Budding Hollywood moguls Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making their debut on Netflix — this time, behind the camera.
Their first series as Archewell Productions studio heads, titled “Heart of Invictus,” was created in collaboration with Harry’s Invictus Games Foundation. The show chronicles a group of adaptive athletes — former service members who were injured in the line of duty and permanently disabled — as they prepare for the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands, while sharing their personal stories of struggle and resilience.
“Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination and resolve,” Harry said in a press release. The Archewell co-founder also serves as patron of the foundation, a cause he helped develop in 2013 following a visit to the US-based Warrior Games, a tournament for wounded soldiers organized by the Department of Defense.
“This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year. As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead, or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service,” said Harry, who appears in parts of the docuseries.
An award-winning documentarian duo, director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara, led the making of the multi-episode series. The pair won an Academy Award in 2017 for their film “The White Helmets,” about Syria Civil Defence, an aid organization that operates in opposition-controlled areas of Syria and Turkey.
Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, added that the organization is eager to “shine the global spotlight of Netflix” on the inspiring competitors, while also raising awareness of their charity work and fundraising needs.
“We are extremely grateful to our founding patron [Harry] for his continued efforts to support the military community, and for making this partnership happen,” said Reid.
The Duke and Duchess signed a multiyear contract with the streaming giant last year after their high-profile departure from the royal family and a move to Los Angeles, where they have since launched Archewell Productions.
“Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” Meghan and Harry told the New York Times in a statement in the fall. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”
