Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a “misstep” by releasing their latest Netflix project, POLO, amid the couple’s previous focus on more relatable issues like mental health and social justice, a PR expert has said.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped back as working royals in January 2020 and moved to California, serve as executive producers for the five part series which was released earlier this month.
The “sexy” sport is billed in the trailer as showcasing “dirty, sweaty boys…riding”, marking the Sussexes’ fourth project for the streaming giant in their five year contract set to come to an end in 2025.
PR expert Renea Smith, suggested the couple could have taken a different approach to better align with their core values.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a “misstep” by releasing their latest Netflix project, according to a PR expert
GB News
She said: “A better approach might have been to focus on an issue tied to their core values perhaps a story about resilience or community empowerment through sport.”
The PR expert noted this would have “aligned better with their personal brands” and “resonated more deeply with their audience”.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a brief appearance in their latest polo focused project following elite global polo players.
The couple only appear in episode five, filmed at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida last April, an event staged in aid of Sentebale.
“From a PR standpoint, a show about polo seems like a misstep,” Smith said, noting the sport’s elitist connotations.
Smith suggested their brief appearance in the final episode could be “a calculated attempt to distance themselves from the elitist connotations of polo”.
“But if that were the case, it raises the question: why do the show at all?” she added.
Smith also criticised the couple’s limited involvement in the show, suggesting it appears as “an afterthought or a hesitant contribution”.
Harry and Meghan’s one single top 10 success would not be sufficient to maintain their £80m contract, according to a PR expert
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Instead, their minimal involvement failed to “reinforce their value as storytellers or position them as confident, visionary leaders,” according to Smith.
“They might have been able to generate more public interest by leaning into their personal connection to the story,” she added.
Looking ahead to the Sussexes’ Netflix deal, Smith warned that POLO alone would not secure their future with the streaming platform.
“This show alone is unlikely to save their Netflix deal,” she told Express.co.uk.
The Sussexes’ debut docuseries, Harry & Meghan, was released on Netflix in December 2022 and broke platform records
Netflix
The PR expert emphasised that a single top 10 success would not be sufficient to maintain their £80m contract, which ends in 2025.
Smith stressed that Harry and Meghan would need to “deliver something compelling, innovative, and relevant in their remaining time”.
“Netflix will need assurance that they can consistently produce content with a significant cultural impact,” she concluded.
The Californian-based royals experienced great success when they launched their debut series, Harry & Meghan, which broke Netflix records.
