Prince Harry’s decision to step away from the limelight in his latest Netflix series about the world of high-stakes polo is rumoured to have set off alarm bells for the streaming giant’s executives. Today it emerged that the Duke of Sussex’s minimal presence in the new five-part documentary has reportedly caused a stir, especially since the show seems to star his friend Nacho Figueras rather than himself.
The rift appears to be growing as sources claim that the highly anticipated project from Harry and Meghan Markle has ended up spotlighting Figueras more than the Duke, who, along with his wife, signed a hefty £80million contract with Netflix possibly expecting more intimate content and revelations.
According to the Daily Mail, the original expectation was for an insider view featuring Harry prominently, but instead, the series turned its attention to the Argentine polo star Figueras, celebrated within the sport as ‘the David Beckham of polo’. Despite Figueras’ status in polo, he lacks the global fascination enjoyed by Harry and Meghan, which might explain why insiders at Netflix reportedly feel disappointed with the end product.
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The source contended that the top brass at Netflix had hoped for “more bang for its buck” from the deal with the Royal couple.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, previously from the cast of “Suits,” are behind the production of a new series titled ‘Polo,’ set to launch in December as executive producers. The couple, having secured a $100million deal with Netflix for multiple shows in 2020, are producing through their firm Archewell, reports the Mirror.
Despite this, insiders have whimsically dubbed the project ‘the Nacho Show’.
A producer said: “What Netflix have received in return doesn’t look great. People want personal stuff. Apart from their documentary series, which had the drama of them quitting the Royal Family, everything else they’ve produced has been underwhelming.”
They went on to say: “Any reasonable person tuning into a show about polo made by Prince Harry would expect Harry to take a starring role. That he’s not is hugely disappointing for Netflix.
“Let’s face it, polo isn’t exactly a mainstream sport so the attraction would have been watching Harry. Without him, it’s marginal at best.”
They also stressed the pressing need for success: “The Netflix deal expires next year, so the Sussexes need a big hit. This sounds like a big nothing burger.”
Another source claimed: “For a show about a sport of Kings, polo barely features any royalty. It’s not the Harry show, it’s the Nacho show.”
Additionally, another statement apparently given to the publication remarks: “Nice of Harry to do his mate a favour, but Nacho speaks broken English and is just not mainstream enough to pull in the ratings.”