Palace announces statement in response to Meghan Markle's Netflix business agreement.
In a heartwarming encounter, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, recently sat down with James 'Jim' Wren, a 105-year-old Royal Marines veteran, at his care home in Salisbury, Wiltshire [1]. The meeting took place ahead of the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
Duchess Sophie, who is the Patron of The Java Far East Prisoner of War Club 1942, shared a moment with Mr. Wren, a survivor of the sinking of HMS Repulse in 1941 and a Prisoner of War for three and a half years, having been captured whilst escaping from Singapore in February 1942 [2].
Buckingham Palace shared photos of the meeting on social media, highlighting the duchess's support for veterans of the Far East Prisoner of War experience during World War II.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are continuing their media involvement through Archewell Productions with a renewed multi-year "first look" deal with Netflix for film and television projects [3]. This partnership, ongoing since 2020, includes documentaries, scripted series, films, sports, and lifestyle programming and has produced content such as "Polo," "With Love, Meghan," "Heart of Invictus," and "Harry & Meghan" [3].
Meghan Markle expressed her feelings about the deal, stating they feel inspired by their partners and the Archewell Productions team. She mentioned that the partnership will allow them to create thoughtful content across various genres that will resonate globally and celebrate their shared vision [4].
Buckingham Palace has released a statement following the announcement, acknowledging the Sussexes' ongoing active role in media production with Netflix [5]. However, there is no indication from recent sources that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have a comparable media production role or deal similar to the Sussexes' with Netflix.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Edward and Sophie, continue with their royal engagements without notable media production involvement, unlike the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who remain actively involved in media projects through Archewell Productions and Netflix.
[1] Buckingham Palace Twitter
[2] BBC News
[3] Deadline
[4] Variety
[5] BBC News
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, discussed entertainment with James 'Jim' Wren, a celebrity survivor of the sinking of HMS Repulse and a Prisoner of War for three and a half years. In contrast, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are involved in the entertainment industry through their media production deal with Netflix, producing content like documentaries, scripted series, and films.
