Queen Elizabeth Is the Reason Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Ended Up with a Netflix Deal

You know how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle nabbed a production deal with Netflix? Well, it wasn’t their initial plan.

Podcast hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito discussed the news in a brand-new episode of Royally Obsessed, where they broke down the couple’s multi-million-dollar contract with the streaming service.

Although it seems like a smart move for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it wasn’t initially a top priority—that is, until Queen Elizabeth required them to part ways with the “Sussex Royal” brand, forcing the couple to adjust their strategy.

“They also had to pivot from their full plan. They were going to do Sussex Royal, but the Queen put a stop to that,” Bowie explained. “They really had a different idea in their heads in January of how this would all go. So, I’m curious how long the Netflix deal has been in discussions, but I feel like they have made things happen.”

Bowie is referring to the couple’s trademark, which was recently changed from Sussex Royal to Archewell. Although they were originally planning on further developing the Sussex brand (even after stepping down as senior royals), Queen Elizabeth put her foot down. Had this not happened, their semi-royal attachment would likely have prevented any Netflix deal from being possible.

The hosts also discussed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s finances, since they recently paid off their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage. “It must have felt kind of nice to put in writing and release that information, I’m sure,” Bowie said. “It confirms that they are doing this on their own and they planned for that and are going to be alright.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so so quickly. Six months later, they’re already wiping their hands of the Royal Family’s coffers,” Fiorito added. “What struck me as most surprising is how quickly they were able to follow through their plans. They essentially said, ‘We laid out these plans, and it’s not going to be a year, we’re done.’ They mean business.”

On the bright side, their Netflix Plan B works in our favor.