Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Cancel Fundraising Event After Bagging Netflix Deal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a lot of criticism for canceling their scheduled fundraising event which was to be held for injured veterans. The decision to cancel the scheduled event comes after signing a multiyear production deal with Netflix which reportedly amounts to $150 million.
The couple's fundraising event was to raise at least one million pounds in partnership with Invictus Games Foundation. The foundation, created by the 35-year-old Prince, is an international multi-sport event which focuses on injured, sickly, or wounded armed service members participating in nine sports that include indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and others.
As per a Sunday Times report, the event was scheduled to air on Amazon — a direct competitor to Netflix.
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The new Netflix deal would see the royal couple producing docuseries, films, documentaries, and animated shows.
Airing such an event on Amazon would lead to a financial conflict, and even though this could be seen as a possible reason behind canceling the fundraiser, an Invictus spokesperson, according to Fox News, has said that the event was canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and had nothing to do with the new deal with Netflix.
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According to Daily Mail, a source said: “It's very bad form and everyone at Invictus is gutted.
“Harry said yes to doing this last year and everything was still moving forwards until a few weeks ago.
“This was going to be a big moment for Invictus where the pot is pretty empty, and it has left them in the lurch. Harry needs to pull his finger out to find another way to raise funds for them.”
“The event was shelved because the primary revenue generator was ticket sales from a live concert in Los Angeles in the spring of 2021.
“Given current circumstances with Covid, the event needed to be reconceptualised.
“This was an independent decision made prior to a partnership with Netflix. The duke remains committed as ever to the Invictus Games.'”
The name of the production company headed by the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex is yet to be revealed. The couple want to make “impactful content that unlocks action" and believe that the "unprecedented reach” that Netflix has may help the cause.