Categories: Royals

Fresh humiliation for Harry and Meghan as Netflix’s polo series flops worldwide

WELLINGTON, FLORIDA - APRIL 12: Dana Barnes, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Adolfo Cambiaso and Malcolm Borwick during the Royal Salute Polo Challenge benefitting Sentebale at Grand Champions Polo Club on April 12, 2024 in Wellington, Florida. The annual Polo Cup has been running since 2010, and to date has raised over £11.4 million to support Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by poverty, inequality and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix project, Polo, has failed to crack the streaming giant’s top ten in any region, including the United States and the UK.

Polo struggles to find an audience

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex after arrive at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at The USPA National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, US. Picture date: Friday April 12, 2024. (Photo by Yaroslav Sabitov/PA Images via Getty Images)

The five-part series, which premiered on December 10, was executive-produced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Despite its royal backing, the documentary has been met with dismal reviews from both critics and audiences.

Harry and Meghan only appear briefly in the series, in footage shot at a charity polo tournament in Florida. The focus is on elite polo players competing in the US Open Polo Championship, with storylines revolving around on-field injuries and family rivalries.

Harsh reviews

Critics have widely panned the series:

The Guardian called it an “unintentionally hilarious profile of the world’s stupidest sport,” adding that it feels like a spoof.
The Times described it as “tedious” and “utterly unrelatable,” accusing Harry of making “a TV show only he would watch.”
Reputation expert Eric Schiffer told Newsweek the series reeks of privilege, branding it “the new frontier of unrelatability.”

Audiences have been equally unimpressed, with Polo scoring just 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Another setback for the Sussexes

This marks another streaming disappointment for Harry and Meghan, whose Netflix projects have struggled to find consistent success. Their earlier documentaries Live to Lead and Heart of Invictus similarly failed to gain traction.

The one notable exception remains their 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, which became one of Netflix’s most successful documentaries with over 81.6 million hours viewed in its first four days.

The Duchess of Sussex presents the trophy to her husband, the Duke of Sussex after his team the Royal Salute Sentebale Team defeated the Grand Champions Team, in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at The USPA National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, US. Picture date: Friday April 12, 2024. (Photo by Yaroslav Sabitov/PA Images via Getty Images)

Future projects in doubt

Uncertainty looms over whether Netflix will renew its lucrative deal with the couple, especially after Spotify dropped its multi-million-dollar contract with the Sussexes earlier this year.

Although Meghan is reportedly working on a cooking show, insiders hint that it may never be released. With Polo’s lackluster performance, questions about the couple’s streaming future are only intensifying.

Herbert Bauernebel

Herbert Bauernebel has been reporting from New York since 1999 and currently works for Bild.de, OE24 TV, and US Live. He also runs the news portal AmerikaReport.de. Bauernebel has covered nearly all major US events of the past quarter-century, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Barack Obama’s election, Donald Trump’s surprise victory, the pandemic, last year’s election showdown, as well as natural disasters such as hurricanes and oil spills. He has also reported firsthand on international events, including the Asian tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the Fukushima disaster. He lives in Brooklyn with his family and holds degrees in communication and political science from the University of Vienna. Bauernebel is the author of a book about his experiences on 9/11, And the Air Was Full of Ash: 9/11 – The Day That Changed My Life.