Netflix is hoping to air the Harry and Meghan documentary around the same time as the upcoming season of The Crown to capitalize on the Duke’s forthcoming biopic.
Narrated by several sources page six The major streaming service doesn’t want to be “scooped” by the Duke’s memoir, despite claims the Sussexes want the documentary to air next year.
Harry’s book is set for release sometime this fall, and Netflix will be keen to capitalize on the huge buzz the reveal volume is likely to generate.
The embattled streamer is also said to be interested in further fueling the royal fever by showing the yet-untitled Sussexes documentary immediately following series five of The Crown.
It hits screens in November. The Crown – which has sparked fury among monarchists – will tell the story of Harry’s late mother Diana’s split from her husband Prince Charles.
Diana is played by Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, while Dominic West takes on the role of Charles.
It will be set in the 1990s, although it remains unclear whether this series will feature Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, or if that will be the sixth and final series.
Netflix is reportedly wanting the Harry and Meghan documentary to come out later this year so it doesn’t get “scooped” by the duke’s biopic, which is due out in the fall
Netflix wants the documentary to air shortly after season five of The Crown (pictured), which is said to be largely focused on the death of Diana (Elizabeth Debicki, pictured).
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been filming the Netflix documentary for more than a year after inking a widely publicized $100 million deal in 2021.
‘[Netflix executives] knew the book was coming out, which is why they wanted the series this year,” a source told Page Six. “They don’t want to wait any longer.”
However, the royal couple reportedly want the series to hit the small screen next year, according to Page Six.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Netflix for comment. On Tuesday, Netflix announced that it lost 950,000 subscribers in the second quarter of 2022.
Analysts had expected far worse news – and up to two million fewer subscribers. But Netflix’s stock price of $201.93 is well below its October 2021 record of $693 — with bosses likely banking on a royal programming bonanza to bring new users to their services.
The dramatic couple directed the documentary with left-leaning filmmaker Liz Garbus, who directed one season of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Garbus was also set to work on the Duchess series Pearl before it was scrapped by Netflix.
Netflix film crews were seen capturing the couple’s every move at the Invictus Games in April. The company has sent a camera crew to follow Harry and Meghan as they meet the Ukrainian team at the Invictus Games for injured military veterans in the Netherlands for their Paralympic-style documentary about the Games.
However, critics have accused the royal couple of “cashing in” from the games by letting Netflix attend private meetings. And royal experts believe the VIP status bestowed on the pair will allow Netflix to portray the pair in a favorable light as they deal with the aftermath of their bombshell interview with Oprah last year.
Netflix crews followed the pair at the Invictus Games (pictured) in April
Speaking to MailOnline earlier this year, Meghan’s caustic biographer Tom Bower sensationally dubbed the Sussexes “the royal family’s worst traders” and accused the couple of “exploiting an old, ailing woman to boost their credibility and their coffers.” .
They were also reportedly filmed meeting the Queen earlier this year after Netflix was dismayed that the pair were not pictured together earlier this year.
Bower said: “I have no doubt that everything has been done for your Netflix documentary. The Queen’s advisers failed to protect her from being exploited by the royal family’s worst traders, while the Sussexes took advantage of an ailing old woman to boost their credibility and their coffers.”
Other pundits suggested the surprise face-to-face meeting with the Queen, who turned 96 in April and has been struggling with a spate of recent health problems, was an “olive branch” after considerable tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family.
Harry’s biography – which was written by JR Moehringer – is believed to cover the prince’s childhood and military career, as well as uncovering stories from within the royal family.
“There’s a lot of new stories in there about the past that Harry has never talked about before, about his childhood… there’s some stuff in there that should make his family nervous,” an insider told Page Six.
However, the “juicy” book says nothing pejorative about the queen.
