With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal seemingly coming to an end, Jennie Bond believes there is one positive that the Royal Family can take away from it
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal may not be renewed – but the Royal Family may have nothing to fear, according to an expert.
Their lucrative five-year deal with the streaming giant is believed to be coming to an end – leaving some to speculate what the Sussexes may do next to bolster their finances to pay for hefty bills. With Netflix, they released their controversial docuseries where they made a series of accusations against the Royal Family. It came just weeks before Harry released his memoir Spare, which also criticised his father and brother. And Harry has also hinted in the past that he has enough material to write a whole new book.
But with the Duke of Sussex explicitly stating in an interview earlier this year that he would like reconciliation with his family, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes criticising his family will not be something he will do again.
She told the Mirror: “Trust between the Royal Family and the Sussexes is still in short supply. However, I don’t think the Palace will be overly worried that Harry and Meghan will sell their souls for royal secrets again. What more can there be to say?
“Harry has said he doesn’t want to go on fighting and that, surely, must mean respecting his UK family’s privacy and being discreet about everything he says in public.”
When it comes to the Netflix deal, apart from their first offering – their controversial docuseries Harry & Meghan – their following shows on the streaming platform have not matched its success.
In fact, last week, it emerged that Meghan’s lifestyle and cookery show, With Love, Meghan, failed to make it into Netflix’s top 300 most-watched shows for 2025. And the brutal nature of television is something Jennie believes the Sussexes have learned the hard way.
She added: “Television is a tough industry where ratings are everything, and only Harry and Meghan’s tell-all documentary series met the Netflix mark. It doesn’t much matter who you are, if your shows don’t trouble the ratings, the TV company won’t be inclined to trouble you in the future.
“So, unless the Sussexes have come up with some sure-fire, bankable ideas for hit programmes, it seems unlikely that their Netflix contract will be renewed.
“It’s obvious that Netflix bought the couple for one reason only: to get the inside story of their exit from royal life. They obliged -with bells on – and it was a smash hit. But neither Harry nor Meghan has had much in the way of popular content to offer since. There’s more to making a successful TV series than meets the eye – a lesson they have learned the hard way.
“Securing a five year contract was quite an achievement — and was undoubtedly extremely lucrative. For most people, that sort of money would set them up for life. But Montecito is luxurious and expensive. So they will have to find other streams of income.
“That’s going to be harder for Harry than Meghan, who has every chance of making a lot of money as an influencer.”
When they first signed the deal with Netflix, the couple said: “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer and co-chief executive, also said at the time: “We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere.”
But speaking in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry memorably said he and Meghan signed lucrative deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify after being financially cut off from the royals – leaving them with hefty security bills.
