Will Harry and Meghan continue cashing in on their royal connections, asks RICHARD EDEN? Their attempts to make films about OTHER people have had little success, so far…

Harry and Meghan seem to face a growing dilemma as the end of their Netflix contract nears, says Richard Eden.

Do they continue trying to prove themselves as independent film makers – or make fresh moves to exploit their royal connections?

The question was highlighted in recent days when it emerged that a key figure in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s company Archewell Productions had quit, suggesting that all was not well.

Then, just a few days ago, the Sussexes spent time in the Caribbean with the boss of the giant Paramount Pictures – a reminder that their contract with rival Netflix comes to an end next year.

Prince Harry and Meghan make a surprise appearance at last week’s world premiere of the movie Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica

The Duchess was interview on the red carpet at Variety’s 2023 Power of Women award ceremony saying they had ‘so many exciting things on the slate’

Awkward! Meghan Markle is interrupted by  an aide while being photographed on the red carpet. It seemed the aide was keen to move her along. But the Duchess remained composed

‘If they do join a rival broadcasting company, will they face the same, growing, dilemma?’ asks Eden in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter.

‘Do they cash in on their royal links with another show about themselves or do they continue to try, with little evident success so far, to prove themselves as producers of films and TV programmes about other people?’

So far, Harry and Meghan have been bullish about their prospects.

Netflix’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, has said the couple are working on ‘a bunch’ of new projects including a film and two other ‘unscripted’ projects.

When the Duchess of Sussex was interviewed on the red carpet at a showbusiness event in Los Angeles in November, she declared that they had ‘so many exciting things on the slate’ to announce.

But, writes Eden, ‘three months later, and we’re still waiting with bated breath to hear what any of these “exciting things” may be.

‘Suspicions that all may not be well at Archewell Productions, which Harry and Meghan set up in 2020 amid great fanfare to make television programmes and films, were heightened when I reported in my social diary, Eden Confidential, that the company’s manager, Bennett Levine, had quit.

‘His appointment in 2021 had been hailed by Harry and Meghan’s most outspoken cheerleader, Omid Scobie, as a sign that Archewell was “a hive of activity that continues to grow”.

‘Levine’s surprise exit follows that of his former boss, Oscar-winning producer Ben Browning, who oversaw the couple’s tawdry Netflix ‘docu-series’ (reality show) Harry & Meghan and their less successful Live to Lead, but also quit last year.

Eden points out that Levine’s departure comes amid speculation that Netflix might not renew its deal with Archewell.

The US streaming giant paid the Sussexes a rumoured £80 million in 2020 as part of a deal that ends in 2025. 

The couple are rarely out of the public eye. Last night, they released video footage of an appearance in New York last autumn for World Mental Health Day, in which they took part in a discussion on cyberbullying.

Harry and Meghan have indicated that they no longer wish to discuss further details of their relationship with the Royal Family and would prefer to concentrate on other subjects. 

A pensive Prince Harry is photographed in Dusseldorf last year during the 2023 Invictus Games

Meghan and Harry speak onstage in New York for World Mental Health Day. They are addressing The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex established their Archewell Foundation after quitting the Royal Family and say it is an ‘impact-driven global nonprofit that puts compassion into action’ 

Yet they must know that their biggest commercial hits have been Harry’s excoriating memoir, Spare, and their six-part Netflix docuseries – projects which drew heavily on their royal connections.

Rumours that Harry and Meghan might be preparing for the end of their Netflix deal were fuelled by their trip to Jamaica last week for the film premiere of Bob Marley: One Love, as guests of Brian Robbins, boss of Netflix’s streaming rival Paramount Pictures.

‘Bennett is believed to be at least the 17th person to have left the Sussexes’ service since they married in 2018,’ writes Eden. ‘At least eight have left since they moved to California.’

To read more of Richard’s expert Royal commentary, click here