Netflix reportedly postponed the upcoming Meghan and Harry documentary after attacks on its other blockbuster project about the British royal family. The streamer now plans to release the series next year, according to an October 17 Deadline report. Originally slated for a November release pegged to the season-five premiere of The Crown on the 9th, Netflix decided to delay the Archewell-produced documentary — which followed the duke and duchess for over a year — after it came under fire from a former British prime minister after he complained about a plotline in the fictional retelling of Queen Elizabeth’s life. “They’re rattled at Netflix and they blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary,†a source told Deadline. While Netflix hasn’t balked at releasing other controversial content about real-life people (ahem: Dahmer), it appears that the politics of the documentary’s existence was too much to handle after the queen’s death last month, helping to lay the groundwork for its postponement.
The negative British headlines weren’t the only thing that shook Ted Sarandos’s empire — in early October, sources said that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were “panicked†over their series and wanted to edit out new revelations. The couple — who famously went on Oprah to discuss the racism Meghan faced while living with the royal family — told Netflix they wanted to backtrack in the wake of the queen’s death in September. “Harry and Meghan are having second thoughts on their own story, on their own project,†a Netflix source told “Page Six†on October 4. Another industry source added, “Harry and Meghan are panicked about trying to tone down even the most basic language. But it’s their story, from their own mouths.†Though the project could be “shelved indefinitely†if Netflix gives in to the couple’s wishes, other sources said that Netflix has made it “clear that project is going forward.â€