Meghan Markle Faces Plagiarism Accusations Over Cancelled Netflix Show.

Meghan Markle’s cancelled animated series Pearl, which was part of her lucrative Netflix deal, is facing new controversy after British author Mel Elliott accused the Duchess of Sussex of plagiarism, according to People.

Elliott, known for her children’s book series Pearl Power, claims that Meghan’s show shared many similarities with her own work. Elliott feels the resemblance is so strong that she had to consider legal action.

“I was really disappointed and confused because Meghan is known for supporting women, and the concept for Pearl felt so much like my own Pearl Power, which I published seven years ago,” Elliott, 51, told Daily Mail. “I don’t know if anyone from Meghan’s team was inspired by it, but the similarities are too clear to ignore.”

Pearl was announced in 2021 and was supposed to follow a 12-year-old girl inspired by famous women in history. It was one of the first projects under the Archewell Productions partnership between Meghan, Prince Harry, and Netflix.

Elliott, who published three Pearl Power books between 2014 and 2016, said she initially reached out to Meghan and Netflix with a personal letter but got no reply. Her lawyers later sent a formal notice, claiming the show could be infringing on her intellectual property rights.

“The overlap between the two works seems too big to be a coincidence,” the legal notice reportedly stated.

The show was cancelled in May 2022 as part of Netflix’s broader content cuts, which the company blamed on declining subscriber numbers. However, Elliott believes her legal action may have played a part in the cancellation.

“I’m happy Pearl was dropped, and I think I might have had something to do with it,” Elliott said. She added that while she had kept quiet at first to avoid online criticism, she now felt the need to speak out after seeing some of Meghan’s other projects not succeed.

“I just wanted recognition or a chance to collaborate. Pearl Power was my dream, and now if I revive it, it might look like I copied someone else,” she explained.

Pearl Power had gained attention when it was first released, with celebrities like Ryan Gosling and Kate Winslet reportedly seen with copies of the book. Victoria Beckham even bought it for her daughter, Elliott said.

This isn’t the first time Meghan Markle has faced plagiarism accusations. Last year, fans of Pamela Anderson accused the Duchess of copying Anderson’s concept for her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

As of now, neither Meghan Markle nor Netflix has responded to Elliott’s claims.