Prince Harry’s ‘Rare’ Behind-the-Scenes Role in Netflix’s ‘Polo’ Show
Prince Harry’s knowledge of polo has come in handy with Polo. The Duke of Sussex, 40, used his extensive knowledge of the game to be an “in-house” expert the Netflix original series’ showrunner could turn to for notes. Ahead, what kind of notes Harry gave about Polo and the “lightbulb” moment Meghan Markle added to the show.
Prince Harry (and Meghan Markle) executive produced Netflix’s ‘Polo’ show
Not the star of Polo in the way that he was for Netflix’s 2022 Harry and Meghan docuseries, Harry still plays a role, albeit one behind the camera, in his and the Duchess of Sussex’s latest project for the streaming giant. Harry—and Meghan—serve as executive producers on Polo, which began streaming on Dec. 10, 2024.
It’s part of their five-year partnership with Netflix, which is up in 2025. (Royal watchers will have to wait and see if the partnership will be extended or end.) So far, the couple’s released four titles—Harry and Meghan, Live to Lead, Heart of Invictus, and Polo. They have another on the way with Meghan’s upcoming show about gardening, entertaining, and friendship. (Filming wrapped over the summer.)
Harry’s extensive knowledge of polo helped with filming
Speaking to People, Polo showrunner and executive producer Miloš Balać shared how Harry’s knowledge of the sport helped out behind the scenes. “They were wonderful. They were extremely hands-on,” he said of Harry and Meghan, saying their “vision” was aided by Harry knowing the sport “inside and out.”
“Prince Harry knows the sport inside and out. To be able to have him as someone to bounce ideas off of and then also to get notes from,” he said. “‘Maybe if you edit it like this, the polo will just feel even more exciting. Or you [have] got to make sure that the point is played out like this because that’s how you keep it factually accurate.’”
“To have a polo expert in-house with him was so special,” Balać continued. “I think a lot of projects have EPs [executive producers] that can give great notes. But it’s rare that you have someone who’s truly an expert in the subject that you are documenting.”
Meghan Markle inspired a ‘lightbulb’ moment for ‘Polo’ about the ‘sideline scene’
Balać also shared how Meghan wanted Polo to give viewers a look at “the welcoming energy of the sideline scene.” The former Suits star “loves tailgating at a polo match,” according to Balać.
“And that just sort of set a lightbulb in my head where I was like, ‘Oh, this world is really not going to be what I think it is, in a good way,” the showrunner explained. “And we were able to then dig deeper into all the ways that it isn’t what people assume it is.”
He also shared that Meghan prepared him for the “wonderfully casual” aspect of polo. “Sunday polo on Field One at the U.S. Polo Center is a big to-do where people have champagne brunches and come with their beautiful outfits,” he said. “But the rest of the week, every polo match is actually so down to earth.”
“They’re there not to see and be seen, but to enjoy the sport that they really care about,” Balać added. “And people show up to that for free and you just pull up and she said that that’s what she loves.”
Watch Polo on Netflix.
