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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced a new deal with Netflix – but one royal expert believes the announcement was very telling about their future directions

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix deal underlines a major decision by the couple, according to a royal expert.

The Sussexes have revealed they have signed a new “multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects”. The pair’s new deal means Netflix will have the first option on their new projects.

Five years ago, Harry and Meghan secured a lucrative contract, thought to be worth more than 100 million dollars (£74 million), with Netflix after quitting as senior working royals in 2020 – but this new extension is seen as a downgrade on their previous exclusive rights deal and is believed to be worth a lot less.

As the deal was announced, Meghan was quoted as saying how she and Harry were proud to be extending their partnership with the platform. And just hours later, the trailer for Meghan’s upcoming second series of With Love, Meghan lifestyle show dropped.

And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says it is telling that there is “scant mention of Harry” int he announcement. She told the Mirror : “It seems clear that this deal is very much Meghan‘s project.

“It seems he may have played some part in the production of a documentary about a Ugandan orphanage, but it is Meghan who will be on screen presenting her lifestyle shows.

“I think this underlines that the couple has decided that Meghan is really the TV personality, and Harry is more comfortable continuing his charity work. And I think that’s the right balance for them.”

It comes after the couple’s controversial docuseries, Harry & Meghan, in which they were highly critical of the Royal Family, has been among the streaming platform’s most-watched documentary of all time with 23.4 million views.

However, other projects, such as Harry’s series on Polo, have failed to bring in anywhere near the same viewers.

Meghan’s latest project, her cookery and lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, released in March, failed to break into the top 300 most-watched shows on the streaming platform in the first six months of 2025 and was also panned by many critics.

And Jennie added: “As I understand it, first look deals like this are not unusual in Hollywood. Arrangements like this usually come with a certain amount of financial investment in the company. And that’s good news for Archewell.

“The fact that Harry and Meghan have got any kind of new deal with Netflix really is one in the eye to everyone who said their contract was done and dusted.

“Netflix has publicly hailed them as ‘influential voices’ -nd it’s hard to argue with that. Whatever they do and say is widely reported on both sides of the Atlantic.

“So I say well done to the two of them. They’ve shown that they still hold sway in Hollywood, and they’ve done what so many people said they couldn’t: they’ve kept their link to Netflix alive and well and – to whatever extent – lucrative.”

Rylan Clark has given fans a glimpse inside his luxurious Essex mansion, which he has decorated to be his ‘sanctuary’ – and it’s quite the transformation

Beloved televisoin and radio host Rylan Clark has discussed what drove him to completely transform the interior of his stunning Essex mansion.

The ex-X Factor contestant revealed in October 2023 that after settling into the property where he records Celebrity Gogglebox with his mum Linda, he ultimately chose to make the décor feel less stark.

Speaking to House Beautiful, he disclosed that the decision came after experiencing a significant life shift.

Rylan, 36, shared: “This is the second house I’ve designed. In my first house, everything was white, everything grey, with just one colour in every room. When I built this house though, I put in polished concrete floors, everything was cool white, that was seen as ultra-modern.

“But then when I went through a bit of a life change, I thought f*** this, and went from cool white to warm white, silver to gold, greens… it’s all a lot warmer now.”

This isn’t the first time Rylan, who also presents on BBC Radio 2, has discussed the inner workings of his residence.

The Eurovision host additionally shared snapshots of his home on Instagram earlier this year, offering followers a glimpse into his personal haven.

The former Celebrity Big Brother presenter spoke about his diary room modelled on the reality programme, and subtle design elements that allowed him to personalise the space.

He penned: “We all know how much I’m obsessed by Big Brother and I have nothing better to do with my time so I built a diary room.

“It’s quite like the diary room as well – which is exciting. Some people sell stuff on eBay from Big Brother – fair enough things are being thrown away but I think it’s naughty. They should put it in a museum or something.”

While Rylan is justifiably pleased with his home, he has captured the hearts of countless admirers this year through his candid conversations about welcoming someone into both his home and his heart, following the end of his marriage to former husband Dan Neal in 2021.

This month, he confessed he had hit “rock bottom” when his six-year marriage ended.

On his How To Be In Love podcast, he revealed: “I can safely say at this point that I have been to rock bottom, whatever you want to call it, and I know I’m never going to let myself go back there. But what that has equally done for me is make me cautious.