Meghan Markle’s animated series Pearl axed amid Netflix cancellation spree

The Duchess of Sussex’s first project through Archewell Productions has suffered a major setback.

An upcoming animated television series created by Meghan Markle has been quietly dumped by Netflix.

The show called Pearl, was created by the Duchess of Sussex through Archewell Productions and was in the development stage.

The series – which followed the story of a 12-year-old girl exploring famous women in history – was set to be the production company’s first animated series.

However, it was binned amid cutbacks after a collapse in subscribers to the streaming service, according to Deadline.

Meghan Markle said the series was designed to inspire girls. Picture: AFP

Hollywood sources confirmed to The Sun that the series had been canned.

With Meghan as the executive producer, the highly-anticipated show was being worked alongside her husband Prince Harry and Elton John’s other half, David Furnish.

Announcing the launch last summer, Meghan said: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.

“I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.”

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle signed $135m deal with Netflix last year. Picture: AFP

The series was intended to be a family series to inspire young girls, Meghan said.

The Sussexes signed a $135 million deal with Netflix last year but are yet to produce anything for the streaming giant.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they hoped to create content that “informs but also gives hope” when they revealed the megabucks partnership in September last year.

Archewell was set up by the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry in Autumn 2020 to create scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features and children’s programming.

The latest cut comes as a number of other Netflix shows were axed after the streamer lost tens of billions of dollars in the wake of a shock subscriber loss.

Two other kids shows, Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses, were scrapped as well.

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Disgruntled employees working for the Duke say his role at BetterUp may be little more than marketing “smoke and mirrors”.

Some employees have asked what vice presidents (VPs) like Harry – who is believed to rake in a seven-figure salary – do on a day-to-day basis.

According to The Sun, sources from the company told the Daily Beast no one is clear about what role he performs, and asked how “meaningful” the work is.

One coach said: “They have so many. Now I don’t even know what these VPs do.”

Harry was named ‘chief impact officer’ at the San Francisco-based company amid great fanfare last March.

It was his first job since quitting as a working royal, and it’s believed he’s earning a small fortune to attend special company events and join all-hands meetings.

Company chiefs say he’s responsible for “championing the importance of maximising human potential worldwide”, describing it as “meaningful and meaty role”.

It comes as Prince Harry has been enjoying the sun in California – joining a new polo team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.

The Duke of Sussex may have flown across the Atlantic back in 2020 to live in the US, but he still can’t get enough of the British sport.

The 37-year-old prince has played polo all of his life and has joined a polo team with his good friend and sportsman, Nacho Figueras.

Prince Harry at a polo match Picture: Sentbale ISPS Handa Polo Cup 2021

Prince Harry has taken his love of polo to California. Picture: Getty Images

Nacho has often been compared to the David Beckham of Polo, and now celebrate Harry joining his team to kickstart this year’s season in California.

The polo season in California started yesterday, and the first tournament, in which Prince Harry is competing, will end later today.

In a recent Instagram post, Nacho revealed that Prince Harry was joining his polo team, Los Padres.

Nacho told KCLU: “My polo team has a platform where we use the sport and the platform to raise awareness for charities. Harry’s going to be a part of this team.

“Him and I wanted this team to be very local and to pay tribute to Southern California because of him moving here and paying tribute to his new home.

“It’s going to be a platform for a lot of good things so I’m very excited, proud and honoured to be doing this with him.”

– With The Sun.

Originally published as Meghan Markle’s animated series Pearl axed amid Netflix cancellation spree