Hours after Kate Middleton rocked the royal world with her announcement of the progress of her cancer, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have launched a counter-attack via Netflix: they will broadcast a documentary to chronicle the excellence of the sport of polo. The trailer for Harry and Meghan’s latest project for the streaming platform was released just hours after Kate Middleton’s intimate cancer recovery video. Polo was announced on Netflix’s social media today and has been created by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions. Naturally, it hasn’t taken long for a debate to start in the UK about the Montecito-based couple’s “sense of timing.” There is no evidence to suggest that the timing of Netflix’s announcement was planned around Kate Middleton’s video, with a source telling MailOnline that Netflix was announcing a “multi-title slate of sports documentaries” and that Polo would be one of several projects. It was also stressed that this was not a trailer, but rather the release of preview images and an announcement of a month of release, as well as an official title for the series. Specifically, the teaser read: “Polo is a new documentary series that follows the world’s elite players and offers an exclusive look behind the scenes of the fast-paced world of sport.” The audience watched the Polo announcement while still having some of Kate Middleton’s most emotional messages in their heads. “Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and the uncharted path,” was one of them. It added: “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my road to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. However, I look forward to returning to work and making some more public engagements in the coming months when I am able.” The streaming platform has also attempted to justify the timing of the announcement by denying that they have released a simple trailer. They insist that they have only released the first images and revealed the month of the premiere, as well as the official title of the documentary series. However, this has not convinced many followers of the British monarchy. Many remember that it is something that has happened regularly. That is, when Kate Middleton has become the center of the news, an indirect response has immediately been generated by Harry and/or Meghan. We only have to go back to Kate Middleton’s first appearance after announcing that she had cancer. The Princess of Wales chose Trooping The Colour to reappear at a public event and Meghan Markle took advantage of it to announce a preview of her brand’s products. A move that sparked a wave of criticism from the British press, who considered that she was taking advantage of the media moment to advertise her business. The reaction on the networks has been immediate. “Do they think they’re going to overshadow the Kensington ad like this,” “ridiculous,” and “meanwhile, on the other side of the family…” were just some of the comments that could be read on social media as soon as the Netflix announcement was made.
