“We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement (via The New York Times). Here is everything we know so far about Meghan and Harry’s Netflix deal, including their first series.
When will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release content on Netflix?
It seems we may be streaming content from the Sussexes before 2022 rolls around. In September of 2020, Netflix’s co-CEO Reed Hastings spoke about the couple’s “wide range of entertainment” telling CNBC’s Squawk Box, “I think it’ll be some of the most exciting, most viewed content next year.”
What is the name of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s production company?
The Duke and Duchess created Archewell Productions to produce programming that “informs, elevates, and inspires.” On the couple’s Archewell website, they noted that through their creative partnership with Netflix, “Archewell Productions will utilize the power of storytelling to embrace our shared humanity and duty to truth through a compassionate lens.”
What kind of content can we expect from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry?
Per Hastings, it’s going to be “epic entertainment.” The New York Times reported in September 2020 that Netflix is paying the Queen’s grandson and granddaughter-in-law to make documentaries, scripted shows, feature films, docuseries and children’s programming. “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the pair said in a statement (via the NYT). “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” The Duke and Duchess noted that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help” them “share impactful content that unlocks action.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Netflix shows
In April 2021, Archewell Productions, in partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation, announced its first Netflix series, titled Heart of Invictus. The multi-episode series “will follow a group of extraordinary competitors from around the globe, all service members who have suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses on their road to the Invictus Games The Hague 2020, now set to take place in 2022,” according to a Netflix press release. In a statement, Harry said: “Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve. This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year. As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.” Netflix then announced Archewell Productions’ first animated series on July 14, 2021. The family series, executive produced by Meghan with the working title of Pearl, will center on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history. “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” the Duchess said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. [Filmmaker and producer] David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today.”
How much were Meghan Markle and Prince Harry paid by Netflix?
The pair’s multi-year deal is reportedly worth nine figures. A source previously revealed to Us Weekly, “Quibi had a huge offer out to Meghan Markle that was in the tens of millions,” adding, “Netflix swooped in and their production deal is worth over $100 million.”
Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry star in any Netflix productions?
Don’t expect the former Suits actress to step in front of the camera. When asked if Meghan, who retired from acting prior to marrying into the British royal family, would be acting in any of their productions, Hastings said on Squawk Box, “The real focus for them is on being producers and on building that production capacity, so that’s the key thing. They’ve developed a great eye for story and we’ll be working with them on that basis.” Harry is set to appear in Heart of Invictus, which he is also an executive producer of.
Why didn’t Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all interview premiere on Netflix?
While the Duke and Duchess have a deal with the streaming service, their “first major broadcast interview” since stepping back as senior members of the royal family aired on CBS March 7. “No one knows what’s going on inside Netflix with regard to Meghan and Harry. The couple reached a major multi-year, multi-million deal, and their first TV project is going to air on CBS. None of this makes any sense,” a source told OK!. “Harry and Meghan have produced precisely nothing since singing the $100 million deal," the insider continued. “They were supposed to develop documentaries, feature films, scripted television shows and children’s series, but the real crown jewels, so to speak, was getting access to these two talking about the most famous family in the world, which is going to CBS!”
How can Meghan Markle and Prince Harry earn money as royal family members?
When the couple’s revised royals were announced in 2020, following their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family, they explained on their now-defunct website SussexRoyal that they would become “privately funded members of The Royal Family with permission to earn their own income and the ability to pursue their own private charitable interests.” Next, swoon over the 26 most fairytale-worthy royal weddings of all time!
