...and action! Harry reveals his first big $100m TV idea
THEY made their first official appearance together at his beloved Invictus Games in 2017.
And last year they signed a multimillion pound deal with Netflix.
So perhaps it should be no surprise that Harry and Meghan’s first show for the streaming giant is a documentary series about Invictus.
It will follow injured and disabled military veterans as they train for the 2022 games in The Hague.
The prince will appear on camera and is also credited as executive producer for Archewell Productions, the firm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set up after moving to their new home in California.
Harry, 36, said he ‘couldn’t be more excited’ about the series.
His role as TV producer is the latest in a series of jobs he has announced since he and Meghan gave their interview to Oprah Winfrey a month ago in which they accused the Royal Family of racism.
Last month the prince was appointed ‘commissioner on disinformation’ with a Left-wing think-tank, examining socalled fake news, and also took on the role of chief impact officer with BetterUp, a Silicon Valley life-coaching firm.
BetterUp refused to say whether Harry is being paid a salary but industry insiders suggest he is more likely to have been given equity in the company, which is valued at up to £1.25billion.
As well as the deal with Netflix, which industry insiders have said could make Harry and Meghan $100million (£70mil
‘Moving and uplifting stories’
lion), the couple have signed a deal with Spotify said to be worth an estimated £18million. Former television actress Meghan, 39, has also invested in a firm making ‘wellness lattes’.
Representatives for the prince – who had vowed not to cash in on his royal credentials since the pair stepped back from royal duties and bought their £11million US home – said Archewell Productions is ‘redirecting compensation they would otherwise receive for this project’ to the Invictus Games Foundation which Harry set up for injured servicemen and women.
He has remained its patron, despite Buckingham Palace removing his other patronages and military roles.
Netflix said the series, Heart Of Invictus, will be directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and produced by Joanna Natasegara, whose documentary film The White Helmets won an Oscar in 2017.
It will feature ‘powerful stories of resilience and hope’ from the athletes and follow organisers as they prepare for the games. Harry said: ‘Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination and resolve.
‘This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year.
‘As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.’
In the interview with Miss Winfrey, Harry claimed his decision to sign lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify came about because he had been ‘cut off’ financially by his family. The prince said he stopped receiving income from Buckingham Palace shortly after he and Meghan, who married in 2018, announced their wish to step back as senior royals and spend time overseas.
Harry added that he would have been unable to pay for security to protect his family if it were not for money left to him by his mother Princess Diana when she died in 1997. Diana left £21million for Harry and his elder brother William, to be held in trust until they turned 25.
It is estimated that Harry’s portion is now worth up to £20million. He also received an estimated £7million in the will of the Queen Mother, who died in 2002.
His overall net worth is believed to be £30million, while Meghan’s is said to be £4million.
But experts have said that the couple have the potential to earn as much as £700million within a decade, dwarfing the Queen’s estimated £350million fortune.