We Can Likely “Expect to See the Children as Well” in Sussex Docuseries, Expert Says
“You know, Netflix, they do want bang for their buck.”
From the very beginning of their joint parenthood, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expressed a desire for their children’s lives to be private. It’s why we got no Lindo Wing steps appearance for Archie’s May 2019 birth like we did for the three Cambridge children’s; why Archie’s christening two months later was private; and why we have very rarely seen Archie or little sister Lili throughout the course of both children’s lives. (To date, we only have seen one photo of Lili, who will turn a year old in two weeks.)
Marie Claire reported yesterday that the Sussexes are filming an “at-home” docuseries as a part of their multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix, and, says a royal expert, it's possible Netflix may expect the docuseries to include not just Harry and Meghan but the kids, as well. (For the record, it’s unclear whether the couple has allowed their children to be filmed.)
“For any good fly-on-the-wall documentary, you need some tension, you need drama, otherwise, it’s just boring, isn’t it?” said MailPlus’ Richard Eden, speaking on the latest episode of “Palace Confidential,” via The Daily Express. “You know, Netflix, they do want bang for their buck.”
Instead of going for what Eden calls Meghan’s “very worthy animated series” Pearl, “they’re going for what they think will sell, which is a program about the Sussexes themselves.”
As for bringing the children in front of the cameras, Eden says, “I imagine it’s going to be a constant debate. Look, they’ve always been keen to keep the children out of the public eye, but then when they gave that interview to Oprah Winfrey, what did we see? We saw Archie, you know, along the beach, and we saw the first glimpses of family. So, I’m sure Netflix, if they’re paying that money, would expect to see the children as well.”
Not long after stepping back as working royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan signed the deal with Netflix. Heretofore, other than the burgeoning docuseries, two projects have been greenlit by the streaming service: Pearl, which was cancelled earlier this month, and Heart of Invictus, a docuseries about Harry’s Invictus Games, which is still forthcoming. Cameras were on hand last month at the games in The Hague, Netherlands, and Heart of Invictus is expected to be released sometime this year.
Commentator Patrick Christys, speaking recently on GB News, says that Netflix wants the Sussex docuseries to come out “in conjunction” with Harry’s tell-all memoir, which is slated for release later this year, as well. All of this, plus Meghan’s forthcoming Spotify podcast “Archetypes,” will make for a very busy rest of 2022 for the Sussexes.
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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.