A royal streaming war: Disney+ picks up Prince William’s homelessness documentary – while Prince Harry enjoys £80m deal with Netflix

Disney+ has picked up Prince William‘s two-part documentary series on homelessness, which will air first on ITV later this week.

This streaming decision is a notable departure from that of the Prince of Wales’ brother Prince Harry, who signed a five-year, £80million deal with Netflix in 2020. 

‘Prince William: We Can End Homelessness’ will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Wednesday, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the first year of Prince William and The Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme.

The two-part series, directed by BAFTA award winner Leo Burley, will then premiere on Disney+ on November 1.

The future king has set his sights on making rough sleeping, sofa surfing and temporary accommodation a thing of the past in his ambitious five-year initiative programme called Homewards, founded by the prince and the Royal Foundation.

Disney+ has picked up Prince William ‘s two-part documentary series on homelessness, which will air first on ITV later this week. Pictured: Princes William and Harry in 2017

Prince William and Diana, Princess of Wales, during a visit to The Passage in London

The film will involve stories from those who are currently experiencing homelessness or have previously been homeless, and poignant memories from the prince’s own life. 

Cameras started rolling in June last year when the Prince launched his project Homewards, which focuses on ending homelessness in six UK areas: Aberdeen; Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole; Lambeth; Newport; Northern Ireland and Sheffield. 

While the Royal Family have decided to allow Disney+ to stream Prince William’s documentary, his younger brother is often found on its main competitor – Netflix.

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle signed a five-year, £80million deal with the streaming giant in 2020, shortly after they decided to step back from public life.

They have since aired a six-part autobiographical series ‘Harry & Meghan’ and the 2023 Invictus Games documentary ‘Heart of Invictus’.

Two more programmes are understood to be in the works, one focusing on Meghan, which Netflix says will ‘celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship’.

The other is a brainchild of Prince Harry, offering ‘unprecedented access to the world of professional polo, shot primarily at the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida’. 

Netflix said: ‘The series will pull back the curtain on the sport, known primarily for its aesthetic and social scene, capturing the full story of what it takes to compete at its highest level.’

The documentary reunites the brothers on screen, if only via an old photo of both boys visiting the shelter in 1993

A young Prince William plays chess during a visit to The Passage

Speaking in a new documentary, William recounts how Princess Diana took the brothers to a homeless shelter in London as children to show the realities of life outside the palace

However, it was reported last month that this five-part documentary series ‘hardly features the Duke at all’, allegedly raising tensions among Netflix executives.

Instead, it is said to focus on his friend Nacho Figueras, a little-known Argentinian player.

A source claimed Netflix bosses have been disappointed with just how much the final edit focuses on the unknown, saying the streaming giant expected ‘more bang for its buck’.

Through their company Archewell, Harry and his wife Meghan are executive producers of the series, titled simply Polo and due out in December.

Harry and William attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace

Prince William’s streaming decision is a notable departure from that of Prince Harry, who signed a five-year, £80million deal with Netflix in 2020

But behind the scenes it has been nicknamed ‘the Nacho Show’.

Meanwhile, Prince William has taken a conciliatory step in his feud with Prince Harry by publicly naming him in his film for what is believed to be the first time in six years.

Speaking in the documentary, William recounts how Princess Diana took the brothers to a homeless shelter in London as children to show the realities of life outside the palace.

The film, ‘Prince William: We Can End Homelessness’, includes poignant unseen photos of William and Diana at the Passage in Westminster. 

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle signed a five-year, £80million deal with the streaming giant in 2020, shortly after they decided to step back from public life

In one, taken when Princess Diana visited with William on 14 June 1993 just days before his eleventh birthday, the young Prince is seen studiously playing chess with a homeless man at the shelter.

Another, taken in December that year, shows a suited-and-booted young William standing alongside his mother at the shelter, his arms stuffed with presents to give.

Until this film, it is understood William has not uttered his brother’s name in a public speech or interview since 2018 when the two princes, alongside the Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle, were interviewed at the Royal Foundation Forum.

The documentary also reunites the brothers on screen, if only via an old photo of both boys visiting the shelter in 1993.