Netflix is done with Harry and Meghan – Mar 18 2026

18 Mar 2026

Hannah Furness

Royal Editor

Good afternoon,

This newsletter arrives in your inbox straight from the grounds of Windsor, where I have been spending the afternoon covering the first Nigerian state visit in 37 years. You can find more details in this week’s headlines, but today my column explores the ins and outs of the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix brand deal. I resort to a phrase some might find coarse and unbecoming for this newsletter… you can judge for yourself below.

Elsewhere, Tamara Abraham takes a look at the Princess of Wales’s latest lesson in diplomatic dressing, and our Q&A examines the King’s rather unique taste in music.

Please submit your questions by emailing me here.

In today’s edition

The Princess of Wales does diplomatic dressing – Nigerian state visit edition

The King’s music taste is more eclectic then you might think

Netflix is ‘done’ with Harry and Meghan

Hannah Furness

Royal Editor

Have you heard of this new trend of “Fafo” parenting?

The acronym is a bit much for a family newsletter, but let’s call it “eff Around and Find Out” as a compromise, shall we?

As far as I can gather, it’s another way of saying “natural consequences.” Your toddler doesn’t want to wear a coat? OK, let them go out without one and realise they feel cold.

It came to mind last week when I saw a briefing about the end of the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix brand deal.

When she parted ways with the streaming service for her as As Ever range, there was an official statement full of mutual appreciation.

A spokesman for As Ever said the brand was “grateful” for the partnership; Netflix said “we are glad to have played a role in bringing [Meghan’s] vision to life”.

Whether someone at Netflix was amusing themselves with its final sentence – “We look forward to celebrating how she continues to bring joy to households around the world” – I’ll leave for you to judge.

But the point is: they parted as public friends, it was the plan all along and everyone was happy.

With Love, Meghan was never a hit with reviewiers

Anyone familiar with Team Sussexes’ penchant for having the last word would have been waiting for the follow-up, and – just as night follows day – they were not disappointed.

Netflix was “too cautious”, we learnt quickly. “It’s a great streaming service but it’s not a shop.”

Reader, I braced.

Perhaps we have become used to the Royal family declining to get into the briefing weeds with their American outpost. There is a reason we quote “recollections may vary” so often, because it’s one of the few times they have publically answered criticism.

The global streaming behemoth of Netflix is not bound by any such conventional niceties.

I wondered when and where something might turn up and now we have it: a long read in Variety magazine, one of the key trade magazines held up as a television industry Bible.

Headlined “Why the royal couple is struggling in Hollywood”, it is accompanied by a rather unflattering cartoon of Harry watering wilted plants held by Meghan, labelled with their various business deals.

“The mood in the building is ‘We’re done,’ one Netflix insider tells Variety of the vibe on Meghan and Harry,” it reads. “Their bedside manner has ruffled feathers in meetings.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s public image is increasingly shaped by controversy and competing narratives

The piece itself is full of denials and legal letters. When it suggests the Duchess “tends to talk over or recast Prince Harry’s thoughts, sometimes while he is mid-sentence”, their lawyer responds that it “seems calculated to play into the misogynistic characterisation of her bossing her husband around”.

The content of the piece is less interesting than the context. Just as it was fascinating to see The Hollywood Reporter briefed on the Sussexes’ staff issues back in 2024 (“Why Hollywood Keeps Quitting on Harry and Meghan”) so it is fascinating that Variety has turned its eyes to Netflix.

There have been other “last words” too. When biographer Tom Bower released extracts of an unflattering new book including details of the Sussexes last week, their office responded on record to say that it was “deranged conspiracy and melodrama”.

As our reviewer notes: “Count me in! If I were a publisher, I’d slap that quote on the cover.”

The book is currently number one in the Amazon bestseller chart.

The Sussexes, of course, are absolutely free to have their say. It’s part of the reason why they wanted to leave the world of “never complain, never explain” and more power to them.

It makes for a fascinating back-and-forth, but it does come with natural consequences: “Fafo”, some might say.

Will there be more to come? Will Meghan and Harry have the last Netflix laugh?

After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. In this case, it could be sprinkled with flower petals.

Top Stories

From the Fashion desk

The Princess of Wales does diplomatic dressing – Nigerian state visit edition

Tamara Abraham

Fashion Editor

Even if you don’t remember the name Tolu Coker, you will surely recall the moment last month when King Charles sat front row at a fashion show – his first ever – on the same day that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Police.

It was this label that the Princess of Wales wore to welcome the Nigerian President and his wife for their State Visit at Windsor Castle today.

It was a diplomatic choice – 29-year-old Coker is British-Nigerian and her designs represent both cultures. Catherine’s grey tailored coat with white buttons and piping is from the autumn/winter 2024 collection, and marries propriety with genuine style cred (Coker trained at Central Saint Martins and worked at Celine and JW Anderson before founding her label).

The Princess completed her outfit with a bespoke “cocktail hat” by Jane Taylor, one of her go-to milliners, and the Collingwood pearl drop earrings, which she wore for her 40th birthday portraits and which once belonged to Princess Diana.

Next, the Prince and Princess of Wales will join the King and Queen in hosting a State Banquet in honour of President Tinubu and his wife. Stand by for more diplomatic dressing – this time with tiaras.

picture of the week

Always one for a bit of fun, on Tuesday afternoon the Prince of Wales found himself upon the seat of a bicycle made for two. He surprised Greg James just over halfway through the BBC Radio 1 presenter’s 1000km challenge for Comic Relief.

They rode in tandem from Doncaster to Elvington, cycling through the Yorkshire countryside and partaking in some light-hearted banter with passers-by. The Prince congratulated James for pushing through “a bit of pain” in support of others. “What you’ve done is set an example about helping out,” he said, “that’s the main thing”.

You ask the questions

Each week, Hannah answers one of your burning royal questions, providing an insider’s take on life behind the palace gates.

Jenny, via email:

King Charles on the decks made me giggle and think about the playlist he released… recently? That had a lot of contemporary hits. Were those genuine, and if so when does he have the chance to listen? The thought of him bopping his head to Kylie Minogue is funny!

Hannah replies:

Hi Jenny,

You’re not alone in having your suspicions that the King’s Commonwealth playlist may not be entirely his regular taste in music.

His elder son Prince William expressed his own misgivings after it was released, saying on an engagement shortly afterwards: “I was expecting a lot of classical music, so I was surprised.”

I think it’s safe to say it might have been a little workshopped, but I have no doubt the King actually liked each choice and will have listened to them.

He has eclectic taste. His favourite composer is Sir Hubert Parry and his deep knowledge of classical music has impressed even the most expert of experts.

He likes his pop of a certain era: Diana Ross and The Three Degrees are known favourites.

As you’ll have seen, he took a spin on the DJ decks just this week and was nodding along to the beat merrily.

When it comes to music the King really is a man for all seasons. We’ve seen him dancing all around the world to traditional music – hand our monarch an instrument, and he can be relied upon to perform.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite overseas engagements of yore: an impromptu dance party in Ghana which left everyone smiling.

If you want me to answer your question in next week’s newsletter, you can email me here.

Hannah Furness, Royal Editor

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