David Furnish has hailed Meghan, Duchess of Sussex an “amazing leader”.
Sir Elton John’s husband is an executive producer on the 40-year-old former ‘Suits’ star’s animated children’s series ‘Pearl’ on Netflix, and the 58-year-old filmmaker has heaped praise on the mother-of-two for being “fantastic” to work with.
Speaking at the HELLO! Inspiration Awards in London this week, where the ‘Rocket Man’ hitmaker, 74, and his spouse were honoured with the Divine Inspiration of the Year award in recognition of their charity work for their Elton John AIDS Foundation, he said: “She’s a fantastic collaborator, amazing leader.
“And we’re just very, very excited to be working with, you know, someone as influential and as supportive as Netflix.”
The royal – who has son Archie, two, and daughter Lilibet Diana, four months, with husband Prince Harry – announced plans for the series through her and Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions banner back in July.
Meghan created the family series, which centres on a 12-year-old girl’s “heroic adventure as she learns to step into her power and finds inspiration from influential women throughout history”.
The duchess will serve as an executive producer on the series alongside David, as well as Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan and Amanda Rynda.
In a statement, Meghan said: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.
“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.”
The news came after Meghan and her husband sighed a multi-year deal with Netflix last year to produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming exclusively for the streaming giant.
At the time, they said in a statement: “Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.”
And while Meghan – who was known as Meghan Markle before marrying the prince – works on her new animated series, Harry is heading up the upcoming docuseries titled ‘Heart of Invictus’.
The project will follow athletes as they prepare for the Invictus Games – which Harry founded in 2014 for wounded service personnel and veterans – in The Hague, the Netherlands, which is set to take place in 2022.