Are the wokest couple in all the West losing their star power? The first-half of the Sussexes’ new ‘explosive’ documentary attracted less than a million viewers in the 332-million strong USA, with one critic remarking ‘If I were Netflix, I’d want my money back.’ Meghan’s planned animated series Pearl has already been binned. And now even the right-on Jacinda Ardern has distanced herself from the runaway royals and their latest paean to progressivism.

The New Zealand premier issued a statement last night, couched in diplomatic niceties, insisting that her involvement in an upcoming Netflix documentary series was not connected to the couple. Ardern is among seven ‘extraordinary leaders’ being interviewed on Live to Lead, a series (supposedly) inspired by Nelson Mandela and – bizarrely – fronted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The role call of names in Harry and Meghan’s forthcoming series is unsurprising and uninspired: Greta Thunberg, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Gloria Steinem.

But what is surprising is that Ardern’s office has felt the need to clarify that she signed on before the involvement of the erstwhile aristos was announced. Her team has now clarified that hat her interview took place more than *three and a half years ago* and that her involvement had nothing to do with the royal couple, who were only brought in at a relatively late stage. Ardern’s office says:

In early March 2019 the prime minister was approached by the Mandela Foundation to participate in a project to develop accessible resources on key attributes of leadership targeted at aspiring young leaders around the world, based off a one-hour interview. Originally we were advised the outputs would be printed and digital books, short films and audiobooks. The interview was conducted on November 8, 2019. In March 2020 a short book entitled Jacinda Ardern (I Know This to be True) was published based on the interview.

It doesn’t say much for the Sussexes if even Ardern is putting out statements like that. It makes it all the more baffling then that the Mandela Foundation have opted to make two multimillionaire Californians the face of its flagship series.

Clearly, the long walk to freedom had nothing on Megxit…