Harry and Meghan's Netflix deal was reportedly their back up plan after the Queen refused their original idea

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal family roles this year after months of discussions.

The Sussex couple lost their HRH titles and their Sussex Royal brand and relocated to California to prioritise their family of three and mental health over their former roles.

As former working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex used to have their hands full with charity work, official tours and royal meetings. Now however, they will not act on behalf of the royal family.

Since their resignation, there has understandably been speculation around what this actually means and what the Sussex couple will do next, from politics to Hollywood.

This month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as a duo made news as they signed a huge Netflix deal to make movies and TV programmes.

Yes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now officially Hollywood producers.

According to The New York Times, Harry and Meghan have signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix, and will be creating content, including children's programmes, TV shows, docuseries, documentaries and feature films.

The couple reportedly announced in a statement: 'Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.'

According to recent reports however, the Netflix deal was actually the couple's plan B with their original idea vetoed by the Queen.

Harry and Meghan reportedly intended to launch a global SussexRoyal brand, something they had to abandon after being blocked by the royal family.

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This is something that royal experts Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie opened up about this week on their Royally Obsessed podcast.

'It must have felt kind of nice to put in writing and release that information that they haven't been receiving any money,' Roberta Fiorito is reported to have announced in the podcast. 'It confirms that they are doing this on their own and they planned for that and are going to be alright.'

Rachel Bowie agreed: 'What struck me as most surprising is how quickly they were able to follow through their plans. They essentially said, "We laid out these plans, and it's not going to be a year, we're done". They mean business.'

Going on to explain how this was not the royal couple's original plan, she continued: 'They also had to pivot from their full plan. They were going to do SussexRoyal, but the Queen put a stop to that. They really had a different idea in their heads in January of how this would all go. So I'm curious how long the Netflix deal has been in discussions, but I feel like they have made things happen.'

We're looking forward to seeing what these two achieve!

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.