The Duchess of Sussex has confirmed she will be the executive producer for an animated series called ‘Pearl’ to be released on Netflix. As Meghan is a renowned feminist and vocal advocate for women’s rights, there were reports that such a series was in production ever since she and Prince Harry signed their lucrative contract with the streaming giant last September. In a statement addressing her new project, the Duchess explained: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.”
She added that the 12-year-old protagonist is “inspired by a variety of influential women from history”.
It will be the first animated series to be released by Meghan and Harry’s new platform, Archewell Productions, although the release date has not yet been announced.
While Meghan had already indicated that she was moving into children’s entertainment after releasing a kids’ picture book, ‘The Bench’, earlier this year, her interest in inspiring young girls started when she was just growing up herself.
Last month, Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, revealed that the Duchess wrote her first children’s book decades ago.
She tweeted: “Did you know Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wrote a book in eighth grade titled, A Face without Freckles...Is a Night Without Stars.
“She extols the wonder of freckles with drawings and verse.”
The book reads: “Some people think freckles are strange,/ While I happen to disagree,/ Because if I didn’t have my freckles,/ Then I would not truly be me!!!”
This appears to chime in with the message Meghan now wants to emulate with ‘Pearl’ by addressing “life’s daily challenges” for 12-year-olds.
At the end of the 'A Face without Freckles', there is also a clue that Meghan had plans to continue her writing career.
In the 'About the Author' section, it reads: “Meghan wrote this book in the eighth grade as a school project, and now wishes to continue writing throughout high school.”
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The librarian confirmed that Meghan submitted it to the Copyright Office in 1996 and that the book is now stored in the Library of Congress, Washington DC.
Town & Country’s Annie Goldsmith pointed out: “This book is not such a far cry from The Bench, where Meghan also uses rhymes and illustrations to tell a story.”
The Bench started off as a poem Meghan wrote for first-time father Harry back in 2019, in honour of Father's Day and to accompany the bench she bought for him.
It begins: “This is your bench/ Where you’ll witness great joy./ From here you will rest/ See the growth of our boy.”
However, The Bench has not been that successful in the UK bestseller charts, which could not bode well for Meghan's next venture into children's entertainment.
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The 167-word book did top the New York Times’ bestseller list for children’s picture books and was briefly number five on Amazon’s UK Children’s Books list, but it fell out of the top 100 list for Amazon UK within a week.
After a series of mixed reviews from buyers — and despite an average four-star rating — the bookselling giant then slashed the cost of the picture book from ￡12.99 to ￡8 on the UK site.
The Sussexes have also faced widespread scrutiny over their lucrative Netflix deal, believed to be of historic value at around $100million (￡72million), as neither of them have much experience as executive producers.
The couple signed the deal last autumn, but have been slow to roll out their new projects with the streaming giant, as noted by fans.
The royal watcher tweeted: “This project sounds cute, but they have had it in development since at least September when they made the initial Netflix announcement.
“Interesting that it took them so long to get it to this point.”
Before 'Pearl', the Sussexes had announced only one major Netflix production, ‘The Heart of Invictus’.
This will follow sporting competitors as they prepare for the international tournament Harry founded years ago, The Invictus Games.
The next competition will take place in The Hague in 2022, meaning the series will not air for some time, and Harry is expected to make the occasional appearance in front of the camera in the docuseries.
Some critics believe there will be little longevity in the couple’s Netflix contract, and that the couple only have a small window to make a big impression on their audience.
Commentator Daniela Elser claimed on Australian outlet, News.com: “The fact is, even billion-dollar companies can’t afford to keep ploughing truckloads of cash into two very, very famous contractors if they do not prove to be a sound investment.”
The critic added: “When the novelty and lustre of working with members of the Royal Family wears off, if they don’t have streaming counts or a clutch of awards to show for themselves, then will their contracts be renewed?”