Netflix fans are eagerly awaiting the release of its new documentary series looking into the lives of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The streaming giant will release the first volume of the highly anticipated series, entitled Harry & Meghan, on Thursday, December 8. It is being billed as a 'Netflix Global Event' and vows to tell the couple's own version of their story from the beginnings of their relationship to the "challenges and controversies that prompted them to step back from the royal family".
The series will feature interviews with the couple's family and friends, as well as historians and journalists who analyse the turbulent relationship the couple has shared with the media. In a teaser trailer for the documentary, Harry is heard talking about the “pain and suffering” of women marrying into the royal family, and mentions a "dirty game" which involves "leaking" and "planting of stories".
The documentary comes as part of a deal the couple signed with Netflix in the months after they announced they were stepping down as working members of the royal family. In September 2020, it was revealed that Meghan and Harry would be making a number of films and series, including documentaries and children's shows, for the streaming service, giving them a global reach into millions of homes.
The exact amount that the Netflix deal is worth is unknown. But various reports have suggested that the multi-million deal is worth around $100 million. According to the Guardian, both Disney+ and Apple TV+ were engaged in a bidding war with the Sussexes to try and secure programmes.
At the time the deal was announced, Harry and Meghan said in a statement: “Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope."
The couple set up the production firm Archewell Productions to create their films and documentaries. The first show announced was Heart of Invictus, a docuseries which follows competitors as they prepare for the 2022 Invictus Games. Harry, who is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, will appear in the series and also serves as executive producer. A release date is yet to be announced.
In May this year, an animated series announced under the deal was dropped by Netflix. The Archewell Productions show Pearl was set to focus on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl inspired by influential women from history.
Meghan was to serve as an executive producer of the series alongside David Furnish – filmmaker and husband of Sir Elton John – according to an announcement published on the Archewell website last July. However, the series has now been axed due to strategic decisions around animated series made by Netflix earlier this year.
Netflix said Archewell Productions remained a valued partner despite dropping the show. The streaming giant said they were continuing to work together on a number of projects.
Meghan has also released a number of episodes of her podcast Archetypes under a deal with Spotify. The couple have taken part in a number of interviews since their departure from royal life, including a controversial sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
In January, Harry's memoirs will be published. Billed as a book of “raw, unflinching honesty”, Spare will be released globally on January 10.
It was expected to hit bookshelves this autumn but there was speculation that the date was pushed back as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen. When the deal to publish the memoir was first announced in 2021 Harry said about the book: “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born, but as the man I have become.”
Harry & Meghan is directed by Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus. Volume One streams on Netflix on Thursday, December 8 .
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