Prince Harry’s first solo Netflix project will face a “big challenge” as he takes a step back from his previous entertainment strategy.
The Duke of Sussex’s initial project with the streaming platform was the six-part docuseries Harry & Meghan, which focused on his and Meghan Markle’s departure from the Royal Family.
But he and the Duchess now have signalled they are ready to move on from their royal connections to focus on more original productions.
However, Harry will now need to demonstrate he can bring in the viewers with projects that are not associated with his royal role.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: “This is likely to be a constructive and interesting documentary. It is, however, difficult to see it attracting a large audience.
“After their failure at Spotify and the inability of their previous Netflix project Live to Lead to appeal to audiences, they need good ratings, but this will also have a special cachet as it is so personal to Harry.”
Heart of Invictus will focus on Harry’s work on the Invictus Games and includes interviews with contestants discussing the importance the Games have had.
The Duke set up the Games in 2014 to bring together veterans from across the world and help them find the support of a new community through sport.
Fitzwilliams argued the royal will need to deliver on another “crowd pleaser” to repeat the success of his and Meghan’s documentary earlier this year.
Speaking to Newsweek, he continued: “Their six-hour marathon documentary, Harry & Meghan, released last December, was Netflix’s second-highest ranked documentary ever, but left them open to accusations of overexposure and hypocrisy.
“Their biggest challenge is to find a crowd-pleaser that does not involve criticizing the Royal Family.”
Harry and Meghan have been struggling with their popularity since the release of the docuseries and his biography Spare in quick succession.
And despite making no further comments about their past relationship with the Royal Family, and Harry putting differences aside to attend the Coronation in May, their numbers have yet to return anywhere near their record highs.
A YouGov survey conducted in June saw Meghan’s popularity hit a record low. Over 65 percent of the 2,014 respondents had a negative view of the Duchess compared to 21 percent holding a positive view.
The result marked a three-point drop compared to a similar poll carried out in April.
Harry fared not much better, with 63 percent of participants saying they had a “total negative” view of the royal compared to 28 percent with a positive view.
Fitzwilliams had previously told the Daily Express it would be difficult for the Duke and Duchess to reach the same levels of popularity they once enjoyed while still working members of the Royal Family.
He said: “As far as the popularity they used to have, it’s a completely different thing. It’ll never happen in Britain, where the ratings are minus.”
“They have terrible poll ratings [and] all of them have been for ages.”
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