Netflix has confirmed its interest in working with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after they sensationally quit the royal family.
Following a period of intense negotiations, it was announced yesterday that the couple would be giving up their HRH titles and would be known as Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex going forward.
This means they are free to strike lucrative contracts and Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos has now admitted that the streaming giant would be ‘interested’ in a production with the Sussexes.
Speaking at an event in Los Angeles and asked about Harry and Meghan, he said: ‘Who wouldn’t be interested? Yes, sure.’
The couple would be following in the footsteps of their friends Barack and Michelle Obama, who agreed a production deal with Netlix to make film and TV projects.
It comes after new footage showed Meghan joking that she Harry attended the premiere of The Lion King in London to ‘pitch’ for work.
The Duchess of Sussex joked that she and Prince Harry attended the premiere of The Lion King in London to ‘pitch’ for work, new footage from the event reveals
The Mail on Sunday last week unearthed video of Prince Harry touting his wife’s voiceover skills to Disney boss Bob Iger at the event in July.
It came just months before Meghan was hired by the entertainment giant to work on a Disney project in exchange for a donation to the charity Elephants Without Borders.
Now new footage has been found which shows the couple talking to the film’s director Jon Favreau, star Beyoncé and her rap star husband Jay-Z, and Harry, 35, again praising his wife’s acting abilities.
He tells Mr Favreau: ‘If anyone needs any extra voiceover work…’ before Meghan interrupts and jokes: ‘That’s really why we’re here – it’s the pitch!’
Harry then says ‘… just not Scar’ – a reference to the evil uncle in The Lion King who tries to steal the kingdom from Simba.
The Mail on Sunday last week unearthed video of Prince Harry touting his wife’s voiceover skills to Disney boss Bob Iger (far left) at the event in July
The footage may raise further questions about the point at which the couple decided to step down from their roles as senior Royals and whether they were already considering alternative work last summer.
Harry’s remarks at the event seemed to take even Mr Iger’s wife, former TV presenter Willow Bay, by surprise.
Ms Bay appears to ask her husband what he and Harry had been discussing, moments after the Prince told Iger: ‘You know she does voiceovers?’
A surprised Iger responds: ‘Oh really? I did not know that.’
Harry replies: ‘She’s really interested,’ prompting Iger to say: ‘We’d love to try.’
While Ms Bay’s comments are unclear, she appears to ask her husband about the conversation moments after Prince Harry moves on.
Mr Iger, 68, gestures towards the Prince and appears to fill his wife (pictured) in on their exchange, which results in his wife pulling a surprised face
Mr Iger, 68, gestures towards the Prince and appears to fill his wife in on their exchange, which results in his wife pulling a surprised face.
The Mail on Sunday’s story last weekend was picked up by news outlets around the world, with Canadian author and commentator Mark Steyn calling it ‘the lowest point’ in Royal history since the abdication of Edward VIII.
Mr Steyn told Fox News: ‘That’s the absolute lowest point of the monarchy in the last 100 years.
‘I think of all the pathetic things that the Duke of Windsor did after he abdicated when he entertained wealthy Americans and gave them a sort of pseudo glimpse into Royal life.
‘That’s nothing like actually touting your wife as available for Lion King 7 or whatever it is.’
But many fans praised Harry for supporting Meghan, including Buzzfeed journalist Marissa G. Muller who wrote: ‘His love for her is undeniable… (he) is as supportive as partners come.’
Meghan has retained her Hollywood team of agents and publicists and is reportedly already in discussions about future showbusiness projects.
Prince Harry has signed a deal for a six-part series on Apple TV+ which he is producing with Oprah Winfrey and which focuses on mental health.