Prince Harry and Meghan’s most famous celebrity friends – and almost all of their families – have snubbed their bombshell Netflix documentary.
In promotional material released ahead of the first three episodes airing today, Netflix has promised it will feature interviews with the couple’s “friends and family.”
But the Mail may reveal that key allies – including Elton John, Vogue editor Edward Enninful and Prince Harry’s “surrogate father”, music producer David Foster – are not attending.
It’s believed that Oprah Winfrey isn’t a part of it either, and neither are the Obamas.
Additionally, there won’t be a single royal “talking head” in the Harry & Meghan series either – not even Princess Eugenie, with whom they remain closely linked.
Harry and Meghan’s new show, which hits Netflix tomorrow, is promised interviews with ‘friends and family’. Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021
The Obamas are not believed to be participating in the program. Pictured: Prince Harry speaks with Barack Obama at a wheelchair basketball game during the 2017 Invictus Games
Of all the absences, Vogue editor Edward Enninful is perhaps the most surprising. He landed a major coup when Meghan agreed to guest edit the September 2019 issue, Forces for Change.
It was the fastest-selling issue in Vogue history, and in an article for the publication, Meghan wrote that she and Enninful are “like-minded thinkers who have so much in common.”
The following year, Enninful said he felt she had been unfairly criticized in the media storm over the Megxit – the couple’s move to California.
But sources close to the Vogue editor confirmed he wasn’t attending. He recently praised the Princess of Wales for her “graceful” fashion sense.
Elton John, a key ally of the couple, is another not believed to be on the show. Pictured: Elton John attends the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Oprah Winfrey is not believed to be appearing on her Netflix show. Pictured: Oprah (right) talks to Harry and Meghan (left) during their 2021 interview
Another absent influential figure is Sir Elton, a good friend of Princess Diana who has gone to great lengths to defend Harry and Meghan in the past.
He and husband David Furnish had her at his home near Nice in France for a family holiday, and Furnish was among the executives working on the proposed Archewell show Pearl, which was later shelved.
Last week, Prince Harry sent the singer a video message thanking him for being a friend to the couple and their children and late mother.
Sir Elton is considered the unofficial godfather of William and Harry and was among the guests at William’s wedding. The Waleses had their first dance to Sir Elton’s Your Song.
Music producer Mr Foster did not attend, a spokesman confirmed this week. He and Harry became close during the Megxit crisis and Mr Foster helped them find a temporary home in Canada before settling in California.
Meghan and Mr Foster’s wife, Katharine McPhee, are old classmates and the four were spotted eating together in California, where they all live.
And it can also be revealed that her favorite journalist, Omid Scobie, is not one of the show’s contestants.
Vogue editor Edward Enninful is another not expected to show up. Pictured: Edward Enninful at Paris Fashion Week in October 2019
Representatives for Miss Winfrey and the Obamas did not respond to requests for comment, but sources in America say both are wary of being drawn into what they see as “family drama.”
Guy Pelly, one of William and Harry’s oldest friends, is also not appearing, the Mail has been told. Neither has former Vanity Fair editor and royal biographer Tina Brown, who has covered Buckingham Palace drama since the early days of Diana.
It was confirmed yesterday that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – the Sussexes’ best friends among young royals – will not be attending.
Her mother Sarah, the Duchess of York – no stranger to a TV special – will also be absent from the camera, as will her ex-husband Andrew.
Of course, King Charles, Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales will not be there.
A spokesperson for Earl Spencer declined to comment on whether he or his sisters Jane and Sarah could appear, but sources indicate it’s unlikely that either of them would.
Which leaves only Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, as a possible family member to appear in the series. She has never spoken on camera and her alleged appearance was still unconfirmed as of last night.
There are now signs of a public backlash at the high-profile show. So far, the first Netflix trailer has 20,000 likes and 288,000 dislikes on YouTube, and the second has 16,000 likes and 133,000 dislikes.