Polo Is for the Poor, Too, So Say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

"The goal was always to make this feel accessible…the whole idea is to break down this stereotype that it’s for exclusively the rich and famous and extremely beautiful, wealthy, opera society," the showrunner of the couple's new Netflix series told Variety.

By Audra Heinrichs | December 10, 2024 | 5:23pm

Photo: Getty Images Celebrity Entertainment TV

Polo Is for the Poor, Too, So Say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Remember when Prince Hary and Megan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, inked a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix to produce a series of programs in 2020 only for almost every project to be deemed a “flop“? I do! And unfortunately, it appears we’re in for at least two more in the coming months. The first, a five-part docuseries on professional polo (which premiered this week) is already being called a “horsey hiccup” and “an unintentionally hilarious profile of the world’s stupidest sport” by critics.

Polo, as it’s simply named, chronicles the lives of those competing in the sport’s U.S. Open, which took place in Wellington, Florida from March 22 to April 21, 2024, and had a prize of $100,000. The Open was instituted in 1904 but moved permanently to Wellington in 2004.

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Per a press release from Tudum, the series “offers unprecedented access to the world of professional polo. The series will pull back the curtain on the sport, known primarily for its aesthetic and social scene, capturing the full story of what it takes to compete at its highest level.”

What exactly should one expect to find behind said curtain? Well, the series’ showrunner, Miloš Balać, attempted to explain in an interview published by Variety on Tuesday.

“The goal was always to make this feel accessible, make this feel like a world that, even if you don’t know anything about polo, the whole idea is to break down this stereotype that it’s for exclusively the rich and famous and extremely beautiful, wealthy, opera society,” he said. So, in essence, the message is: polo is for the poors too? Got it. Nothing says accessible like paying up to $465 dollars to watch men unnecessarily risk the health of horses…

“I think we also can’t deny that obviously there are reasons why it’s associated with that — it is an expensive sport in so many ways — but living there in Florida and witnessing it, I can honestly say that it is much more accessible,” Balać doubled down. “I mean, on off days you just show up, pull up with your pickup truck, and you’re watching the game with your dog and all that.”

Who exactly lives — or maintains multimillion-dollar properties — in Wellington (a village in Palm Beach county, home to at least 58 billionaires)? Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg…need I go on? Do we think they’re all pulling up in their pickup trucks to just watch the game with their dogs? No. At this point, they’re probably removing their photos from the internet.

Balać also told Variety that, before production, he knew nothing about the sport. “Zero” to be exact: “I mean, ‘pretty people with horses’ was what I thought it was.” I have yet to watch the series but his protestations ring pretty damn hollow given one of the subjects is Adolfo Cambiaso, one of the top five wealthiest polo players in the world, and another is Bob Jornayvaz…founder of Intrepid Oil & Gas LLC. That Polo is produced by one of the most famous princes in modern history, and one of his most notable pieces of input on the series, according to Balać, was: “Hey, you know what I love so much about polo is that feeling when you’re on the horse and you just feel the speed and you feel the excitement and you feel the roar” is just the tip of the iceberg here. The guy who supposedly sought refuge from unjustified wealth and privilege is really using his big Netflix check to…justify his own wealth and privilege? Cool!

Next up from the Sussexes is reportedly a Markle-helmed Netflix series that “celebrates the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship.” The unnamed program will likely be an arm of her forthcoming lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. As of now, the only item from the range is the jam that she sent every other millionaire in Montecito. And Kris Jenner.

If these Netflix projects prove as unsuccessful for the Sussexes as every other project they’ve put their name on, they’ll probably have to move to Hulu or something.