'Meghan's failure to publicly back Harry speaks volumes after Netflix downgrade'

Meghan Markle spoke of her pride after extending her and Prince Harry's 'partnership' with Netflix and signing a new "multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects".

However, the package has since been described as a "downgrade" on their previous multi-million dollar exclusive deal. Only Meghan spoke out in the announcement, describing how she and Harry feel 'inspired' by their streaming platform partners, who "share their vision".

But according to royal expert Dr Tessa Dunlop, while Meghan had plenty to say about Netflix, her silence when it comes to another issue facing Harry is telling. The Duke of Sussex stepped down from Sentebale, the charity he founded to help children orphaned by Aids in Lesotho, following a boardroom battle with the chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka.

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Harry was said to be devastated by the row, which saw all sides rebuked by the Charity Commission for allowing the war of words to play out so publicly. And many expected self-styled philanthropist Meghan to publicly back Harry, with Tessa questioning her silence.

Tessa told the Mirror: "Now that Meghan and Harry have signed a new Netflix deal (‘looser’ and apparently less lucrative than the previous $78m one but a deal nonetheless), might the Duchess find her voice?

"Not the one she volubly uses to hawk As Ever wares (in conjunction with Netflix) but rather the voice Meghan famously re-found after leaving the Royal Family, the one that talked her truth to royal power and surely could talk her truth to the Sentebale fiasco?

"No, really, why hasn’t Meghan come out batting for Prince Harry in his latest round of verbal fisty-cuffs concerning his former African charity? After all, the Duke has consistently spoken out in support of his wife, establishing the precedent early on and against the wishes of his family when he condemned Britain’s media coverage and insisted he had never before witnessed such a ‘degree of pressure, scrutiny and harassment’ from the press.

"As it currently stands, Harry cuts a lonely figure. The Charity Commission 'identified a ‘strong perception of ill treatment' swirling in the unhappy waters of his former charity, Sentebale. It was a terse ruling that exonerated no one; all parties remain incandescent, particularly the aggrieved prince, who insists the report has fallen ‘troublingly short.’

"In other words, the Duke of Sussex’s nemesis, Dr Sophie Chanduka, is still at large, running Harry’s former beloved Sentebale. The Duke could really do with some public TLC, especially from his wife, whose own issues with said Dr Chanduka were allegedly caught on camera at a polo match Sentebale fundraiser."

When the row first emerged back in March, Meghan was also dragged into it when Dr Chandauka accused the Duchess of causing a stir when she turned up with tennis icon Serena Williams to a Sentebale polo match fund-raiser.

This was later rubbished by sources close to Meghan and Harry, with the latter said to be reeling" at how his resignation has panned out.

But Tessa added: "As Meghan was part of the problem that was criticised for playing ‘out publicly’, please could she offer her beleaguered husband a verbal panacea?

"With a new Netflix deal signed that mainly favours the Duchess and the As Ever brand, a word or two of support for the Prince who made it all possible would not go amiss. After all, these days Harry is very much on the outside, wondering how he so suddenly lost his fast-track to philanthropic service on the continent of Africa."

The announcement of the new Netflix deal has also confirmed that the second season of Meghan's lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, is set to air later this month, along with a holiday special in December.

Meanwhile, on social media, Meghan's As Ever brand has continued to plug her products, including her rose wine. And Tessa explained: "Meghan, meanwhile, is wallowing in her happy space, posting shadowy pics of her latest Rose wine on Instagram, reassuring her international customers 'we see you too!' Perhaps.

"But does she see her spouse? Does she hear his pain? Does she envisage a way forward for the troubled Duke? The Sussexes broke ‘free’ of the British Royal Family some five years ago, and despite the best efforts of the naysayers, the Duchess has been incontrovertibly emboldened by her association with Harry’s brand of tinsel and tiaras.

"Sadly, the same cannot be said for her husband. Netflix Christmas specials on how to decorate your house and a documentary short about an Ugandan orphanage hardly cut it for the man with a lifelong training in gladhanding and philanthropic giving.

"As one person inside the couple’s circle saliently observed, Harry looks like the kind of guy who would, frankly, happily work for charities for the rest of his life.’ Well quite. And he has made it clear he wants to continue his charitable endeavours in Africa. It would be great if Meghan could pipe up and give him some support."