Last week the Duchess of Sussex announced she is producing a new animated series for Netflix, called Pearl. The family-oriented show will follow a 12-year-old girl's "heroic adventures" as she is inspired by famous women in history. Though the news was announced just days ago, it has emerged the production has been years in the making - with Meghan first entering talks with Netflix three years ago.

       The new animated series, which forms part of the couple's multi-million deal with the streaming giant, has been in the pipeline for years, the Telegraph reports.

       This comes in stark contrast to Harry's claim that signing lucrative commercial deals was "never the intention".

       The Duke told Oprah Winfrey during their bombshell two-hour interview: “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: “We hadn’t thought about it... 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.”

       But Meghan and Harry's team have insisted that any discussions with Netflix in 2018 were exclusively about the Pearl project.

       The animated series was originally just one of many “one-off creative advocacy projects” brought to the Duchess as a working royal.

       Other projects included the Together cookbook that raised money for the victims of the Grenfell fire and Vogue magazine's September issue, which she edited in 2019.

       David Furnish, Sir Elton John's husband, will also be an executive producer of the series.

       The Canadian filmmaker, who is a close friend of the Sussexes, hinted that Pearl had been a long time in the making.

       He said in a statement that he was delighted they were "finally able to announce this exciting animated series".

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       11.40am update: Meghan Markle's former friend shares hidden detail from royal wedding to Prince Harry

       Meghan Markle's former friend has shared a hidden detail from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's lavish royal wedding.

       Jessica Mulroney, who lives in Toronto, has been friends with Meghan for years after the Duchess moved to Canada to film television show Suits.

       Her daughter Isabel was a bridesmaid at Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and her twin sons, John and Brian, were page boys.

       She also stunned in a blue dress while arriving with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and escorting her three children into St George's Chapel.

       Now the 41-year-old stylist, who is married to Ben, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, also recently shared another secret about the wedding.

       She posted a picture to her 416,000 followers on Instagram yesterday of the gorgeous floor-length beaded gold gown she wore to the evening reception at Frogmore Cottage.

       She captioned the black and white photo with: "So many of you asked about the designer of this dress."

       She then tagged the designer of the dress, Naeem Khan, before then adding: "It weighed 30 pounds."

       11am update: Queen forced to ramp up security as Royal Family deemed 'high risk' in new warning

       The Queen has been forced to ramp up security as one of her in-house experts has warned the Royal Family is a "high risk" target.

       The Queen's team of cyber security experts have warned Her Majesty the Royal Family is a prime target to hackers, after the Firm stepped up virtual engagements during the pandemic.

       The team of experts have written a new report, informing the Queen the risk of cyber attack has risen from medium to high.

       10.35am update: Princess Anne on brink of tears as she recalls Olympic legacy: 'I'm sad'

       Princess Anne shared a deeply emotional message to Team GB ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

       Princess Anne shared a poignant and personal message of support and good luck to the British team taking part in the upcoming Olympic Games. In her video message, the Queen's daughter said to be saddened she can't attend the Games in person this year due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in Japan.

       The Princess Royal said: "As your President, I would like to wish you every success for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

       "Although I am sad not to be there in person, I and the whole nation will be cheering for you and proudly supporting you from home."

       10am update: Prince Harry 'put in place' by Queen for 'rude language' during row over Meghan Markle

       Prince Harry was "put firmly in his place" by the Queen after using "rude language" during a row over Meghan Markle's wedding tiara, a royal source claimed.

       Omid Scobie claimed that the Monarch's dressmaker and close friend, Angela Kelly, made things very difficult when it came to arranging to practise fittings for Meghan ahead of her wedding to Harry in May 2018.

       This resulted in Harry intervening, the expert said.

       A royal source told the MailOnline in May: "Angela essentially said, 'I'm very sorry, that's not how it works.' There's protocol in place over these jewels.

       "They're kept under very tight lock and key. You can't turn up and demand to have the tiara just because your hairdresser happens to be in town."

       The insider claimed the Duke used "rude language" in his response, which prompted the Queen to pull him into a private meeting.

       The source added: "He was put firmly in his place. He had been downright rude."

       9.20am update: Meghan Markle and Harry hit 'in hip pocket' as Megxit bill may top ￡16million

       Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been hit "in the hip pocket" following their decision to step down as senior royals, according to a commentat

       Since quitting as full-time working royals, Meghan and Prince Harry have had a series of eye-watering expenses to deal with, royal commentator Daniela Elser said. And they also lost the financial support offered by being key members of the Royal Family and heir to the Prince of Wales.

       The royal expert wrote in a comment piece for news.com.au: "Harry and Meghan finally have the life they wanted but their emancipation from the Royal Family has come at a steep cost, both in a personal sense (Harry’s relationship with his family seems to have only fractured further) and in a far more literal sense.

       "Flying the coop would appear to have hit Harry and Meghan in the hip pocket – and hard."

       8.40am update: US pressure mounting on Harry and Meghan over work ethic 'Where is the money going?'

       Pressure in the US is mounting on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to a leading royal expert, who warned Spotify and Netflix will soon be "wondering where the money has gone".

       Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are under pressure "to produce the goods," according to a leading royal expert.

       It has nearly been a year since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a with Netflix, thought to be worth up to $150 million. However, the couple has only announced two series for the streaming giant and has yet to release any content.

       The couple also signed a huge deal with Spotify worth up to $50 million - and has only produced one podcast so far.

       The Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers told Australia's Today programme that bosses from both Spotify and Netflix would soon be "wondering where their hard-earned dollars are going exactly".

       8.05am update: Protective Queen stayed in Windsor rooms 'close to' Princess Margaret after divorce

       Queen Elizabeth II "embraced" and sought to protect Princess Margaret in the wake of her marriage breakdown to Lord Snowdon, according to a royal butler.

       Her Majesty's younger sister wed society photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones on May 1960, in what seemed like a fairy tale marriage at the time.

       Their marriage appeared at first to be one made in heaven, with a friend telling the writer Anne de Courcy “they could hardly keep their hands off each other."

       But clashes of personality and extra-marital affairs soon put strains on the marriage which eventually led to their divorce in July 1978.

       The Queen was quick to throw a protective cloak around her sister as she went through the painful process of separating from her husband.

       Paul Burrell, a former royal butler, told Closer Weekly: "When Margaret’s marriage was ending, the Queen embraced her. Margaret would spend weekends at Windsor Castle in rooms close to the Queen, which she had specially decorated for her. The Queen always protected her sister and I think at times she wished she could have been more of a free spirit.”