So much for Hollywood: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back — here’s why
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry plan to swap Los Angeles for the UK — and there’s a big question hanging over their Netflix partnership.
All things considered, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex just can't seem to stay out of the news, can they? After a few unpredictable years on the west coast of America, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now set to swap LA sun for British drizzle (or 'normal weather,' as we call it), officially plotting a return to the UK. Yes, really—they're relocating, kids and all, but don't expect some royal family reunion on the palace balcony any time soon.
Their well-publicised escape from royal duties in 2020 led them to California, but this next move won’t actually put them back into the Windsor workforce. The Sussexes plan to live as private citizens in Britain, so none of the tedious official engagements or posh hats are likely to return. Plus, they're keeping their Montecito house too, so that's two lavish homes to manage. Makes you wonder: does Prince Harry do his own packing?
Meghan and Harry walked away from royal life in 2020 but are now planning an extended stay in the UK—with kids in tow.
Netflix Keeps Calm (Sort Of)
Of course, the big question hanging over this cross-Atlantic shuffle is what becomes of their Netflix deal. Here’s where things get a bit corporate: Archewell Productions, Meghan and Harry’s own shop, had a broad agreement with the streaming giant, but late last year that got trimmed down to a first-look deal. That’s the kind of arrangement where Netflix gets first dibs on whatever the Sussexes pitch, rather than promising to bankroll their every idea.
If you were following Meghan's short-lived lifestyle brand As Ever or had an eye out for a now-defunct cooking series, I’ve got news: Netflix has pulled investment from both. But just because a few projects fizzled doesn’t mean the Sussexes have been quietly binned. Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, brushed off suggestion that the pair’s time at the platform was nearing an end. Speaking earlier this year, Bajaria was pretty clear:
‘We still have a relationship with them. We have movies in development with them. We have an amazing doc with them,’ Bajaria said, adding that these sorts of deal changes are nothing unusual in the current landscape.
What’s Still In The Pipeline?
Despite the rejigged arrangement, there’s plenty on the slate under their first-look deal. The Sussexes are still attached as executive producers on a 'polo-themed' scripted drama (because of course), and there’s a likely rom-com in the works too—Tracy Oliver is adapting Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date for the pair. For those fond of Lake District settings, a screen take on Carley Fortune’s Meet Me at the Lake is still moving along as well.
On the non-fiction side, their documentary Cookie Queens—directed by Alysa Nahmias and all about the peculiar world of Girl Scout Cookie season—hit cinemas via Roadside Attractions just two weeks ago. The film made $328,000 across 446 screens in its opening, which isn’t exactly Barbie money, but respectable for a doc about biscuits. Earlier in the year, Markle herself did the festival rounds for this one, turning up at Sundance in January to tout biscuits and business acumen alike.