It was meant to be a glittering shindig – a music and arts extravaganza in aid of wounded soldiers – and headed up by its famous patron and his glamorous wife.
Now a highly anticipated Invictus Games Foundation fundraiser, which would have been held in June next year in California, has been cancelled – and it’s all reportedly because of the couple’s mega new dealwith Netflix.
Apparently the bash, which would have taken place at The Hollywood Bowl, would have been broadcast on Amazon – which is Netflix’s biggest rival.
Organisers have reportedly been left “stunned” by the turn of events. They’d hoped to raise at least £1 million (R22 million) for the Invictus Games Foundation, a cause long close to the prince’s heart.
“It’s very bad form and everyone at Invictus is gutted,” a source involved in the planning told the UK’s Sunday Times.
“Harry said yes to doing this last year and everything was still moving forwards until a few weeks ago.
“This was going to be a big moment for Invictus where the pot is pretty empty, and it has left them in the lurch. Harry needs to pull his finger out to find another way to raise funds for them.”
Harry
(35) and Meghan (39) were both scheduled to make speeches at the do while stars
such as Ed Sheeran and Beyonce were earmarked to perform.
However, an Invictus spokesperson says the event was cancelled due to concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic and not the Netflix deal which is said to be worth well over $100 million (R1,6 billion) and will see them produce films, documentaries and children’s programming.
“The event was shelved because the primary revenue generator was ticket sales from a live concert.
“This was an independent decision made prior to a partnership with Netflix. The duke remains committed as ever to the Invictus Games.”
The games are due to the held in The Hague in the Netherlands, starting at the end of May.
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, thesun.co.uk
