Filming is set to start for Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show in hours – but it won’t be set in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Montecito mansion, it has been revealed.
Meghan will start filming her first solo series on Tuesday, April 16 – but fans could be let down by the fact that it won’t let viewers see into the home she shares with her husband and their two children, Prince Archie, four, and two-year-old Princess Lilibet.
The Daily Mail’s royal editor Richard Eden has said that the show will instead be filmed at a nearby property in the posh California neighbourhood.
A source revealed to the editor that “Netflix has rented a house in Montecito for filming”.
The series is set to tie in with Meghan’s new lifestyle brand ‘American Riviera Orchard’ which was launched on Instagram earlier in the year, and currently has over 590K followers on the platform. It is one of two new television projects Meghan and Harry are making for Netflix and aims to “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertainment, and friendship” according to the streaming giant.
Meghan’s show is being produced by Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation, the company behind Hulu’s The D’Amelio Show, as reported in the Daily Mail.
Harry and Meghan’s second Netflix project focuses away from cooking and onto the professional sport, Polo, an activity loved and played by the Prince for many years. For this series, the Montecito-based duo will serve as executive producers.
It gushes: “Known primarily for its aesthetic and social scene, the series will pull the curtain back on the grit and passion of the sport, capturing players and all it takes to compete at the highest level.”
Speaking to Hello! Magazine, Harry’s best friend, Nacho Figueras shared just how much playing polo means to Prince Harry: “We’ve been working on this for a long time. It was always Harry’s dream and passion to share with the world, what it takes to be a really competitive polo player and show polo at the highest level.”
He added: “I cannot think of many people that can be better than him to be the kickoff of this storytelling.”
Last weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent the weekend in Florida, filming scenes for Harry’s sporting series.
The royal duo attended a charity match at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club. The event raised funds for the Sentebale organisation which the Prince co-founded in 2006 to help children battling HIV in Africa.
Camera crews followed the couple’s every move, including when Meghan stepped onto the podium to present a trophy to her husband and give him a passionate kiss in front of the crowds. Harry’s best friend Nacho Figueras was also one of the players in the team against Harry, while Meghan was accompanied by her long-term pal, Serena Williams.
Polo has long been a favoured sport of the Royal Family, with Harry frequently playing with his older brother Prince William during his royal days.
According to a statement released by Archewell on Thursday night, the show will “provide viewers with unprecedented access to the world of professional polo.”
Both Netflix shows are being executive produced by Archewell Productions, the couple’s own creative firm, with titles yet to be announced.