Meghan and Harry's 'fly-on-the-wall' Netflix documentary 'delayed because of backlash over The Crown'

18 October 2022, 08:21 | Updated: 4 November 2022, 10:08

Harry and Meghan's much-anticipated Netflix documentary 'has been delayed' because of heavy backlash over the new series of The Crown.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's show, which is set to tell their 'love story', was supposed to air in December.

However it is now being reported it has been pushed to 2023, with Netflix executives said to be "rattled" by the row over The Crown.

The streaming company has been accused of "inventing" scenes in the popular series, including those showing a younger then-Prince Charles trying to oust the Queen.

The show has also been heavily criticised for plans to dramatise the last moments of Princess Diana's life before she died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

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Because of the row, Netflix bosses reportedly decided to delay the Sussexes' documentary for fear of further backlash.

A source told American news outlet Deadline that Netflix executives were "rattled".

"They blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary," the source said.

The show had already been delayed from November to December following the death of the Queen in September.

Bosses then felt it was not appropriate to have it directly following the release of The Crown, the new series of which will be released in November.

Harry and Meghan are thought to have earlier requested a delay to the show, as Harry reportedly made changes to his book in the wake of the Queen's death.

Makers of the Nextflix show have now claimed some of Harry's comments in the book contradict what he says in the show.

A Netflix insider previously told The Sun that some of the crew were beginning to voice concerns about the dramatisation of Diana's final moments.

"To be going back to Paris and turning Diana's final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable," the source said on Monday.

"Finally, some of the crew members are pushing back on the ideas being tabled.

"The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible.

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"But lately, as things get closer to the present day, it feels harder to strike that balance.

"With some of those moments still so fresh and upsetting, it feels as though a line is being crossed."

Netflix has confirmed the "exact moment of the crash impact" will not be shown.

The series of the hit drama will also show a scheming Charles plotting against his mother, and a take on Prince Philip's relationship with friend Penny Knatchbull.

William Shawcross, the Queen Mother's official biographer, branded The Crown "odious" and "deliberately hurtful" and said it was "filled with lies and half-truths".