Duchess of Sussex defends the director of her series Pearl after Netflix cancellation

The Duchess of Sussex has defended the director of her children’s series Pearl, following its Netflix cancellation.

It was announced in May 2022 that the streamer had scrapped Archewell Productions’ animated series about a 12-year-old girl who travels throughout history to meet influential women.

Archwell Productions sits under Archewell, the organisation founded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the pair stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020.

Since its launch, there has been much pressure surrounding the company’s output of content, or lack thereof.

“I will tell you [director] Liz Garbus is incredible. Liz Garbus also worked on Pearl,” Meghan told The Cut in a new interview.

“There’s not much you can do when a company and a division changes their slate,” she added. “And there’s also not much you can do when, even if they think the project is great, the media will report it as though it was only my project.”

Just last week, Meghan’s new podcast Archetypes released its first episode where she spoke with professional tennis player Serena Williams about the double standard women face when they are labelled “ambitious”.

Rumours have been circulating about future projects, including a docuseries about the couple that Garbus is said to be attached to as director.

“What’s so funny is I’m not trying to be cagey,” Meghan said. “I don’t read any press. So I don’t know what’s confirmed.”

The couple has directly shut down any rumours of a reality show. However, she clarified that there is a difference between a historical documentary and a reality docuseries.

“Above all, love wins,” Meghan added. “I hope that is the sentiment that people feel when they see any of the content or the projects that we are working on.”