Wait… what is going on? People Magazine is now reporting, based on an article from The Sun, that Netflix will not be renewing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s contract this year. People Mag has started picking up stories from the British tabloids with some frequency this year, but they also say that their own “Hollywood insider” source is saying the same thing, that the Sussexes’ deal will not be renewed.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s multiyear deal with Netflix will not be renewed when it expires in September. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a reported $100 million agreement with the streaming service in 2020. Now, as the contract nears its end, it will conclude without renewal, The Sun reports.
A Hollywood insider confirms to PEOPLE that the couple’s production deal will not be extended, reflecting a shift in Netflix’s broader business strategy.
“There’s no animosity from either side,” a source tells The Sun. “Things have just run their course.”
PEOPLE reached out to representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Netflix for comment.
The news comes as new viewership data has been released for the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, which premiered on March 4. According to Netflix’s latest Engagement Report, released on July 17 and covering the first half of 2025, the series ranked at No. 383 with 5.3 million views.
The couple’s 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan remains Netflix’s most-watched documentary debut to date.
“Netflix were clever in that they got a hell of a lot of viewers for the first documentary series, and knew, realistically, it would prove the zenith of content from the Montecito pair,” the source told The Sun. “They’re not unhappy with how things turned out — they got those initial hits, and produced one of the most talked-about shows of all time,” the source added.
I don’t know what to say. My prediction was that the deal would be renewed in a different form, meaning a contract based more on Meghan building her brand and doing cooking/lifestyle programming, and that Harry would be jettisoned. If this is true, that also means that the Daily Fail’s stupid “cousin’s neighbor’s brother-in-law’s hairdresser’s Netflix source” was right. God, this is going to set off the absolute worst Sussex storyline – prepare yourselves. I hope that Meredith Maines convinces them to handle this better than the Spotify situation a few years ago.
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
