Meghan Markle was set to be an executive producer on a Netflix show with the working title Pearl a few years ago and now an author has spoken out over the cancelled project

Meghan Markle was set to work with Netflix on an animated show several years ago before the project got cancelled(Image: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle is being accused of “ripping off” an author’s book series for a now-cancelled Netflix project through Archewell Productions. There’s said to have been “striking” similarities between her project and the books.

It was announced in July 2021 by Archewell Productions – a production company founded by Meghan, 43, and Prince Harry, 40 – that Meghan was working with the streaming platform on an animated show with the working title Pearl. It was expected to focus on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl, with it reported at the time that she “will be inspired by a variety of influential women from throughout history.”

Meghan was named as an executive producer alongside David Furnish, Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan and showrunner Amanda Rynda. The following year though, it was reported that any references to the project had been quietly deleted from Archewell Productions’ website after the series was dropped by Netflix.

It’s now been reported by the Daily Mail that children’s author Mel Elliott, 51, has said that she sent a legal letter over the project, suggesting a potential infringement of copyright related to her literary character Pearl Power. She’s said to have later followed up with two personal letters to Archewell Productions.

By the time that the Netflix show was announced, it’s understood that Mel had already released three Pearl Power books in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. It’s reported that she had also begun turning Pearl into an animated TV series herself in 2019, with her reportedly introducing the historical element of the character meeting women in history that year when she started early work on the project.

It’s been suggested that a Netflix project Meghan Markle was attached to produce had ‘striking’ similarities to a book series(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

In her initial letter, according to the outlet, her lawyers said that she had been discussing her proposed series with her agent for over two years. They reportedly added that the project was mentioned on her website and on one connecting creators with film and TV producers.

The Telegraph previously reported though that Meghan “was in discussions with Netflix about her animated television series in 2018, when she was still a working member of the Royal family“. It reported four years ago that her and Prince Harry’s team insisted that any discussions with Netflix dating back to 2018 were “exclusively about the Pearl project”.

Speaking to the Daily Mail though, Mel said: “Meghan is a feminist who sticks up for other women, so I was disappointed and confused to see how similar Netflix’s proposed show ‘Pearl’ was to my own Pearl Power who had been created seven years earlier. Of course, I can’t know if anyone on her team had seen it and been inspired by it, but the similarities were too great for me to ignore.”

She added that the arts and media are “very competitive,” with her saying that it’s “quite common” for “powerful” people to “rip off” works of less high-profile creatives. Mel however added that she’s not saying “that’s what happened here”.

Author Mel Elliott claims to have contacted the streaming platform and Archewell Productions over her concerns (Image: @LatestTV/YouTube)

Mel said: “What saddened me most is that, having brought the similarities between my Pearl and Meghan’s Pearl to the attention of Netflix and Archewell, my objection was never acknowledged – neither Netflix nor Archewell responded to me when I would have loved to have contributed and collaborated.”

The outlet reports that Mel’s lawyers wrote to Meghan, through Archewell, in July 2021 that the “similarities” between the proposed animated show and Mel’s work appeared to be “too many” and “too striking” to be a “coincidence”. Her lawyers are said to have added that it also appears there was a “risk” that the proposed Netflix show could “infringe intellectual property rights” belonging to Mel. They are quoted as having said that it could lead to a claim in “passing off” or, in the US, “some form of unfair competition”.

It’s said that no remedial action was taken and that Meghan did not respond. The outlet reports that Mel says she then sent personal letters to Archewell and Netflix in October 2021 and February 2022 asking for updates – amid no further details about the show being released since the initial announcement – but still heard nothing back.

The Daily Mail reports that Netflix’s Pearl was cancelled 10 weeks later at the start of May 2022. It was reported at the time that it was one of several animated projects dropped by Netflix amid an apparent reduction in subscriber numbers.

Mel said that she’s “glad” that Meghan’s show was among those dropped and expressed hope that she had “something to do with it”. She said that she had “really wanted” for it to go ahead with herself “acknowledged” or invited to collaborate on it. The author added that if she now works on her “dream project” again, it may now look like she’s “copied” someone else.

It isn’t the first time that Meghan has been accused of “copying” other people’s work in the past, with Mel’s comments coming amid reports of alleged examples in recent years. Recently, apparent similarities between her lifestyle show With Love, Meghan and actor Pamela Anderson‘s Cooking With Love series, for example.

Meghan Markle and I had the same life-threatening health scare. Here’s why people should take it seriously.

The skepticism the Duchess of Sussex has received isn’t just about celebrity gossip, it’s a microcosm of how society often treats women’s pain as an exaggeration.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — arguably one of the most scrutinized women in the world — revealed last week on her new podcast “Confessions of a Female Founder” that she suffered from a condition known as postpartum pre-eclampsia after giving birth to one of her children (though Meghan did not specify which one).

After sharing her experience, waves of misinformation and disinformation quickly followed, spreading across social media and tabloids. Some questioned the legitimacy of her condition; others accused her of exaggeration or seeking attention.

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This backlash is not only harmful; it’s dangerous. It undermines medical realities, discourages women from speaking up, and perpetuates a culture where maternal health is dismissed and politicized. Just last week, the Trump administration made cuts that gutted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health, which in part monitors data on maternal mortality. The dehumanization of women, and especially women of color, in these conversations reinforces a system that already fails to listen and protect. When lived experiences are met with doubt instead of empathy, lives are at risk.

I developed postpartum pre-eclampsia six days after giving birth to my son — the same condition Meghan mentioned. To be clear, this is not the same as pre-eclampsia (pre-eclampsia develops when the baby is still in utero and comes with various other complications). It is imperative to distinguish the two because the context in which a woman is cared for within our medical system differs enormously during pregnancy and post-pregnancy. This distinction easily gets lost in the tabloid and social media noise.

Postpartum pre-eclampsia is a very serious and sometimes fatal condition, characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine in the days or weeks after giving birth. It can lead to seizing, a stroke, blood clots, excess fluid in the lungs, organ failure, brain damage and death (this is when it progresses to eclampsia). A reported 75% of maternal deaths are connected to postpartum pre-eclampsia, making it an especially dangerous condition, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation, the nation’s leading nonprofit on the issue. This is partly because the first postpartum checkup isn’t until week six — the exact cutoff point before which data suggests a woman is still at risk of developing the condition. By that time, women have long been discharged, and the attention has shifted to the new baby. The condition can come on fast and often with little warning.

When I was diagnosed, I had no prior history of high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity, nor was my son born via IVF — all of which are risk factors that data suggests might increase the likelihood of developing the condition. Due to massive gaps in the research, it’s safe to assume any woman, regardless of her medical history, is at some risk.

The night I was hospitalized, I noticed my ankles were swelling significantly. I developed a thundering headache and shortness of breath, so I asked my husband to take my blood pressure with a blood pressure cuff we happened to have lying around at home. The numbers were so alarming he thought maybe there was a mistake with the cuff — but he had me call my doctor, just in case.

After leaving a message for the on-call doctor, I downplayed my husband’s concern. Birth — the hard part, or so I thought — was over. I had a healthy baby boy to take care of. I left my phone to get a snack and returned to two missed calls and a voicemail from my OB-GYN telling me to return to labor and delivery immediately.

When we arrived at the hospital, I still didn’t feel too worried. So when the nurses started frantically hooking me up to a catheter and IVs, I was afraid and confused. Before anyone could tell me what was wrong with me, I was whisked away to a dark room as my headache worsened. At the time, I had no idea I was at risk of a lethal seizure or stroke.

 

At the time, I had no idea I was at risk of a lethal seizure or stroke.

 

While in emergency treatment, I could not hold or breastfeed my new baby, and my husband was left alone to care for him while worrying about what was happening to me. It was then that we learned about postpartum pre-eclampsia for the first time. It was terrifying — not just for me, but also for my husband.

I am so fortunate that not only did my husband believe my symptoms (and have a blood pressure cuff at home) but that my doctor believed me, too. I am a white woman who received swift and effective medical attention. Not everyone has that privilege or is as lucky. Gender bias and systemic issues, including the minimization of women’s pain and dismissal of Black women’s symptoms in particular, have led to many missed or delayed diagnoses. Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes, and five times more likely to die from postpartum cardiomyopathy, a possible symptom of the condition.

By sharing that she suffered from postpartum pre-eclampsia, Meghan not only helps break the long-held silence around the condition, but also highlights how frequently women’s health concerns are dismissed or minimized, especially surrounding birth. The skepticism she has received isn’t just about celebrity gossip, it’s a microcosm of how society often treats women’s pain as an exaggeration. And when it’s a Black woman speaking out? The disbelief comes faster. Meghan’s willingness to speak publicly forces a critical conversation not just about postpartum health, but also about the cultural reflex to second-guess women when they say something feels wrong.

This backlash also speaks to the growing broader and darker mistrust of the medical establishment — ironically, rooted in histories of neglect, racism and systemic inequality — that continues to leave so many, especially women of color, feeling unheard or unprotected. That’s what makes the backlash to Meghan sharing her story particularly damaging; it threatens the progress toward a more inclusive and accountable medical system by discouraging others from speaking out.

 

 

Because maternal mortality is rising in the U.S., we cannot afford to stay silent. Our stories matter. Our lives matter. Every woman deserves to know the risks, princess or not — and to be believed.

 

Real reason Kate Middleton and Prince William skipped Easter service as Andrew appears

 

The King and Queen have been joined by several members of the Royal Family for the traditional Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle – but the Prince and Princess of Wales were missing from the ceremony

The King and Queen were joined by a host of other royals at the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle – but the Prince and Princess of Wales were not among them. Charles and Camilla attended the service at St George’s Chapel alongside the likes of Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, but royal fans won’t see Prince George, Prince Louis or Princess Charlotte this year.

Also joining were Prince Andrew and Ferige, who missed the royals’ Christmas celebrations at Sandringham after the disgraced Duke of York stepped away following his involvement in a recent scandal involving an alleged Chinese spy. Other royals included the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s son James – the Earl of Wessex, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. However, the Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend as they are spending the weekend with their children in Norfolk.

Prince William told the King of his intention to miss the annual gathering, to “enjoy some extended time as a family over Easter”, a source said. “They are choosing to spend time together as a family before the children go back to school”, the source added. The Waleses did not attend the service last year as it was only weeks after the princess was diagnosed with cancer.

A royal source said the Prince of Wales had notified the King of his intention to miss the service, with the King agreeing to the couple spending the Easter holidays with their family. The King, as head of the Church of England which William will one day lead when he becomes sovereign, was greeted by the royals as he arrived at the church at Windsor Castle.

Earlier this week, the princess described how she experiences a “very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection” when spending time in nature, giving her a “sense of peace” in a “very busy world “.

King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle today(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Kensington Palace posted a new video of Kate on Monday, showing the princess in a bakerboy cap, walking near the shores of Lake Windermere in the Lake District last month with a group of Scouts from Cumbria and Stretford, Greater Manchester. She was filmed in conversation with chief scout Dwayne Fields as she told him how being outdoors was “so… meaningful for me as a place of balance”.

The princess has long advocated the benefits of spending time in the natural world, previously revealing how nature became her family’s “sanctuary” and how she has craved being in the sunlight, in the wake of her diagnosis and during her chemotherapy treatment.

William and Kate recently returned from a skiing holiday with their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine and Prince Louis, six. The family enjoyed a week in the French Alps with pictures of their family break appearing in a French magazine, prompting the wrath of Kensington Palace.

The family in February enjoyed a half term break on the exclusive island of Mustique in the Caribbean, while William and Kate also separately jetted off on a skiing holiday at the end of December, again in France, with Kate’s brother James and his wife, Alizée. It has been an extraordinary year for the monarchy after both the King and his daughter-in-law Kate were diagnosed with cancer within days of each other.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are spending family time together in Norfolk(Image: PA)

The future queen underwent six months of preventative chemotherapy, later speaking in September of her relief on finishing her course of treatment. In an emotional video, featuring husband William, their three children and her parents, Kate, 43, said the year had been “incredibly tough” and “that life as you know it can change in an instant”.

In a welcome and positive update in January, the princess announced that she was in remission from cancer and was doing all she could to stay “focused on recovery”. In a message posted on social media, she said: “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead,” signing off with “C” for Catherine.

 

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