Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is once again making headlines — not just for her growing media empire, but now for a new legal controversy that has surfaced amid her promotional campaigns.
Recently, Meghan Markle has been actively promoting her latest creative ventures, including her Netflix project With Love, Meghan, her lifestyle brand As Ever, and her upcoming podcast Confessions of a Female Founder in collaboration with Lemonada Media. However, the positive momentum around her new endeavors has hit a bump with an unexpected legal challenge.
British author and illustrator Mel Elliott has accused Meghan Markle of potential copyright infringement over similarities between her own book series Pearl Power and Meghan’s previously proposed Netflix show Pearl. In a public statement, Elliott expressed her disappointment, stating, “Meghan is a feminist who supports other women, so I was confused and disheartened to see how much the concept of her show resembled my Pearl Power series, which I created years earlier.”
Elliott, whose books were published in 2014, 2015, and 2016, said she had already begun working on a screen adaptation of her character by 2019. She pointed out that the name, concept, and empowering feminist theme of Meghan’s Pearl felt too similar to her own work to ignore. “While I can’t prove Meghan or her team ever saw my books, the parallels are strong enough to raise serious questions,” she said.
The author has taken formal action by sending a legal letter regarding the matter, although neither Netflix nor Archewell — Meghan and Harry’s media company — has responded.
Back in 2021, Meghan Markle had announced her plan to executive produce Pearl under her Netflix deal, describing the show as centered on a young girl who gains confidence by learning about powerful women in history. However, the project was later shelved, and all references to it were removed from Archewell’s official site.
As this legal dispute unfolds, the incident adds a layer of scrutiny to Meghan Markle’s expanding media brand. For Elliott, the issue isn’t just about ownership, but the missed opportunity for collaboration and acknowledgment.