NETFLIX bosses refused to allow The Duke and Duchess of Sussex any editorial control or input on shows outside of their own $112 million deal, The Celeb Report can reveal.
It means that Prince Harry cannot ask Netflix executives to scrap scenes from their biggest show The Crown – which is set to feature storylines about his childhood and his mother’s death – from their upcoming seasons five and six.
Furthermore the California based couple will not be consulted about commissioning shows which may be deemed “anti Royal or have negative connotations for their wider family and friends” a Netflix insider revealed.
The revelation comes in the wake of Netflix receiving backlash over its recent series four of The Crown both for its portrayal of the Prince and Princess Of Wales’ fights and infidelity alongside a bulimia storyline, which carried audience warnings.
A Netflix insider revealed the network had enjoyed a “relatively easy negotiation with the Sussexes” as they thrashed out their multi-million deal – which led to Meghan being labelled the “new Kim Kardashian”.
The source added: “The Sussexes were more concerned and consumed about their own image and ideas rather than what else was being screened on Netflix.”
The source added: “The subject of The Crown was brought up, but the service has always stood firm that they leave the editorial of that show to film makers Leftbank and show creator Peter Morgan and unless a legal matter, there is no interference.
‘The Duke And Duchess did not fight over this, which may be seen by some as odd given the next time period the show will cover.”
The source claims that The Crown will delve into the treatment of William and Harry after their mother’s tragic death in 1997, followed by problematic aspects of Harry growing up.
This could include the time that Harry was caught with wearing a Nazi fancy dress outfit and underage drinking with marijuana use in his teens.
The source said: “Netflix would not and certainly will not offer the Duke And Duchess Of Sussex any control of the company’s brand editorial policies or strategy. And nor would they.
“Essentially that means The Crown’s storyline, plots or subject matter cannot be altered by the Sussexes. All decisions regarding storylines run by the channel executives, board and the legal team.
“In reality Harry cannot edit his controversial moments off Netflix just because he and his wife have a huge deal.
“While The Crown was broadly discussed, there was no hard bargaining by the Sussexes about that during the deal making.
“Their prime concern was solely the TV projects which they were focused on, their passions and very little else.
“They will have editorial control, but should anything displease the board or legal team it will be removed by Netflix – no ifs or buts.”
The source added: “And for Harry there is no way his traumas and colourful moments in his youth can be ignored given how Morgan has written about much of the Royal’s scandals.”
Earlier this year, creator Morgan confirmed the upcoming series would roughly cover about a decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign – meaning the years 1990s and 2000s are on the agenda.
He even extended his plan to end at Series 5: “As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story, we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.”
The Sussexes have a multi-year deal with Netflix to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.
Earlier this year Hollywood director Paul Feig, who directed Ghostbusters and The Heat, warned the Sussexes that Netflix do have a veto if necessary.
In February Feig insisted: “Nobody gets to do whatever you want. And so that’s the weird misconception that they’re just going to sail through. It’s going to be hard no matter who you are.”
The Celeb Report reached out to Netflix and Harry and Meghan for comment.
