Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have produced a brand new documentary series about polo for Netflix, and the hotly-anticipated show has finally been released. The series lifts the lid on the elite sport, which Harry has played himself for many years, and the drama that surrounds it - on and off the field.
The couple inked a multi-million-pound deal with Netflix back in 2020 after their surprise royal exit sent shockwaves across the nation - and now the showrunner who worked on Polo has candidly opened up about exactly what the couple's motivation was in this latest venture for the streaming giant, and what they were really like to work with.
Speaking to the New York Post, Miloš Balać explained that Meghan and Harry were keen to show that there is a lot more to the sport than its reputation as an elite, luxury sport - and wanted the series to dig deep into all the grit and determination that goes into each and every match, as well as the strong community spirit that can be found on the sidelines.
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Netflix)Balać - who also produced the hit documentary series Welcome to Wrexham for Disney Plus - added that the couple were "amazing" to work with and their two contrasting perspectives on the sport provided a lot to the production. "Both Prince Harry and Meghan were just amazing collaborators from the start," he explained. "They have so much knowledge about the sport, but also an understanding that we're trying to bring new people into this world."
The showrunner explained that while Harry provided extreme levels of expertise and the nitty-gritty details of the sport, having been playing it for years himself, Meghan as more of a newcomer to the world helped round things out, almost playing the role of the audience, who are coming to the able to with little, if any, knowledge of polo.
Balać added that he also was a novice when it came to polo at the beginning of the project and that he worked closely with the couple to use both of these perspectives to create a show that would encourage many more people to become interested in the sport. Polo is called the sport of kings for a reason - horses, lessons, and club memberships don't come cheap - so the couple were motivated by making the sport more accessible to their viewers and breaking down the stereotypes surrounding it.
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Getty Images for Sentebale)"I think the collective intention was definitely, definitely to grow the audience of polo," the showrunner said. "I think the difference in approach was that Harry, you know, is really seeing it as 'look at how incredible these athletes are. Look how incredible these animals are' which Meghan sees and says the same. But I think for her, it's also like, 'Look at how incredible this community is.'
"You know, she's the one who's sitting watching from the side of the field and she was there, and we wanted to showcase that part of the world as well, where it really does feel like one big family. I think that was really the feeling we were going for from the start."
The showrunner added that he shared the couple's vision of dismantling the stereotype surrounding polo that it is a sport only the richest elites can enjoy, and that while Harry and Meghan were motivated to show the glamorous side too, they also wanted to highlight just how hard the athletes and animals have to work, and the sacrifices made to compete at the highest level.
All five episodes of Polo are available to stream on Netflix now - with Prince Harry appearing in the final episode, which covers the Sentebale Polo Cup - an annual event in aid of Harry's charity.
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