"I couldn't be more excited for the journey ahead"
Netflix has announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have their first TV series, following a multi-million pound deal with the streaming giant.
Titled Heart of Invictus, it will be a documentary series about the Invictus Games.
It will follow competitors around the world training for the Games.
The Invictus Games will be held at The Hague, Netherlands, and was set to take place in 2020 but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it will now take place in 2022.
Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions are working with director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara on the series.
Prince Harry will appear in the series and will be an executive producer.
Netflix said the couple would be producing “content that informs but also gives hope”, from documentaries and scripted series to features and children’s programming.
The couple have also signed a multi-million pound deal with Spotify and gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
On the new show, Harry said:
“Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve
“This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year.
“As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.”
Harry previously explained the Netflix and Spotify deals during the Oprah interview, saying:
“My family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us.”
Dominic Reid, chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation, said:
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to shine the global spotlight of Netflix on the men and women that we work with, in order to ensure that even more people can be inspired by their determination and fortitude in working towards their recovery.
“This partnership will also bring in significant funding to the charity.”
“We are extremely grateful to our Founding Patron for his continued efforts to support the military community, and for making this partnership happen.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, added:
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Archewell Productions team are building an ambitious slate that reflects the values and causes they hold dear.
“From the moment I met them, it’s been clear that the Invictus Games hold a very special place in their hearts, and I couldn’t be happier that their first series for Netflix will showcase that for the world in a way never seen before.”
The Invictus Games was created by Prince Harry for injured military personnel and it takes place every two years.
It was founded in 2014 and it sees wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans compete in nine sports.
This includes wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and indoor rowing.
Prince Harry is the patron of the Invictus Games, which is Latin for “undefeated”.
The 2020 event was postponed due to Covid-19 and was delayed again in 2021. Therefore, it will take place in 2022.
Announcing the decision earlier in 2021, Prince Harry paid tribute to “key workers on the front line”.
He said: “To the key workers on the front lines in the battle against the pandemic, we are with you.”
In a joint message, organisers have promised that “this does not mean support for the Invictus community will go dark in the meantime”.