Netflix cancels Duchess’s children’s series

THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX’S Netflix television programme, about a little girl who finds inspiration through key women in history, has been cancelled.

The production, which had the working title Pearl, will no longer appear on Netflix, despite the Sussexes signing a multi-year deal with the streaming service through their company Archewell Productions.

Pearl, a children’s story of female empowerment considered particularly close to the Duchess’s heart, was dropped as part of recent “strategic decisions” by Netflix about animated series.

Last week Netflix also dropped two other children’s animations that were in production: Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses. A source said it was not uncommon to cancel shows in the development process, with the service still considering Archewell a “valued partner”.

A second programme, entitled Heart of Invictus, about Prince Harry’s sporting event for wounded military veterans, is currently expected to go ahead. It was being filmed at this year’s Invictus Games, held in The Hague last month.

The move may be explained by reports in April that Netflix had lost 200,000 subscribers in three months.

TV trade magazine Deadline noted: “Even Netflix’s in-house members of the Royal family are not immune to a wave of cutbacks ... as the streamer recalibrates after a precipitous stock drop incurred after a drop in subscribers.”

Pearl had been due to be executiveproduced by the Duchess and the film- maker David Furnish, who is married to Sir Elton John. In January this year, Netflix was still advertising for a production designer to work on the series.

Archewell Productions is one of three arms to Prince Harry and Meghan’s new working life, alongside Archewell Audio – currently focusing on Spotify podcasts – and a non-profit foundation.

The production company is overseen by Ben Browning, a film producer whose previous work included the film Promising Young Woman, which won an Oscar for best screenplay.

The Sussexes’ Netflix deal was announced last February, but so far no programmes have appeared on the service. Just one episode of a podcast has appeared on Spotify, with a new series from the Duchess due in the summer.