivered the documentary “Harry & Meghan” and Prince Harry’s polo series “Polo”—which attracted just 500,000 views—along with Meghan’s lifestyle show “With Love, Meghan.”
The second season of “With Love, Meghan” failed to crack Netflix’s Top 10 in the United States, and the streaming giant has not renewed the series for a third season. A Sussex spokesperson confirmed to Variety that the show will continue only as “seasonal specials.” Sources say no other projects are currently in development.
The relationship hit an early snag in March 2021 when Netflix learned at the last minute that Harry and Meghan planned to do a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey covering their royal exit—the same material Netflix expected to release through the couple’s documentary. While Netflix didn’t believe the couple breached their contract, the surprise move created lasting resentment.
The Variety report also revived longstanding workplace allegations against Meghan, citing three sources who described “odd methods of providing feedback” and claimed she would “disappear” during Zoom calls before staff members later learned they had offended her. The article characterized Meghan as a “dictator in high heels” at Archewell, echoing earlier allegations that she bullied two personal assistants out of Kensington Palace.
Most provocatively, Variety reported that in meetings with partners, Meghan “tends to talk over or recast Prince Harry’s thoughts, sometimes while he is midsentence, sources say (usually preceded by a touch to the arm or thigh).”
Prince Harry called the claim “categorically false,” while the couple’s lawyer Michael Kump argued it “seems calculated to play into the misogynistic characterization of her bossing her husband around.”
Kump also defended Meghan’s Zoom behavior, explaining that she works from home as a mother of young children—Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4—who sometimes enter unexpectedly during meetings.
The report claimed Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently refused to meet with Meghan unless lawyers were present, an assertion Kump flatly denied, stating that Meghan “texts and speaks with Mr. Sarandos regularly, and has been to his home, sans lawyers.”
Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria provided an official statement praising the partnership, saying Archewell “has been a thoughtful and collaborative partner and we’ve really enjoyed working with Harry and Meghan.”
The split comes as Netflix pulled out as an equity partner in Meghan’s lifestyle brand “As Ever.” A Los Angeles-based Netflix insider told the Daily Express that executives “were not happy with the fact that no one really cared about the brand,” adding that “it just didn’t fit with Squid Game or Stranger Things or Bridgerton like they had hoped.”
Sources in the Sussex camp maintain Meghan remains on good terms with the Netflix team and cut ties to take complete control of her brand, which she felt was being held back by Netflix’s more cautious approach.
The couple’s movie adaptation of “Meet Me at the Lake,” announced in August 2023 as their first fiction production for Netflix, remains in limbo without a director or cast. The romantic novel deals with childhood trauma, mental health, and postnatal depression—themes that mirror aspects of Harry and Meghan’s public narrative.
According to The Sun, production stalled partly due to Hollywood screenwriters striking for nearly five months in 2023, though the project’s status appeared uncertain even before the labor disputes.
A source close to the matter indicated that “With Love, Meghan” will continue as a seasonal special on Netflix, suggesting some relationship remains between the parties—though the broader partnership appears finished.
Industry insiders suggest streaming service Paramount+ may pursue projects with the couple, who would reportedly consider new partnerships if the right opportunity emerges. After losing their $20 million Spotify contract in 2023, Harry and Meghan now face renewed questions about their Hollywood viability as they seek to establish themselves as content creators outside the royal family.