Prince Harry and Meghan Face Humiliating Career Flop as Netflix Downgrades Massive Contract and Escapes $100M Deal With Disgraced Royal Couple
Netflix's new deal allows them to cut major losses when it comes to Megan Markle and Prince Harry's projects.
Aug. 11 2025, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were thrown a small yet desperately needed lifeline by Netflix, after the streaming service reportedly wanted to sever ties with the couple when their contract comes to an end later this year, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Netflix will now have a first-look deal for any new project ideas the former royals come up with, allowing them to pass on ventures that the couple can then attempt to pitch to other outlets. It comes as a face-saving measure for Harry, 40, and Markle, 44, after her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast for Lemonada went on indefinite hiatus.
At the same time, the former actress's As ever brand is struggling to sell new products.
A Very Montecito Christmas
Meghan Markle is seen during Season 1 of her Netflix lifestyle series, 'With Love. Meghan,.'
Markle crowed about her new safety net with Netflix, boasting about being "proud to extend our partnership" and "expand our work together to include the As Ever brand."
"My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision," she added in a statement.
The press release noted the couple's upcoming projects include the already filmed Season 2 of Markle's lifestyle and cooking show, With Love, Meghan, in addition to a Christmas special coming in December.
"Together, friends and family deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts, and share lots of laughs – with simple how-tos to follow at home. It's a holiday wonder with warmth, tradition, and a generous dose of joy," the holiday show's description read.
Prince Harry the Producer
Prince Harry has produced several projects for Netflix but has only starred in 'Harry & Meghan.'
The former senior working royals still have the film Meet Me at the Lake stranded in development at Netflix after buying the rights to Carley Fortune's best-selling romance novel in 2023.
On Harry's side, he's credited as a producer on the new short documentary Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, about how orphaned Ugandan children discover newfound joy in life by turning to dance.
The Duke of Sussex's last project without Markle, his 2024 docuseries Polo, was a massive bomb, bringing in a mere 500,000 viewers and placing 3,436th out of 7,500 Netflix shows in the first half of 2025.
No More Big Bucks
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's original Netflix deal was for a reported $100-million, five-year pact.
“It’s not much. It's no risk for Netflix but saves them both reputationally," a source told Page Six about Sussex's new deal with the streamer.
$Meanwhile, a source familiar with the much-looser new deal told The New York Times that it is worth less than Harry and Markle's previous five-year exclusive agreement with Netflix, signed in 2020, which was reported to be around .
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The couple has faced many career flops within the last few months.
In the half-decade since leaving the British royal family and signing with the streaming giant, the couple has only produced one successful project, 2022's docuseries Harry & Meghan. It featured the couple blabbing about how difficult their lives were as senior working royals and how the paparazzi and media were out to get them.
Harry's Heart of Invictus docuseries in 2023 failed to draw in viewers, and for all the buzz surrounding With Love, Meghan, the lifestyle series finished a dismal 383rd place among Netflix's 2025 first-half ratings.
Even though Netflix is carrying Markle's As ever products in their pop-up stores, her latest release of wine, a 2024 Napa Valley Rosé, failed to sell out. To add consumer insult to injury, the vino was still $30 a bottle with a minimum of three required for purchase, but the wine had a lower alcohol content than her debut 2023 Napa Valley Rosé.
