Fresh humiliation for Prince Harry and Meghan as their flop show ‘Polo’ fails to make Netflix’s top ten in any market

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary series about the sport of polo did not make the top ten in Britain, America or any of the streaming giant’s other regional markets.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were listed as executive producers of the five-part series simply called ‘Polo’, which was released on December 10.

The series was dogged by scathing reviews from audiences and critics alike in the days following its release. The dismal ratings were first reported by Newsweek.

The show did not invest in a poster campaign and only released a trailer on YouTube. Prince Harry, 40, who has played polo all his life, wrote a two-line statement on Netflix’s website.

“This series gives audiences an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the passion and determination that drives some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour,” the prince said. “We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport – and the intensity of the high-stakes moments.”

Fans of the royal couple will be disappointed to learn that they only appear in the opening scene and the final episode of the show. They were filmed at a charity polo tournament in Wellington, Florida.

A source said Closera British tabloid, that neither Harry nor Meghan, 43, had much control over the program’s direction.

“The truth is, it was pretty much beyond their control. The bosses wanted the series to appeal to the masses and pushed this reality TV slant, so it’s not entirely their fault,” the source said.

Prince Harry plays polo at the event in Florida in April 2024

‘Polo’ followed the lives of participants in the US Open Polo Championship, focusing on dramatic events such as an on-field injury and a rivalry between father and son.

Eric Schiffer, president of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek: ‘It is a pompous display of privilege by masquerading as a documentary. It feels fake. You could almost see an advertisement: ‘polo, the new cure for insomnia, brought to you by the Royal Family.’

He continued, “They’ve turned it into the new frontier of unreliability. This makes polo even less popular for ordinary people. It just smells entitled and disconnected, unrelatable.”

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Polo’s ratings.

A two star review from The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage described the show as Prince Harry’s “unintentionally hilarious profile of the world’s stupidest sport.”

He continued: ‘The fixtures are chosen by popping confetti-filled balloons, uncomfortably privileged players cry in darkened rooms when they lose… this documentary about the royal family’s hobby is like a parody.’

British paper The times Prince Harry said he had created ‘a TV program that only he would watch’, calling it ‘annoying’ and ‘completely unreliable’.

‘Polo’ didn’t fare much better with audiences, who gave it a 27 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

This is the latest in a string of Harry and Meghan’s streaming projects that have either flopped or failed to find a consistent audience, despite Netflix signing them to a contract reportedly worth $100 million in September 2020.

The royal couple kissed after Prince Harry’s team won the Royal Salute Polo Challenge

‘Polo’ is Prince Harry and Meghan’s third documentary that disappoints viewers and critics alike

‘Live to Lead’ was their second documentary and was released at the end of December 2022.

It featured interviews with prominent world leaders and activists, including the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and climate crusader Greta Thunberg. It currently has a 15 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Heart of Invictus’ was released the following summer and followed a group of participants in the Invictus Games, a global sporting event for wounded soldiers founded by Prince Harry.

Like ‘Polo’, the Invictus documentary failed to crack Netflix’s top ten and was similarly panned by critics.

“Harry & Meghan,” the 2022 documentary in which the couple revisited their decision to step down as working British royals, was a notable exception to the years-long trend of lackluster releases.

It had 81.6 million hours of viewing time in its first four days, making it one of Netflix’s biggest documentary debuts ever.

There has been uncertainty throughout the year about whether Harry and Meghan’s deal with Netflix will be renewed, especially since their multi-million dollar Spotify contract expired in 2023.

Rumors are still swirling that Meghan’s cooking show will be released sometime next year, which is expected to celebrate “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship.”

So far, there is no actual release date for the series. A Netflix insider recently told MailOnline that the show may not see the light of day.