AS Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lose their $100 million Netflix deal, royal experts say the future looks dire for the couple’s prospects.
Since departing from the royal family, the pair have had countless media contracts together and separately to share their life in California.
A royal exper has said Prince Harry will end up a ‘bald has-been’[/caption]
The pair’s Netflix five-year deal is said to not be going ahead[/caption]
Royal experts claim the spotlight is waning on the Sussexs as the royal kids gain popularity[/caption]
But Netflix insiders say none of the projects have performed well and future shows will let the five-year, $100million deal they inked with Meghan and Harry for ‘With Love, Meghan, and a host of other shows quietly lapse when it is due for renewal in September.
It was once seen as a secure form of income for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but now experts say it’s a sign that their time is running out.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Robert Jobson said Prince Harry’s popularity is dwindling as the public focus their attention on the younger royals, Prince William’s children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
He said: “I think the show’s moving on. When we’re talking about when we were in New Zealand all those years ago, he was a big noise then.
“The vibe was all positive about him. The vibe isn’t positive about him now.”
The royal expert’s comments come after Sky News royal editor Rhiannon Mills exposed the Prince’s rude side.
Footage showed Prince Harry scold Rhiannon back in 2019 while he visited a health clinic in a remote village in Malawi as part of the Sussexes’ African tour.
As he walked past her, she asked ‘oh, why is it so important for you to come here?’
“And he looked at me and said ‘oh, well just go and ask those people over there’. And I probably inside thought, hang on a minute, I’m not gonna leave this one,” she revealed.
“I said, well, is that why it’s so important for you to come here? And then he turned around and just said, ‘Rhiannon, don’t behave like that’.
An insider said Prince Harry feared he would become irrelevant when Prince George turned 18[/caption]
“And then got in his car and drove off. I felt like I’d looked like an idiot.
“He looked really patronising. Nobody came out of it looking good.”
Robert added that the couple were trying to monetise on their celebrity status as they know other royals will soon take the limelight.
“They’re 40 year olds. They’re not young royals,” the royal expert explained.
“They’re different now. The vibe is different. The whole mood and shift will now go on to George, Charlotte, and Louis. And they will become really, frankly, bit part players.
“Now they won’t like that. And that’s probably what this is all about, making sure they’ve got a presence, a brand to monetise, because pretty soon they’re going to be really so far removed from the main game, they’re not going to be able to get as much money out of being royals.”
The Times’ royal correspondent Valentine Low wrote the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, and revealed Prince Harry feared he was becoming irrelevant.
An insider told the author: “He had this thing that he had a shelf life. He was fixated [on] this. He would compare himself with his uncle [Prince Andrew].
“He would say, ‘I have this time to make this impact. Because I can,’ until Prince George turned 18.
Speaking on The Sun’s royal show, Robert agreed, adding: “You know, he’ll be a bald 50-year-old prince. Someone formerly known as Prince, that’s what he will be.”
Once popular with the younger generation, Prince Harry will lose his spot to the future king, Prince George.
“They’ll be thinking, who is this guy? They won’t even know who he is,” Robert added.
The Lifestyle and cookery show With Love, Meghan only ranked at number 383 in Netflix’s six-monthly engagement report this year, with just 5.3million viewers across the globe.
While Prince Harry’s docuseries Polo, attracted a disastrous 500,000 views globally in the first six months of release.
And it is not the Sussexes’ first media deal that has gone south.
Their reported $20million podcasting deal with Spotify was terminated in June 2023, with senior Spotify executive Bill Simmons labelling the duo “f***ing grifters”.
How Meghan and Harry are investing their Netflix millions
HARRY and Meghan have begun investing their Netflix millions in a property portfolio.
They have bought a new home in Portugal, around the corner from Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband.
But the Sussexes, who have been spending an increasing amount of time apart, do not plan to live in their new pad, The Sun understands.
It is not known if the property will be rented out, used for Airbnb-style holiday lets or used purely to park money.
But it is seen as the first step of putting earnings from their TV and book deals into a global property empire.
“They’re being smart with their money,” a source said.
They pocketed £75million from streaming giant Netflix where they laid into fellow royals in a six-part series.
Meanwhile Harry, who got a £15million advance for his autobiography Spare, also inherited £8million from the late Queen Mother after turning 40 in September.
Palace insiders have been concerned about what will happen when the Sussexes run out of cash.
They have huge overheads, forking out a fortune on security in the US and for when Harry visits the UK.
And they are still paying a mortgage on the £11million Montecito mansion they bought after quitting as working royals in 2020.
Insiders say the Portugal home will be part of a financial portfolio which will include more real estate.
