Netflix spent millions of dollars to help Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dominate Hollywood

Meghan Markle has big plans to dominate Hollywood, but she doesn't want to direct or act in a movie.

The Duchess of Sussex will team up with husband Prince Harry to produce Carley Fortune's Meet Me at the Lake for Netflix as part of their multi-million dollar deal with the broadcaster.

The deal was signed in recent weeks - and despite initial reports, the couple did not buy the rights to the book, believed to be worth around $3 million (€2.7 million).

Instead, Netflix reportedly bought it to produce under their wing with Archewell Productions PageSix.

The novel tells the story of a couple who meet in their thirties, just as Harry and Meghan did, and has some real-life echoes of the Sussexes – including themes of childhood trauma and the loss of a parent in a car accident (similar to that of Harry's mother, Princess Diana), mental health challenges and postpartum depression, which Meghan has spoken about publicly.

"They love love stories and romance-comedies. Indeed, the Sussex couple wanted to tell their "love story" in their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, a source said.

The pair have restructured their team amid the departure of top producer Ben Browning, who was head of in-house content at Archewell Productions and oversaw the documentary.

They have also parted ways with their talented vice president, Nishika Kumble. She lasted less than two years in this role.

The Montecito, California-based duo have come under fire after losing their deal with Spotify, with many rumored to be on the verge of losing their deal with Netflix.

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Markle signed with Ari Emanuel's talent agency WME in May, a source told her that she and Harry "have a lot of writing in the fire." Production is a part of that."

“It's not all shaped by Ari – they've had a deal with Netflix for a while. "Everyone has criticized them, but they now have the right team and vision and the execution is happening," the source continued.

The source close to the couple said that Markle wants to be like a combination of famous women: "A little bit of Reese, a little bit of Gwyneth Paltrow, a little bit of Princess Kate, a little bit of Gloria Steinem."

As he discovered PageSix, Harry will travel to Africa for his solo documentary for Netflix, while the couple will be seen later this month in the Netflix documentary Heart of Invictus, about Harry's charity tour for wounded warriors.

The couple will travel to Dusseldorf, Germany, in September for the upcoming Invictus Games, although First Lady Jill Biden has reportedly declined an invitation to join them.

"Harry and Meghan approached, but Jill politely turned them down," a source revealed. /Telegraph/