A Tory minister has called on people to switch off Netflix in the wake of the Harry and Meghan’s documentary on the streaming giant. Employment minister Guy Opperman urged “everyone to boycott” the service following the airing of the first three episodes of on Thursday.
“I don’t think it has a fundamental impact on the royal family. I certainly won’t be watching it. I would urge everyone to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter,” he told BBC’s Question Time.
Meanwhile, Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely is planning to bring forward proposed legislation that could eventually strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles.
Mr Seely said he had been considering his private members’ bill, first reported by the MailOnline, even before the latest controversy over the Netflix documentary. It would amend the royal 1917 Titles Deprivation Act, which stripped royal titles from those who supported Germany in the First World War.
Bills proposed by individual MPs, and without Government backing, rarely pass through Parliament. Mr Seely said he would likely put down the amendment in early 2023, with the bill likely to be very short.
“There is a political issue,” he said. “As well as trashing his family and monetising his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country."
Downing Street dismissed Mr Opperman’s call for action. A No 10 spokesman did not repeat the employment minister’s claim Harry and Megan are “utterly irrelevant to this country”.
Instead, he said: “I would never comment on royal matters and I have got nothing for you specifically on this documentary. These are matters for the palace.”
On the call for a boycott, the spokesman said “it’s a matter for the public what channels they want to watch”. Asked if Rishi Sunak still has his Netflix account, the official replied: “I honestly don’t know.”
