Meghan Markle was 'absolutely fascinated' by female empowerment side of elephants, documentary filmmakers say

Meghan Markle was inspired to narrate Disney’s documentary Elephant because she was “intrigued by the female empowerment” of the animals, according to the filmmakers.

Speaking to People, Elephant filmmaker Vanessa Berlowitz explained that the Duchess of Sussex was first introduced to the role of female elephants in a herd during her visit to Botswana with Prince Harry in 2017, where the couple worked with wildlife organisation Elephants Without Borders (EWB).

According to Berlowitz, during the couple’s visit, she and co-filmmaker Mark Linfield explained to Meghan the importance of matriarchal leadership among elephants - as the females lead the herd - and showed her portions of their upcoming documentary.

“She was absolutely intrigued by the elephants and transfixed, especially by the female empowerment side,” Berlowitz said. “How important the matriarchs are to the story; it really is all about female leadership. It’s a different form of power - it’s about consensual leadership.

“It’s also very inclusive, as well - very contemporary. She was absolutely fascinated by that.”

It was also during the trip that the filmmakers first suggested Meghan might be a good fit to do the voiceover work for the documentary, Linfield told the outlet.

However, it wasn’t until last October that Meghan recorded her narration of the film, which follows “one family's extraordinary 1,000-mile journey across Africa on an adventure that will change their lives," according to Disney.

According to Berlowitz, who was present when the duchess recorded the voiceover in London’s Pinewood Studios, Meghan resonated even more with the animals after having her and Prince Harry’s first child, Archie.

“She had a small child,” says Berlowitz. “You could totally tell she was identifying with [elephants] Shani and Jojo, and keeping little ones in tow. She felt like a normal mom going through the normal trials and tribulations of bringing up a baby. Like one of us.”

In addition to feeling a connection to the female elephants, Meghan also has a tie to the location of the film, as the family of elephants featured in the documentary begin their journey in Botswana before travelling across the Kalahari Desert in search of water.

It was previously reported that the documentary, which will be released on 3 April on Disney+ will benefit EWB, which works to protect elephants from poachers. According to People, the duchess donated her fee for the film to the charity.

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