Cashing In: The Royals Worst Fear Realized — Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Sign Mega Millions Netflix Deal
Sept. 2 2020, Updated 3:56 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are taking Hollywood by storm as the couple recently signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, which will pay them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming, The New York Times reported on September 2.
“Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection,” Markle and Harry said in a statement. “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.”
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“As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens,” they continued. “We are pleased to work with Ted and the team at Netflix whose unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said he’s “incredibly proud” Markle, 39, and Harry, 35, 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.”
The Suits alum and the red-headed royal may appear on camera in some of the documentaries, but Markle has made it known that she doesn’t want to return to the small screen. It’s unclear how much the duo will make from this new endeavor. The streaming service has 193 million subscribers worldwide.
On August 26, the U.K. native — who shares son Archie with Markle — appeared in the Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, where he spoke about the Paralympic Games. “A lot of people, based on what they’d been told, thought the London Paralympics was going to be a failure and that they weren’t going to be able to sell tickets,” he said while sitting on a couch.
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“And what they saw was undoubtedly better than the Olympics themselves,” he continued. “For me and for so many people out there — especially young kids — to see individuals like that go on and achieve what they have achieved … No amount of books that you read or teaching or class that you can have is going to give you the same inspiration as being able to watch something that you have been told is impossible.”
Meanwhile, Harry is not the only one to dabble in Hollywood projects, since the mom of one was the narrator of the Disney+ docuseries Elephants, which premiered in April 2020.
It’s not a total shock that Harry and Meghan — who stepped back from royal duties earlier this year — are moving into different careers. Variety reported that the two were pitching Hollywood executives in June.
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For now, the couple — who just moved into their nine bedroom home in Santa Barbara, California — is enjoying being on the west coast, and luckily, the commute to Los Angeles is only an hour away.