Prince Harry’s Apple TV mental health documentary with Oprah Winfrey stalls

Prince Harry’s mental health documentary series with Oprah Winfrey has ‘stalled’, after facing several delays, according to insiders.

The Duke of Sussex, 36, who is currently living in his $14 million mansion in California, announced he had been working on the Apple TV documentary series for ‘several months’ with the media mogul, 66, in April 2019.

According to The Sun, the documentary was due to be released last autumn, but sources have now said  Covid-19 restrictions, Harry’s exit from the Royal Family and move to the US with Meghan Markle, 39, have slowed down production.

Oprah has become good friends with Prince Harry and Meghan, as well as with her mother Doria Ragland, and recently endorsed a Californian based ‘women-led wellness company’ invested in by the Duchess.  

Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s spokesperson has been contacted for comment. 

The multi-part documentary series, which the pair worked on for ‘several months’ last year during a number of ‘secret meetings in London’, will focus on both mental illness and mental wellness, and aims to inspire viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges they face. 

Filming schedules are believed to have been changed by the upheaval, with the documentary now not set to arrive until spring 2021.  

In April last year, the Duke of Sussex announced a partnership with Oprah Winfrey as co-creators and executive producers of the mental health documentary series for Apple. 

At the time, a post from the Duke and Duchess’ Sussex Royal Instagram page in 2019 said: ‘We are excited to announce The Duke of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey are partners, co-creators and executive producers on their forthcoming mental health series launching on Apple in 2020.’ 

The Duke said at the time: ‘I am incredibly proud to be working alongside Oprah on this vital series which we have been developing together for several months.

‘I truly believe that good mental health – mental fitness – is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose-driven self. 

‘It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times. 

‘Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive – sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better.’

There were reportedly plans for Harry to ‘appear on camera’, though it hasn’t been decided whether he will be interviewed by the chat show host. 

Prince Harry has previously spoken out about battling ‘numerous breakdowns’ while coming to terms with mother Diana’s death, and Oprah revealed that he jumped at the chance to get involved about a project that is so close to his heart.

This commitment builds on Harry’s long-standing work on issues and initiatives regarding mental health, and has seen him share his personal experience and advocate for those who silently suffer. 

The news comes weeks after the Duchess cannily using her connections by gifting Oprah a bundle of coffee from a company she invested in to plug to her 19 million followers on Instagram. 

Last month, Meghan’s close friend Oprah promoted a basket of the coffee latte treats to her 19 million followers on Instagram, captioning the post: ‘On the first day of Christmas my neighbor ‘M’ sent to me…A basket of deliciousness! (Yes that M).’

At first it seemed a straightforward post from Oprah, thanking her friend for the gift, but it later emerged that the Duchess has decided to invest in Clevr Blends as she begins to build a portfolio of startup investments – her first such venture since officially stepping back from royal duties at the beginning of this year to become ‘financially independent’. 

Miss Winfrey, a guest at the royal couple’s wedding, wrote how ‘On the first day of Christmas my neighbour M sent to me… a basket of deliciousness!’ In case her 20million followers had difficulty working it out, she added ‘Yes, that M’ followed by a crown emoji.

Along with a further plug, Miss Winfrey, 66, posted a video of her making a mug of turmeric-flavoured latte by adding water, declaring: ‘It’s delicious.’ Fans were left unaware of the duchess’s involvement with Clevr Blends, later revealed by Forbes website.