A TV series said to have been proposed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will focus on two issues the Duchess of Sussex feels particularly strongly about: female empowerment and racial equality, reports the Mirror.
The couple, who earlier in the year announced that they wanted to step back from their royal duties, moving to Markle's home country, the US, have already reportedly pitched the prospective show to a string of television networks.
“They have suggested a series focusing on the empowerment of women and young girls in today’s world. It will home in on race issues, something Meghan has always been passionate about. It’s got quite a political stance and will also draw on feminism. They want the series to continue their vision of empowerment for young people,” an insider was cited by the outlet as revealing.
The royal couple, who intend to be joint producers of the project, “will appear in it but it’s about ‘normal’ people, not them,” added the sources.
Potentially, the show is set to focus on discrimination issues, echoing mixed-race Meghan Markle’s personal experiences hailing to when she was growing up in Los Angeles, says the publication.
The Duke and Duchess are understood to have pitched the idea to a succession of companies in June, after they moved into their £11 million estate in Santa Barbara, California, together with their son Archie.
NBC Universal was said to be among the first networks to hear the couple’s offer, with its chairman of content studios, Bonnie Hammer, a personal acquaintance of Meghan Markle, 39, dating back to her time on the US legal drama Suits.
Royal Projects in the Pipeline
Ever since their bombshell announcement in January this year that they intended to make a clean break from the royal family, step down from royal duties and work towards becoming financially independent, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been exploring a host of projects.
These include doing voiceovers and producing documentaries on a spate of issues, such as mental health and climate change.
The couple were said to have been given the green light by the Intellectual Property Office in London to trademark the name of their planned foundation, Archwell, for “television shows” and “motion picture films”.
Accordingly, Prince Harry earlier announced he was set to team up with TV personality Oprah Winfrey on an Apple TV+ series dealing with mental health issues.
He is also to put in an appearance in a Netflix documentary about the Paralympic Games.
As for the Duchess of Sussex, there have been reports suggesting Hollywood directors were seeking to persuade her to return to acting, with Paul Feig, director of The Heat, Spy and Ghostbusters, saying he would look forward to working with her.
InterTalent chairman Professor Jonathan Shalit was quoted by the Mirror as adding that Meghan Markle’s “pulling power” was “phenomenal”.
Suggested potential fees for the royal were cited as over $50million.
Nevertheless, a friend of the Duchess of Sussex was reported by Variety magazine as saying Markle, who narrated the Disney+ documentary Elephants, which came out in April, had no intention of acting in any projects.
The couple are also potentially likely to explore such opportunities as personal appearances at diverse events, where their fees might run into six or even seven-figures.
