Meghan Markle embroiled in 'copycat row' after Netflix project is dropped (2025)

Meghan Markle was working on an animated show with Netflix through Archewell Productions, but the project was later axed by the streaming platform and it's now been reported that there were legal concerns over the series

Meghan Markle has come under fire for allegedly "ripping off" a book series by an author for a Netflix project that was ultimately shelved, with Archewell Productions being accused of creating a show with "striking" similarities to the books. In July 2021, Archewell Productions, which Meghan and Prince Harry established, revealed their collaboration with Netflix on an animated series tentatively titled Pearl.

The series was set to chronicle the exploits of a 12-year-old girl who draws inspiration from various iconic women in history. Meghan was slated to be an executive producer on the project alongside David Furnish, Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, and Amanda Rynda as the showrunner.

However, in the following year, it emerged that all mentions of the series had been discreetly removed from the Archewell Productions website after Netflix decided not to proceed with it, reports the Mirror.

The Daily Mail has recently reported that children's author Mel Elliott, 51, claimed she sent a legal notice to Archewell Productions over potential copyright infringement concerning her character Pearl Power. She reportedly also sent two personal letters directly to the production company.

Before the Netflix show was announced, it's believed that Mel had already published three Pearl Power books in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. Reports suggest she started transforming Pearl into an animated TV series herself in 2019, introducing the historical aspect of the character meeting women from history when she began early work on the project.

According to the outlet, her initial letter from her lawyers stated 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 a platform connecting creators with film and TV producers.

However, The Telegraph previously reported 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 was reported four years ago that Meghan 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, 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 highlighted the cutthroat nature of the arts and media industry, noting that it's "quite common" for "powerful" individuals to take advantage of works by less prominent artists. Mel clarified, however, "I'm not saying 'that's what happened here'."

Mel expressed her disappointment: "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."

According to the outlet, Mel's legal team contacted Meghan through Archewell in July 2021, pointing out that the "similarities" between the proposed animated series and Mel's project were "too many" and "too striking" to be mere "coincidence". Her lawyers reportedly warned that the Netflix show might pose a "risk" of infringing on Mel's intellectual property rights, potentially leading to a "passing off" claim or a case of "some form of unfair competition" in the US.

Despite these concerns, no corrective measures were taken, and Meghan did not issue a response. The outlet mentions that Mel sent personal letters to both Archewell and Netflix in October 2021 and February 2022 seeking updates, especially as no new information about the show had been disclosed since its initial announcement, but she received no reply.

The Daily Mail has reported that Netflix's Pearl was cancelled just 10 weeks after its announcement at the start of May 2022. At the time, it was understood to be part of a cull of several animated projects by Netflix following what seemed to be a dip in subscriber numbers.

Mel expressed her relief that Meghan's show was among those axed, hinting she hoped she had "something to do with it". She revealed her desire for the project to proceed with her being "acknowledged" or invited to collaborate.

The author also voiced concerns that if she revisits her "dream project", it might now appear as though she's "copied" someone else's idea.

This isn't the first instance of Meghan facing allegations of "copying" others' work, with Mel's remarks emerging amidst various reported instances over recent years. Notably, there have been pointed out resemblances between Meghan's lifestyle show With Love, Meghan and Pamela Anderson's Cooking With Love series.

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