Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have secured the film rights to a romantic novel in partnership with Netflix.
Following the success of their documentaries Harry & Meghan and Live to Lead, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly taking their first foray into fictional film, with the couple having acquired the rights to the romantic novel Meet Me at the Lake.
The couple have reportedly secured the rights to the best-selling romantic novel.
(Image: Getty)According to The Sun, the couple secured the screen rights to Carley Fortune’s New York Times best seller for $5.8 million.
Released in May 2023, Meet Me at the Lake follows the story of a couple in their 30s who find love in unexpected circumstances. The novel also addresses themes of grief, mental health, and post-natal depression, with the Duke and Duchess allegedly being drawn to the novel due to its similarities to their own romance.
“The themes of the book gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix,” an insider told The Sun.
Despite Netflix’s cancellation of Markle’s animated series Pearl, the couple reportedly still have a number of fictional adaptations in the pipeline, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the Sussexes are currently in the development stages for a Great Expectations adaptation.
Meet Me at the Lake is Fortune’s second novel.
(Image: Getty)This latest move comes just over one month since Prince Harry and Meghan announced the cancellation of Markle’s Archetypes podcast as they parted ways with Spotify after three years on the platform.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from Spotify led some royal pundits to speculate about the security of the Sussexes deal with Netflix, the streaming giant has assured that they intend to maintain their partnership with the couple long-term.
“We value our partnership with Archewell Productions. Harry & Meghan was Netflix’s biggest documentary debut ever, and we’ll continue to work together on a number of projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus,” a Netflix spokesperson told People.
The couple’s newest documentary release will go behind the scenes of the Invictus Games.
(Image: Getty)