In a royally good move, Netflix has signed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to a multi-year contract that will see the pair’s production company create a range of exclusive content for the streaming service.
As reported first in The New York Times, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will use their currently unnamed production company to create films, documentaries, scripted shows, and children’s media.
One show already in production is an animated series that aims to highlight inspiring women. Another is a nature documentary series.
According to Variety, the pair previously met with NBCUniversal, along with Disney and Apple. However, the deep pockets of Netflix have won out.
In a joint statement, the couple said:
Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.
Harry and Meghan split from the British royal family in March 2020, meaning they no longer represent the Queen and are financially independent. They have since moved to California.
The pair run a charitable foundation called Archewell, which has yet to launch publically, but that will remain separate from this production deal.
This will be the first time that Harry and Meghan have produced films or television, but neither are strangers to the world of streaming.
Meghan found fame in Suits, before ending her acting career when she married Harry. Though she has expressed no desire to return to acting, Meghan did provide her voice for a Disney+ documentary called Elephant.
Harry can already be seen on his new Netflix home in Rising Phoenix, a documentary about the Paralympics.
While the couple might not be front-and-center for all the new films and shows produced under this new deal, you can be sure that Netflix will highlight their involvement as much as possible.
While Harry and Meghan are the first royals to join Netflix, it isn’t the company’s first brush with the monarchy.
That’s because Netflix is full of great period dramas, including The Crown, which tells the life story of Queen Elizabeth II (Harry’s grandmother).