Netflix to be ‘moved on’ if they film the Sussexes at the Jubilee
Streaming service is thought to be making documentary, but their cameras are not accredited
NETFLIX camera crews have not been accredited for the Platinum Jubilee, and will be “moved on” if they set up to film the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from public areas, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The streaming service, rumoured to be making a documentary about the Sussexes, will not be among the official broadcast crews attending the Jubilee celebrations.
Media outlets from around the world will be attending the four-day bank holiday events, with the largest British and American networks setting up hubs outside Buckingham Palace for their lead hosts and guests to film.
Others will film royal arrivals at St Paul’s Cathedral, Trooping the Colour and the Sunday afternoon pageant from official positions, having been cleared by security and authorised to do so.
A source has confirmed to the Telegraph that Netflix will not be among them. While they would be able to travel to public areas along with any well-wishers, should streaming service crews attempt to set up professional camera tripods or lighting to film the Royal family they will be “moved on” by stewards, the source said.
Key events for the Jubilee, including the Saturday night concert and the pageant, are to be broadcast by the BBC, which holds the rights.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously welcomed Netflix crews to join them at events including the Invictus Games in The Hague, where dozens of cameras operated by accredited teams filmed them meeting competitors and their families.
During a visit to New York in September, the couple were flanked by cameras and the Duke of Sussex was photographed with a wire sticking out of his pocket, thought to be from a microphone. The couple are reported to have welcomed Netflix crews into their California home for a fly-on-the wall series, with filming already taking place over months.
Royal sources have been deeply wary of any Netflix involvement in the Platinum Jubilee after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this month finally confirmed they would be bringing their children to Britain to help celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
It will be the first time their daughter Lilibet has visited the UK or met the Queen, and comes ahead of the planned publication of the Duke of Sussex’s autobiography.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently made a private visit to the Queen at Windsor, en route to The Hague where Heart of Invictus was filmed, before Prince Harry told US breakfast television about the trip and his concerns about the “people around” his grandmother.
In September 2020, a spokesman for the Sussexes emphatically denied they would be taking part in a reality-style show for Netflix. But a Hollywood insider has since told US tabloid Page Six that filming is under way.
A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment on the latest claim, although one source noted that the couple had “several projects in various stages of development at Netflix”. So far, the Sussexes’ Netflix deal, under their company Archewell Productions, has not resulted in any completed programmes.
The Invictus documentary is still in production, while the Duchess’s project Pearl, a children’s animated series, has been cancelled by the streaming service. As they visit Britain for the Jubilee, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to attend both Trooping the Colour and the St Paul’s service of thanksgiving for the Queen.
They will not be present for the “balcony moment” on Thursday – the opening day of the bank holiday – after the Queen decided it would be restricted to working members of the family only after “careful consideration”.