Meghan Markle has been accused of plagiarising a British author’s illustrations for her axed Netflix show, after the writer claimed there were “striking similarities” between the Duchess’s project and her own work.
The feminist animated series ‘Pearl’ was announced by the Duchess in 2021 and was a series following a little girl “as she learns to step into her power and finds inspiration from influential women throughout history”.
Ms Markle was credited as an Executive Producer, with Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish, but the series was scrapped a year later.
The Duchess later removed all references to the project from the website of her production company Archewell.
Now, children’s author Mel Elliott, 51, has revealed she sent a legal letter claiming a possible copyright breach over her creation—Pearl Power, according to MailOnline.
Mel told the news website: “Meghan is a feminist who sticks up for other women, so I was disappointed and confused to see how similar Netflix's proposed show "Pearl" was to my own Pearl Power who had been created seven years earlier.
“Of course, I can't know if anyone on her team had seen it and been inspired by it, but the similarities were too great for me to ignore.”
The author followed up her legal letter with two personal letters, MailOnline reported.
Ms Elliott went on to say that the arts and creative industries are highly competitive, making it “quite common for powerful figures” to “rip off” lesser-known creators. However, she emphasised that this may not be the case in this instance.
She said she was “saddened” that her objection to the project was not acknowledged by either Netflix or the Archewell.
Three Pearl Power books were written in 2014, 2015, and 2016—several years prior to the collaboration between Netflix and the Duchess of Sussex.
Ms Elliot’s Pearl Power series promotes themes of gender equality and empowerment for young readers and feature a strong female protagonist who challenges gender stereotypes and advocates for inclusivity and fairness.
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Beyond children's books, Ms Elliott is also known for her adult-oriented coloring books that blend pop culture with art, such as Colour Me Good Ryan Gosling, which sold over 38,000 copies. Her work has been featured in various media outlets, including Vogue, The Guardian, and Good Morning America.
Ms Elliott holds a degree from the Royal College of Art and is based in Hastings, UK.
She started turning her Pearl Power character into an animated TV series in 2019, two years before Meghan's 2021 Netflix announcement, MailOnline reported.
Pearl's first encounter was to be with tennis legend and women's sports equality campaigner Billie Jean King who publicly endorsed the project.
Meghan Markle’s representatives have been contacted for comment.