Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has announced a new Netflix animated series about a 12-year-old girl on “a journey of self-discovery”.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

The 39-year-old royal announced plans for the series – which has the working title ‘Pearl’ – through her and Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions banner on Wednesday (14.07.21).

Meghan created the family series, which centres on a 12-year-old girl’s "heroic adventure as she learns to step into her power and finds inspiration from influential women throughout history”.

The duchess will serve as an executive producer on the series alongside Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish, as well as Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan and Amanda Rynda.

In a statement, Meghan said: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life's daily challenges.

“I'm thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.

“David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today."

The news comes after Meghan and her husband Harry – who have son Archie, two, and daughter Lili, five weeks, together – sighed a multi-year deal with Netflix last year to produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming exclusively for the streaming giant.

At the time, they said in a statement: "Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope."

And while Meghan – who was known as Meghan Markle before marrying the prince – works on her new animated series, Harry is heading up a docuseries titled ‘Heart of Invictus’.

The project will follow athletes as they prepare for the Invictus Games – which Harry founded in 2014 for wounded service personnel and veterans – in The Hague, the Netherlands, which is set to take place in 2022.