Netflix is said to be annoyed over the fact that Prince Harry, who previously struck a multi-million-dollar deal with the streaming giant, made exclusive comments about his secret visit to England to a rival broadcaster, NBC.
"Netflix would have loved the first comments about the visit to the Queen for the documentary. There was a real sense of annoyance that they were made to another broadcaster," according to a source cited by the Mail on Sunday.
The reported frustration was heightened because a Netflix film crew was shadowing the Duke of Sussex at the time for Heart Of Invictus, a documentary about a sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. The Invictus Games were founded by Prince Harry.
Now it looks like the streaming platform could face even more disappointment: The Sun cites a source as claiming that Buckingham Palace staff is planning to block Harry and Meghan's Netflix cameras during the upcoming celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.
According to the newspaper, the couple will join the rest of the family celebrating 70 years of the Queen's reign. And while Harry and Meghan were banned from appearing at the palace balcony during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, they will be participating in other activities. The palace staff is said to be nervous about possible family tensions, considering the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, and is now preparing to block the cameras if needed.
"Even if they accept that their Netflix crew can't go into Buckingham Palace to film, they could cause problems — and at the very least cause a major distraction", the source said.
Images of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II are displayed on the big digital screens at Piccadilly Circus in central London on February 6, 2022, to mark the start of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Year
© AFP 2023 / DANIEL LEAL
"Senior courtiers believe that Netflix will see it as one big opportunity to exploit their mega-millions agreement with the couple. So a team of Palace aides will be on standby to keep a very close eye on the crew, and act as minders if needs be."
Reports previously suggested that the royal family became concerned after the Duchess of Sussex's first project for Netflix, an animated series called Pearl, was dropped by the platform. According to the Daily Mail, they believe that the "only projects that will get the green light from Netflix now will be very personal ones about the Royal Family".