Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s latest Netflix show, the documentary Polo, went on air on December 8. It is about the “behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced and glamorous world of polo.” However, following its release, the series has been facing criticism.
The main reason behind this is the selective narrative and serious omissions. That includes the exclusion of his brother, Prince William. Adding fuel to the fire are comments from an old friend. Tommy Severn, captain of England’s polo team and a former associate of Prince Harry, has publicly criticized the documentary, calling it “very weird.” Speaking to the Daily Mail, Severn said, “It seemed to be more about Timmy and Tim Dutta than the prince, who doesn’t appear until near the end.”
I sat through five hours of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Polo so you don’t have to.
It is the worst series in the history of Netflix and the final nail in the coffin in the Hollywood career of the Sussexes. pic.twitter.com/foriCnBlui
— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) December 11, 2024
Severn’s comments arise not just from the series’ content but also from the absence of any acknowledgment of the previous connection that they shared. Prince Harry once spent his gap year at Severn’s family ranch in Argentina and kept his polo ponies at a Gloucestershire stud owned by Severn’s grandfather, Christopher Hanbury.
Talking about this, Severn remarked, “I have no idea why Harry hadn’t mentioned his connection to me during the show. I think Harry’s cut ties, so if he came back now, he’d look like an idiot.”
The criticism from Severn comes along with growing discontent among royal experts regarding the documentary’s approach. Andrew Pierce of GB News slammed the omission of Prince William. He called it a glaring gap. “Polo is the favorite sport of Prince William, and he isn’t appearing in the documentary because he’s not speaking to his brother,”
Pierce said. “You can’t do a polo documentary, frankly, about Prince Harry if you don’t include the British royal family in it because they’ve been playing polo for decades.”
Similarly, royal commentator Sarah Louise Robertson said that the documentary felt like an attempt to erase history. “Harry’s just erased how he got into the game in this,” she said, while Louise Roberts criticized the focus on Harry’s US charity work, saying, “It’s like he’s just eliminated that history.”
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Adding to the critical reception, brand expert Nick Ede speculated that the lukewarm response to Polo might jeopardize the Sussexes’ exciting Netflix deal. Despite their involvement as executive producers, Harry and Meghan’s screen time is much less.
Much of the spotlight is on players like Nacho Figueras and Adolfo Cambiaso. “The new polo documentary hasn’t received good reviews,” Ede told the Daily Mail. “With very little airtime, we don’t get to see the pair much, and also hardly any PR around the series, this looks like it’s Oh No! rather than Polo!”
With a steady slam from critics and comment from a former friend, the reception to Polo is a steady glimpse of the challenges Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face as they keep going through their media careers. For now, the documentary’s mixed reviews and controversies point to a rocky road ahead for the Sussexes’ Netflix targets.