The Queen has a ‘ring of steel’ around her to protect the monarch from appearing in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, a royal expert has claimed.
Royal commentator Russell Myers made the comments during an interview with Australian news program Today, while discussing whether any footage from the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations could end up in the Sussex’s film.
Prince Harry, 37, and his wife Meghan Markle, 40, who moved to their Montecito mansion after stepping down from royal duties in early 2020, signed a deal thought to be worth around £72 million with the streaming giant in the Autumn of that year .
While the couple’s Archewell Productions has yet to produce any content for the platform, they are reportedly filming a documentary, and have been spotted being followed by a Netflix crew.
As the couple, alongside their two children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 11 months, will be attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London next month, this has sparked discussions around whether any of the festivities will be filmed by the crew.
But Russell said that the Queen’s aides will have briefed the couple to ‘not even think about it for a second’.
The Queen, pictured here at Windsor Castle at the end of April, is protected by a ‘ring of steel’ against appearing in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, according to a royal expert
The Sussexes (pictured here at the Invictus Games in April) signed their lucrative deal with Netflix in September 2020, but have yet to produce any content
Russell Myers believes it is likely that Buckingham Palace aides will be protective over the Queen, and will have warned the Sussexes against trying to film the Firm.
He said: ‘There is an absolutely a ring of steel around the Queen in terms of her advisors.
‘I mean, they certainly would be advising Harry and Megan to not even think about it for a second, but who knows what they will do?’
Russell said the couple would ‘definitely have been advised not to speak to Oprah Winfrey and not to speak to Gayle King’ but that they ‘still keep on doing it’.
He added: ‘I mean, it makes you wonder how much the family can take anymore and I’m sure Prince William has got his head in his hands as Prince Charles as every time they pop up on the television.’
Harry and Meghan signed their lucrative Netflix deal in September 2020, with an aim to produce scripted series, documentaries, features and children’s programming.
However, the partnership has yet to yield any content, with upcoming Heart of Invictus docuseries, which follows the recent Invictus Games, currently the only confirmed project on their slate.
Recently, the couple were hit with a blow when the streaming giant axed Meghan’s project titled ‘Pearl’, as it moved to save cash falling subscriber numbers.
While Harry and Meghan (pictured at the Invictus Games in April) have yet to produce any content for Netflix, they were filmed for a docuseries called ‘Heart of Invictus’, about the Games
The proposed TV show, an animated series about a 12-year-old girl called Pearl, who takes on various social injustices while highlighting the work of feminist icons, was dropped while still in the development stage.
Meghan Markle announced the now-cancelled program last July. She was taking on the roles of ‘creator and executive producer’ – marking the first time the former actress and Suits star would work in the position of EP.
A now-removed quote from Meghan on the couple’s Archewell website about the series read: ‘Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.
‘I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.’
Meghan Markle discussed the animated series in a now-deleted post on the Sussex’s slick Archewell website
Following reports that the show has been ditched, an industry insider branded the couple ‘naïve’ and ‘out of touch’ in their understanding of how their Netflix deal worked.
A source told The Sun that the pair may not have fully grasped ‘how the process of landing a show worked’, saying: ‘Executives feel that in some aspects Harry and Meghan appeared to be naive about how their deal would work.
‘Certainly there was a belief that they thought that Pearl would simply be presented and released. The word was that they were saddened the show was not picked up.’
They continued to say ‘people forget’ that projects ‘face vetting’ and Netflix would have ‘the right’ to ‘oversee editorial direction’ in their work.
The source said Netflix would have ‘the best interests of the brand’ as a streaming giant, adding: ‘Just because they are royalty, they are not treated any differently to others in the arena of program commissioning.’
According to an industry insider, Meghan and Harry may have been ‘naïve’ about how their deal with Netflix would work
While the insider said Prince Harry and Meghan may have found it easier to ‘get in the door’ than others, Netflix would hold their projects to the same standard to ensure they are ‘good value.’
Despite one project being dumped by Netflix, the Duchess and her production team reportedly do not see it as a fatal blow and are now said to be exploring other avenues.
Meghan and executive producer David Furnish will pitch the concept to rival networks such as Apple and Amazon, according to the Sun.
She and husband Harry are permitted to sell on any products Netflix turns down under the terms of their contract with the streaming service.
Despite dropping Pearl, insiders claimed Netflix remains optimistic about the Archewell deal and has several planned projects
.