MEGHAN Markle started working on her £112million Netflix series with David Furnish while still in the UK – two years BEFORE Megxit, it’s been claimed.
They were reportedly in discussion with the streaming giant in 2018, while she and Prince Harry were living in Kensington Palace, says a source.
The Duchess of Sussex and Elton John’s husband began working on the new animated series, that has the working title ‘Pearl’, several years ago according to Page Six in New York City.
However it wasn’t till January 2020 that the Sussexes announced their bombshell decision to quit the UK and start a new life abroad, away from the royal family.
They were to no longer use the titles “royal highness” or receive public funds for their work under a deal that let them step aside as working royals, Buckingham Palace announced at the time to a stunned public.
Furnish said he and Meghan had been working together on the project for some time.
He recently wrote on Instagram: “I am delighted that we are finally able to announce this exciting animated series.
“The team collaborating on the series are first class, and Netflix are the perfect partner.”
However he didn’t say when they started their creative work.
In September 2020 it was revealed that the Sussexes had signed a lucrative multi-million-pound production deal with Netflix.
Prince Harry and Meghan agreed to a multi-year deal to produce nature series, documentaries and children’s programming.
Such projects were sought, Prince Harry had claimed in their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview in March, as his family had cut him off financially at the start of 2020 after announcing their Megxit plans.
But he was able to afford security for his family because of the money his late mother, Princess Diana – who died in 1997 – left behind.
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Speaking to Oprah about the streaming deal, the 36-year-old said: “We didn’t have a plan.
“That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us.”
He added: “I’ve got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this [move to the US].”
However, Harry explained that during the Coronavirus pandemic, a pal suggested: “‘What about streamers?’” the prince said, to which Meghan added: “We genuinely hadn’t thought about it before.”
The Duke of Sussex told Oprah: “We hadn’t thought about it.
“So, there were all sorts of different options. And look, from my perspective, all I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security to keep my family safe.”
PEARL’S ‘JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY’
Page Six reports that “the Netflix series was originally just one of a number of one-off advocacy projects that Markle started work on while a working member of the royal family.
“[These] included her charity cookbook to raise funds for the victims of the London Grenfell fire and the issue of British Vogue that she edited.”
The website claimed it had “been told” by an unnamed source that Furnish and Meghan had been “working on her Netflix project long before she quit England, back in 2018”.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes was unavailable for comment, it added.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions announced last Wednesday that the working title “Pearl” will be developed for the streaming service.
Meghan created the idea of the family-focused animated series, which was inspired by a variety of women from history.
She will serve as an executive producer with filmmaker David Furnish, who worked as a producer on Rocketman and Sherlock Gnomes.
“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Meghan 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,” she added.
Meghan also said: “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.”
Furnish said: “I am delighted that we are finally able to announce this exciting animated series.
“Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and I are deeply passionate about bringing the inspirational and positive stories of extraordinary women from around the world to a global audience of all ages.
“The team collaborating on the series are first class, and Netflix are the perfect partner.”
The Sussexes had previously teased details of the show after they signed a £112million dollar deal with Netflix.
They said how the first show would be a docuseries about Harry’s beloved Invictus Games, of which he is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation.
The Games give sick and injured military personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete in sports.
HEART OF INVICTUS
Heart of Invictus will document the lives of competitors as they train for the upcoming 2022 games.
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.”
There is speculation that Pearl will have a similar feel to her recent children’s book The Bench, which became a New York Times bestseller.
Meghan said how the book that was released on June 8 was a “love letter” to her husband and their first child, Archie.
Apart from signing a deal to create content for Netflix, the royal couple has also created podcasts for Spotify.
Prince Harry has also joined the corporate world as a leader with the employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc.
Since dramatically quitting the UK, the Sussexes have been living in a plush California mansion.
