It’s just over a year since it emerged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had signed a huge £112m deal with Netflix – causing panic at the Palace about what was to come. And eyebrows were raised last week when the platform aired Diana: The Musical – a Broadway show depicting the story of the late Princess Diana.
The show focuses on the love triangle between Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and has been criticised for being “insensitive” and “crass”, with “hysterically awful” lyrics. One online user wrote, “This musical is a complete insult to the Queen and Princess Diana’s memory”.
And fans and critics alike were quick to comment on the fact that the biographical show had been commissioned by Diana’s son Harry’s employers. Columnist Dan Wootton wrote, “If Prince Harry isn’t writing his resignation letter to Netflix at this very moment after the international release of the revolting Diana musical, then he is a man devoid of morals.”
It’s not the first time Netflix has aired TV shows about Diana’s life. Earlier this year, The Crown season four portrayed her teenage years, joining the royal family and her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles. Last week, pictures emerged of Elizabeth Debicki – who plays Diana – filming scenes in Spain for the fifth series. A documentary called Diana: In Her Own Words also aired on the streaming service last year. And, showing how Diana’s popularity seems to be at an all-time high, Hollywood movie Spencer – starring Kristen Stewart – premiered earlier this month, too.
Now, Diana’s former butler – who worked at both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for a decade – says the couple’s affiliation with Netflix is evidence they’re exploiting their royal connection. Paul, 63, says, “The world is just as – if not more – fascinated by and adoring of Diana as when she was alive. The interest in her has skyrocketed in recent years. When Harry and Meghan made their Netflix deal, it was already streaming The Crown. While the show had not yet entered Diana’s era, I’m sure they were both sharp enough to realise it would eventually cover her life.
“Harry’s always insisted he’s sensitive about his mother’s portrayal on the world stage, but clearly didn’t mind that his employers would be exploiting her life in one of their shows.
“They appear to be turning a blind eye to the Diana musical, which just adds to the impression that Harry and Meghan are cashing in on Diana and their royal connection. Presumably, they won’t cut ties with Netflix because of it, because they thrive off the interest in Diana. It’s what makes them bankable. Harry and Meghan knew who they were getting into bed with when they signed that deal – it was too much money to say no to.”
Since the couple moved to the US last year, the divide between Harry and Meghan and the royal family, notably Prince William, has widened, after their shocking tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they made accusations of racism and mental health neglect. Meghan also called out her sister-in-law Kate Middleton for “making [her] cry” before her wedding.
Harry went on to criticise his royal upbringing and his father’s parenting, saying in a podcast he felt “trapped” and was encouraged to keep quiet about his mental health struggles in his teens and twenties.
Last month, eagle-eyed fans spotted a wire hanging out of Harry’s trousers while the couple were on a visit to New York, sparking rumours they were filming their mini-tour
for a potential Netflix show. Harry and Meghan have also been commissioned to write four books for publishing giant Penguin Random House, the first of which is said to be a memoir by Harry, out next autumn.
And Paul says there’ll no doubt be more bombshells.
Check out: richest Love Island stars
CLOSER Love Island's richest stars - slider
1 of 26Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen 2016
Olivia Buckland was a member of the 2016 Love Island cast from day one. She coupled up with Daniel Lukakis, Rykard Jenkins and Adam Maxted before Alex Bowen entered.From day 20 onwards, Olivia stayed coupled up with Alex Bowen. The couple ended as runners up.Before entering the villa, Olivia worked as a sales executive and Alex was a scaffolder and fitness model.Before her rise to fame, Olivia admitted she was so debt-ridden she had to sell her own sofa.
2 of 26Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen 2016
Since leaving the villa, Alex and Olivia moved in together and they are the proud owners of two French bulldogs. In 2017, the couple got engaged and Olivia featured in an episode of Say Yes To The Dress. In 2018, Alex and Olivia became the first Love Island couple to tie the knot. They made an exclusive deal with OK! magazine and the pair married at Gosfield Hall in a lavish ceremony with hundreds of guests.According to Fabulous magazine the season two couple have made the most money from the show, with their wedding last year landing a £25,000 magazine deal.Olivia has had several fashion deals including her own range of clothing with MissPap, has walked the catwalk during London Fashion Week as well as presented on This Morning.Alex and Olivia have recently launched a clothing brand together called Exempt society. The couple are thought to be worth £4.4 million.
3 of 26Dani Dyer 2018
Dani Dyer captured the nation's heart on Love Island season four last year and went on to win the series with boyfriend, Jack Fincham.The pair coupled up very early on and (mostly) stayed strong throughout the run. At the end of the 2018 series, the couple were crowned winners and split the £50,000 prize.Before entering the villa, Dani was a barmaid and an aspiring actress. She's appeared in eight films including Age Of Kill and Heckle.Dani is also the daughter of EastEnders legend Danny Dyer.
4 of 26Dani Dyer 2018
After leaving the show a happy couple, Dani and Jack landed a spin-off series on ITVBe, Life After Love Island. They also went on to collaborate with Cadbury and Lucozade. According to The Sun, the couple were thought to have made at least £150,000 in advertising deals before their split earlier this year.Since splitting, Dani has continued to make money on her own and has launched her own clothing range with In the Style, reportedly worth £750,000.
5 of 26Jack Fincham 2018
Before his rise to fame after entering the villa, Jack Fincham was a pen salesman from Essex.Jack won the 2018 series alongside girlfriend Dani Dyer and they stayed coupled up with for the entire time run of the show. The couple even remained strong when Jack's ex-girlfriend Ellie Jones entered the Casa Amor villa.
6 of 26Jack Fincham 2018
Jack and Dani won the show and shared the £50,000 prize, but they split not long after they starred in their spin off series on ITVBe, Life After Love Island. Since then, Jack has collaborated with McDonald's and Protein World and has launched his own line of stationary, Fincham London.As well as numerous TV appearances, Jack is set to boost his profile even further as it has just been announced he will star in the cast of the next series of Celebs Go Dating.
7 of 26Kem Cetinay 2017
Kem won the 2017 series alongside Amber Davies and has been a pretty regular face on TV since then. Before entering the villa in 2017, Kem worked as a hairdresser in his home county Essex and shared his life (and his tanned six pack) with his growing Instagram followers. Kem and Amber Davies's relationship on the show was enjoyable to watch and romantic, with the couple going through some ups and downs on TV (including Kem's romantic girlfriend proposal and their Casa Amor dramas). The pair went on to win the series and share the £50,000 prize.
8 of 26Kem Cetinay 2017
According to reports, Kem has earned £1.5 million since leaving the show. Kem has presented on Good Morning Britain and This Morning and even appeared as a contestant on 2018's series of Dancing on Ice. He later returned to the ITV competition in 2019 as a backstage presenter. Kem also appears to have continued to rake it in via Instagram posts and deals with Sainsbury's and BoohooMAN. Not forgetting the ITV2 spin-off series Kem starred in with his fellow Love Islander Chris Hughes - You vs Chris & Kem and Straight Outta Love Island.The Love Island 'bro-mance' even went on to top the charts with their single, Little Bit Leave It.
9 of 26Amber Davies 2017
Amber is from North Wales and was an aspiring actress and dancer before her rise to fame on the show. She had also worked as an entertainer at London's circus themed club night Cirque Le Soir .
10 of 26Amber Davies 2017
After winning the show and gaining her share of the £50,000 prize, Amber continued to raise her bank balance by reportedly charging £5,000 an hour for personal appearances.The former Islander then went on to collaborate with the clothing brand, MotelRocks, and signed a deal thought to be worth £500k.Amber now stars in the West End production of 9 to 5: The Musical; fans were able to follow her journey to the stage in a reality show on ITVBe - Amber & Dolly: 9 to 5.
11 of 26Chris Hughes 2017
Chris worked on his family farm before entering the Love Island villa in 2017. Chris fell in love with Olivia Attwood and the couple finished as runners up to Amber and Kem.
12 of 26Chris Hughes 2017
Chris is thought to have banked £1.4 million since Love Island.Before their dramatic split, Chris and Olivia starred in their own spin-off show, Chris & Olivia: Crackin' On. The 26 year old had a hit single with best friend Kem, and has had numerous personal and TV appearances. Not forgetting, Chris and Kem's popular TV shows - You vs Chris & Kem and Straight Outta Love Island.More recently, Chris has started dating Little Mix star Jesy Nelson and has been earning money presenting horse-racing coverage on ITV.
13 of 26Olivia Attwood 2017
Before fame, Olivia lived in Surrey and worked as a motorsport grid girl and model. Olivia was initially paired with Marcel Somerville but she ended up coupled with Chris HughesAfter their somewhat turbulent relationship in series three, Olivia and Chris broke up after leaving as runners up and attempting their relationship in the 'real world'.
14 of 26Olivia Attwood 2017
Olivia is thought to have raked in £1.2 million since her time in the 2017 villa.It has been reported that Olivia charges £10,000 per public appearance and can be paid £2,000 for a sponsored Instagram post.The former grid-girl has also appeared on E4's Celebs Go Dating and landed a magazine column with New!Liv recently got back together with ex-boyfriend and footballer, Bradley Dack.
15 of 26Kady McDermott 2016
Kady was the brunette bombshell from Stevenage who strutted into the Love Island villa in series two. The former make-up artist found love on the show with Scott Thomas and the couple finished in third place. However, the turbulent nature of their relationship continued outside of the villa with the couple breaking up and getting back together on more than one occasion.
16 of 26Kady McDermott 2016
Pocket rocket Kady has reportedly made £1.2 million since her time in the villa in 2016.When they first left the villa, the on/off couple made money by reportedly charging up to £10,000 for personal and night club appearances.After breaking up for good in 2017, Kady has now moved on and earns a living from her make-up range By Kady, which she launched in 2017 and her fitness guide. She is now dating TOWIE star Myles Barnett and the pair featured on the reality show together. Kady, 23, regularly shares sponsored posts on Instagram and has teamed up with Boohoo and I Saw It First. Recently, Kady and Myles purchased a Hertfordshire bungalow and have huge renovation plans.
17 of 26Jess Shears and Dom Lever 2017
Jessica Shears and Dom Lever met in the 2017 Love Island villa and the duo have gone on to become man and wife.Before the show, Jess was a glamour model and Dom worked as a careers adviser in Manchester.The couple got together on the first day of Love Island series three and stayed together until Jess got dumped by the boys. Lovesick Dom was dumped from Casa Amor just weeks later and the couple reunited.
18 of 26Jess Shears and Dom Lever 2017
After they returned to England, Dom and Jess's relationship continued to grow and the couple got engaged in September 2017. Since leaving the villa, both Jess and Dom have boosted their bank balances with lots of sponsored posts on Instagram. The couple's first wedding came on Good Morning Britain in a bizarre ceremony on Valentin'e Day 2018 when they were 'married' by Richard Arnold.However, the reality stars had a real wedding in October on the Greek Island of Mykonos and signed an exclusive deal with OK! magazine.In May 2019, the couple announced they are expecting their first child together.
19 of 26Gabby Allen 2018
Gabby rose to fame in the 2017 series of Love Island and became known for her love story with Blazin Squad's Marcel Somerville. Before entering the villa, Gabby worked as a fitness Instructor. The couple became inseparable and it seemed that their relationship would be one of the longest standing. However, months after leaving the villa, Marcel cheated on Gabby while the couple were holidaying in Mexico and they split.
20 of 26Gabby Allen 2018
The fitness pro has made a lot of money since leaving the villa and has even launched her own fitness app, which became no.1 in the Apple Store. It has been reported that Gabby also signed a £100k-a-year contract with another fitness app and she recently brought out a book, full of tips on how to achieve a banging bod like hers.Gabby has now found love again and is in a relationship with Rak-su singer, Myles Stephenson.
21 of 26Megan Barton Hanson 2O18
Entering the 2018 villa midway through series four, Megan instantly stirred things up.On the show, Megan found love with Wes Nelson and the couple stayed together for five months, splitting at the end of January 2019.Since leaving the show, the former glamour model from Essex has opened up about getting £25k worth of cosmetic surgery when she was 19.
22 of 26Megan Barton Hanson 2O18
Megs has reportedly made £1.1 million since leaving the villa and signed deals with Pretty Little Thing and Avon.Megan is set to appear on the upcoming series of Celebs Go Dating and has admitted to being open to finding love with both men and women.
23 of 26Amber Gill 2019
Amber was an original islander on series 5 of Love Island. She had a rocky start to the show, coupling up with Michael Griffiths who proceeded to return from his stint in Casa Amor with another girl. Not cool. Amber went on to win the series with Irish rugby player Greg O'Shea. The pair have since split after little over a month outside of the villa.
24 of 26Amber Gill 2019
Since leaving the villa with half of the £50K prize money, Amber has gone on to sign a £1 million clothing deal with online retailer Miss Pap. According to The Sun, Amber took the least time to become a millionaire after leaving the villa. It was also reported that Amber could charge £10,000 per Instagram post after finishing her stint on the show. Her current net worth is estimated to be £2 million.
25 of 26Molly-Mae Hague & Tommy Fury 2019
Molly & Tommy only had eyes for each other after meeting in the hideaway hot-tub midway through series five. The pair negotiated Casa Amor and the infamous baby challenge, making their way to the final before missing out on the crown.Not winning the series doesn't appear to have hindered their success - the couple are still together and recently holidayed in the Maldives, we're pretty jel tbh.
26 of 26Molly-Mae Hague & Tommy Fury 2019
The pair's net worth is now estimated to be £800,000. Soon after leaving the villa, Molly-Mae raked in £500,000 for a sponsorship deal with Pretty Little Thing. Both Tommy and Molly had significant cash before entering the villa, with Tommy's boxing career contributing to his pre-villa £120,000 piggy bank.
He says, “Part of the royal fascination and popularity is that no one knows what really goes on behind closed doors. And so when Harry and Meghan share a glimpse into that life, it’s shocking and scandalous and people love to hear it. It’s juicy gossip and it’s what makes them interesting. They have escaped the royals and found their freedom, but in reality, they’ll always be chained down by the fact that being royal is the only thing that makes them interesting. And in playing on these connections, they are stabbing Harry’s family in the back and deepening the rift. I imagine Harry’s book will be even more shocking than what he’s said so far, as the publishers will need that.
“That’s the issue Harry and Meghan face with trying to blur the lines between being royal and being celebrities. It just doesn’t work.”
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As well as Netflix and Penguin, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed multimillion-dollar deals with the likes of Spotify and Apple TV. And last month, Harry and Meghan flew back from New York to their home in LA on the private jet owned by marketing company Guthy-Renker, which has marketed celebrity-endorsed beauty brands with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Cindy Crawford. This fuelled reports that Meghan could be set to launch her own cosmetic line.
And Paul says that he can see Harry and Meghan throwing themselves into the TV and commercial world. He explains, “I think we’ll definitely see a reality series from them, which will surprise everyone, where they’ll show off the work they’re doing, and also reveal glimpses of their life at home as a family. It’ll be something where they can completely control the narrative and present themselves how they want to.
“I think we’ll also see Meghan fronting a beauty brand, with her face on billboards. I can see her on QVC, selling things – that’s huge in America. The question is, how successful will it be without their royal links? In the UK, their popularity has plummeted. While in America they may seem more interesting at the minute, if they run out of dirt to dish on the royals, they may fade into irrelevancy.”
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