Harry & Meghan announced as Netflix’s second most successful documentary series

By Benjamin Cooper, PA

Netflix has announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s explosive recent series is its second-highest ranked documentary ever.

Harry & Meghan began its release on December 8, in the lead-up to the publication of the duke’s controversial memoir Spare, and saw damaging claims levelled at the royal family throughout six episodes.

Netflix reported its fourth quarter earnings on Thursday and disclosed a gain of 7.7 million subscribers during the October-December period, a stretch that included the debut of an ad-supported option for seven dollars (£5.65) per month.

As defined by cumulative view hours in the first 28 days, it also reported on Wednesday as its third-most popular series ever, Glass Onion its fourth-most popular film and Harry & Meghan its second-most successful documentary series.

Both Buckingham and Kensington Palace have remained silent over Harry’s allegations in the series that the Prince of Wales left his brother terrified after screaming and shouting at him during the Sandringham summit.

Harry also claimed in the series that Kensington Palace “lied to protect my brother” when it issued a statement denying a story William had bullied him out of the royal family.

And he accused Charles of lying at the tense Megxit crisis meeting with the Queen in January 2020.

It comes as Harry’s controversial memoir became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998.

According to Nielsen BookData, which collects and provides information on distribution and sales measurement of books, Harry’s headline-grabbing autobiography Spare sold 467,183 copies in its first week.

The memoir, which hit the shelves on January 10, includes claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.

As the duke continued a run of high-profile promotional interviews, he said he “would like nothing more” than for his children to have relationships with the royal family.

His remarks about his son and daughter came despite the criticism he has levelled at his brother, father and stepmother Camilla.

He also described his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as his “guardian angel” and said she is with him “all the time”.