Royal family
Here’s why some of the Duke of Sussex’s pals, who used to play polo, are slamming Harry’s Netflix documentary about the sport.
After Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals and moved to the U.S., they signed a huge deal with Netflix worth more than $100 million to produce content for the streaming giant.
The explosive six-part docuseries Harry & Meghan about their time as members of Britain’s most famous family was a huge hit and garnered 81.55 million viewing hours globally in the first week of its release, and the show appeared in the Top 10 TV list in 85 countries. However, the couple’s follow-up projects — Heart of Invictus and Live to Lead — failed to gain any significant interest or views and flopped.
Now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have produced another documentary. This one is about the sport of polo and is already being slammed by Harry’s friends who have played it themselves.
Harry’s friends who also played polo called the trailer ‘tacky’
Netflix dropped the trailer for Polo on Nov. 21. The description for the program reads: “The documentary series follows elite global players on and off the field as they compete in the high-stakes U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. Through fierce rivalries and intense training, viewers will get an unprecedented glimpse into the dedication and skill required to compete at the sport’s highest level.”
After seeing the trailer, friends of the prince who played polo with him when they were younger, didn’t like what they saw.
One pal told the Daily Beast: “The irony is that polo is actually a surprisingly inclusive sport these days. You do see plenty of rich kids but there are also plenty of kids from less rarefied backgrounds who just happen to be fantastic riders who are sponsored by the teams. It doesn’t look like this show is going to foreground that, which is a real missed opportunity.”
Another former friend who played polo with Harry as a teenager said: “It’s hilarious, but not in a good way. It’s so tacky and cringy. It is literally all the worst things about polo. I watched it in appalled hysterics.”
Netflix executives ‘incredibly disappointed’ in documentary
Many people who watched the trailer weren’t impressed either with a majority of commenters saying they will not be tuning in to the Sussexes’ latest documentary.
“Netflix could have just made a documentary about polo without Harry’s name and saved 100 million,” one person wrote, while another said: “Netflix, no thank you. It’s not even a documentary.” And a third added: “Harry and Meghan Kardashian. These duo have the ability to bring down the tone of everything they get involved with.”
Others expressed concerns about animal cruelty posting: “Tony Moore, chairman of the Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe, said, ‘Prince Harry is cruel. If a rider uses their spurs in a way that injures a horse then that is cruel’ and I refuse to support any sport or show that condones animal abuse for entertainment. Big no from me. Shame on you Netflix!!!”
PETA criticized the sport ahead of the trailer release and said polo is “hard on horses” and that “while it’s easy to be wooed by the glitz on display at the matches, there is no doubt that polo is more grim than glamourous for the horses.”
According to royal commentator and To Di For Daily podcast host Kinsey Schofield, Netflix executives have not responded to the accusations of animal “abuse” or “cruelty” but are “incredibly disappointed” at Prince Harry’s lack of involvement in the Polo docuseries.
“Netflix is incredibly disappointed that Prince Harry is not more involved throughout the project,” Schofield told Sky News Australia. “You know, [the company’s] return on investment simply isn’t there and they’ve learned the hard way.”
