They’re getting the royal treatment.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed an estimated $100 million deal with Netflix for their bombshell docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” according to reports by Forbes. Per the alleged agreement, the duke and duchess are expected to produce an array of content for the streaming giant, including documentaries, films, children’s shows, docuseries and more.
The multi-million dollar deal with the platform has contributed to their amassing wealth, which they’ve rebuilt since stepping away from the British monarchy in 2020. The rift between the defiant couple and the rest of the royals began when Meghan claimed she was not only treated differently for being American, but also for being half-black.
“Just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’” Meghan said in a bombshell interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut earlier this year.
In their highly anticipated new docuseries on Netflix, which dropped Thursday, Harry and Meghan took viewers through their unbreakable love and tumultuous relationship with the royal family. The “explosive” six-part series was teased to give an inside peek at the alleged racism Meghan faced, coupled with the difficult decision to step away from the monarchy.
“The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story,” Meghan told The Cut, reiterating that the pair are thrilled to finally tell their own story in full.
The first installment begins just as the last of their royal engagements wrap up, continuing on to show intimate scenes that even include Harry’s proposal. Critics were quick to bash the docuseries, slamming the ex-royals for “[breaching] their own privacy.”
While stepping away from royal duties allowed Harry and Meghan more freedom to do and create as they please, the price of liberation was costly. Not only did it obviously strain Harry’s relationship with his family, but it also cost the couple a mint.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, which covered staff, travels and living expenses, were suddenly gone, they said. With the crown’s financial support gone, the pair jetted to California with $10 million from the late Princess Diana’s estate and $2 million from Meghan’s earnings in her past life as an actress.
As the couple fell from their former wealth status, the Netflix and Spotify deals certainly cushioned the blow.
At the time of their royal departure, they were jobless and certainly couldn’t afford the luxury they were accustomed to. At the time, they couldn’t even afford their $14.7 million home in Montecito, thinking that owning such an estate was a pipe dream, Markle revealed.
“We didn’t have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible,” Meghan told The Cut. “It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping — it’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.’”
Then along came the multi-million dollar contracts and suddenly, they could afford the sprawling property which now brings “joy” and “calm” to their family. But the Netflix and Spotify deals have prompted people to question their intentions.
Two days before the series was set to be released, Harry and Meghan appeared at a gala in the Big Apple to receive a racial justice award. Bombarded with paparazzi — just like old times — the couple was the focus of a slew of questions from eager reporters.
One journalist asked if Harry was “putting money before family,” perhaps a nod to the multi-million dollar deals the ex-royals agreed to follow their prompt exit from the monarchy.
In addition to their Netflix deal, Harry and Meghan also signed a $25 million contract with Spotify — to produce content like Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast — prompting backlash from musicians who receive mere pennies per stream from the audio-based site.
Their three-year deal with the music streaming giant is just one of their many endeavors, which include speaking engagements and other content productions.
Harry and Oprah Winfrey announced back in 2019 that they would be producing a mental health show on AppleTV+, although it was delayed due to the pandemic and released in 2021.
Other projects Harry and Meghan are working on include an animated series for Netflix about a young girl on a journey of self-discovery, as well as a show centered around Invictus Games, which allows adaptive athletes who once were service members to compete in sports.
