With their newest Netflix project, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are attempting to drum up public interest in the elite world of professional polo.
Needless to say, that’s no easy feat.
And thus far, it looks as though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have failed to convince the masses that mallet-wielding rich guys on horseback are worthy of their enthusiasm.
Harry and Meghan’s Doomed Polo Project
As you may recall, Harry and Meghan signed a massive deal with Netflix shortly after they stepped down as working royals.
Nearly five years later, the partnership has yielded mixed results.
The doc series Harry & Meghan — which focused on the couple’s private lives — made a splash on Netflix. But later series about Harry’s involvement with the Invictus Games came and went with little fanfare.
Now, it looks as though Polo is poised to meet a similar fate.
This week saw the premiere of the first trailer for Polo. And it’s drawing criticism for everything from its Bravo-esque tone to its alleged portrayals of to the total absence of Harry and Meghan.
“It’s hilarious, but not in a good way. It’s so tacky and cringey, it is literally all the worst things about polo. I watched it in appalled hysterics,” a source who used to play polo with Harry told The Daily Beast.
“The irony is that polo is actually a surprisingly inclusive sport these days,” said another insider, identified as a “former friend” of Harry’s.
“You do see plenty of rich kids but there are also plenty of kids from less rarefied backgrounds who just happen to be fantastic riders who are sponsored by the teams,” the second source continued.
“It doesn’t look like this show is going to foreground that, which is a real missed opportunity.”
Criticism for Polo comes on the heels of a rocky year in which Meghan’s Spotify podcast was canceled after just a single season.
A recent poll indicated that Harry and Meghan are less popular than ever in the UK. So the couple could really use a Stateside hit these days.
“This looks like it has failed to capture the imagination. They still have Meghan’s cooking show to screen next year but there is very little tolerance for pissing money away these days,” an anonymous Hollywood producer told The Daily Beast.
“It’s debatable whether anyone cares about these two if they are not serving up outrageous stories about the royals. They are running out of last chances to prove that isn’t so. If they can’t, they could try to monetize their fame on social media. Plenty of people would still give Harry a million bucks for a post.”
A Harsh Analysis
But perhaps the harshest criticism of all came from the popular UK columnist Liz Jones, a former Harry and Meghan sympathizer who has turned against the couple in recent years.
“What next? His own slot on the Shopping Channel? How can Harry and Meghan possibly travel the globe, preaching about poverty and diversity and inclusion, when not one black player can be spied,” Jones wrote this week.
“The funds required to run a polo team doubtless outstrip that of Formula 1. How can they lecture us about global warming when one player admits he flies to Argentina twice a week?”
Polo doesn’t premiere until December 10, but it sounds like the public has already made up its mind about the project.
And that could spell trouble for Harry and Meghan.