Prince Harry could learn from the recent controversy that engulfed his friend, Oprah Winfrey, for his upcoming Netflix show based around the sport of polo, as in today's climate "charity alone is not a shield against allegations of privilege," a new episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast has heard.
Last year, Winfrey was criticized online alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson when the stars appealed to the public to make donations after wildfires devastated areas of Maui in Hawaii. Billionaire Winfrey and millionaire Johnson were scrutinized by critics who called on the pair to fund aid to the island themselves.
The issue, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent Jack Royston told Royal Report listeners, was that the stars approached the fundraising with the wrong tone, with more progressive young people emerging as increasingly anti-rich and anti-privilege.
As Prince Harry embarks on a new Netflix show focused on the wealthy and elite sport of polo, Royston notes that any reference to the millions in charitable donations raised by the sport each year will need to be done with the right tone to avoid the reputational mistakes made by Winfrey and Johnson.
"I think they need to get the tone absolutely perfectly right," he said of the upcoming Netflix show which was announced by Archewell Productions on April 11.
"I don't think they can just, in 2024, celebrate how exceptionally amazing and god-like these mega-rich polo players are, riding around in the sunshine on horses."
"It's great that they raise money for charity. That's brilliant. Equally, we're still going through a cost-of-living crisis. A lot of people are still struggling in all kinds of ways with all kinds of things, and it was less than a year ago that everyone piled in on Oprah and the Rock over Maui. So, it's probably fair to say doing charity work does not, in and of itself, get you off the hook in the modern world."
A day after the show announcement was made, Harry highlighted the charitable aspect of polo by playing in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Florida in aid of his Sentebale charity.
Co-founded in 2006 with close friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Sentebale provides support for young people in the African nations of Lesotho and Botswana, including those affected by HIV and AIDS.
Harry is not the only royal to connect his passion for polo with a charitable output. Prince William plays in an annual polo game to raise money for the charities connected with the Royal Foundation he runs with Princess Kate.
Despite the high-profile fundraising activities of these games, it is hard to disconnect the high-society aspect of the sport, where celebrities and notable figures come together to socialize. To play, polo is also fairly inaccessible. The game requires a large financial output to own or rent polo ponies, equipment and field space.
All this considered, and with the Winfrey-privilege controversy in mind, Royston highlights that tone will be "really important" for any project exploring polo and its fundraising to strike a balance.
"I do think there's an age-old formula here that they could follow which will help a lot, and that's to basically send themselves up and send up this world as well," he said.
"Like, don't just worship the polo players and the polo circuit and the polo world. Make light of it as well. People love Harry when he's funny. That's when he's at his most charming, and it diffuses the kind of flamboyant wealth bomb much more effectively than purely the presence of charity fundraising alone.
"The charity cause is fantastic," Royston said. "It's great that it's there. People love it when stars raise money for charity. But as Oprah and the Rock have proved, charity alone is not a shield against allegations of privilege anymore."
Newsweek has approached representatives of Harry via email for comment.
Harry's show will, according to Archewell Productions, "pull the curtain back on the grit and passion of the sport, capturing players and all it takes to compete at the highest level."
The project is reportedly in the early stages of development, focusing on the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. The show's title and release date have not yet been announced.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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