Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Sign Deal With Netflix
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have signed a multiyear deal with Netflix to produce original programming for the streaming platform. The royal couple’s projects will include documentaries, feature films, scripted TV shows and children’s programming.
“Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the Duke and Duchess said in a statement on Wednesday. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” They added that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement, “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.”
Prince Harry and Markle have been staying in the Los Angeles area since March, having recently purchased a home in Montecito. The couple announced in January that they were stepping back from their royal duties and moving to North America, where they’d seek financial independence. The financial terms of their Netflix deal haven’t been disclosed.
The Duke and Duchess already have several projects in development, including an animated series centered on inspirational women and a nature docu-series. Although both Prince Harry and Markle plan to appear in documentaries, the former Suits star has no plans to return to acting. News of the royal couple’s deal was first reported by the New York Times.
The situation is similar to Netflix signing former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to a multiyear production deal back in 2018. A documentary about the former first lady, titled Becoming, was released on Netflix this past May. The Obamas’ production company previously produced the Oscar-nominated documentary American Factory, which centered on thousands of Americans working in a Ohio factory owned by a Chinese billionaire.
