Meghan Markle's Netflix Animated Series 'Pearl' Has Been Canceled

Invictus Games 2020 - Day 2 — (Image credit: Getty/Max Mumby/Indigo)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been incredibly busy since stepping down from their royal duties in 2020.

Under the Archewell umbrella, they have launched various charitable initiatives, as well as media projects including a podcast titled Archetypes.

Their long-awaited partnership with Netflix, however, has hit a slight bump in the road, as Netflix faces increasing financial struggles (basically, subscribers are dropping like flies).

In order to cut costs it can no longer afford, the streaming giant has canceled a number of upcoming projects, and Meghan Markle's animated series Pearl was unfortunately among them, reports the BBC.

The Sussexes have been planning content in partnership with Netflix since 2020, and the premise of Pearl was first announced in the summer of 2021. It was teased as an animated series that "centers on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history."

"Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges," Meghan said in a statement at the time. "I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today."

Although Pearl is no longer going ahead, documentary series Heart of Invictus is still on the cards. There were also reports that the royal couple was filming their New York City trip in September 2021 for a Netflix documentary, but it's unclear how that footage will be used.

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.