'Heart of Invictus': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce first Netflix series

The couple will produce a documentary series about The Invictus Games in 2022

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, under their Archewell Productions, will produce a documentary about the Invictus Games for disabled military veterans, the first series in a lucrative deal they signed with Netflix after moving to California last year. AFP

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the stars of Oprah Winfrey's bombshell interview, it is athletes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will turn their attention to for their first Netflix series.

The pair will produce their first TV series through Archewell Productions and focus on those competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans in The Hague in 2022. The project will be done in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation. The sporting event was delayed from 2020 until next spring because of the pandemic.

Titled Heart of Invictus, the documentary series will include stories of athletes and organisers as they get ready for the multi-sport event. The Invictus Games was created in 2014 by Prince Harry, who served as a soldier in Afghanistan.

The production will also have Prince Harry appearing on camera and serving as an executive producer, Netflix said.

Prince Harry speaks with athletes during a training session at Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague as part of a programme of events to mark the official launch of of the Invictus Games in 2020. Reuters

Orlando von Einsiedel is down to direct, while Joanna Natasegara will produce. The duo were also behind the Oscar-winning short documentary The White Helmets, which follows the daily operations of the Syria Civil Defence, a volunteer organisation of rescue workers who operate in Syria and Turkey.

The Invictus Games brings together wounded, injured or sick service members and veterans from across the world to participate internationally in the sporting competition.

"We knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination and resolve," Prince Harry said. "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.

"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."

Prince Harry and Meghan, who moved to the US last year after announcing they were stepping down as working members of the British royal family, signed a multi-year production deal with Netflix in September. This will have the couple producing films and series, from children's shows to scripted content.

The value of the deal was not disclosed, but estimates put it at anywhere between $100 million and $150m.

Meghan, a former star of American drama series Suits, reportedly has no plans to return to acting under the deal.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first public appearance together watching the wheelchair tennis at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada, September 2017. Getty Images

“Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the couple said when the deal was announced. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”

The Archewell Productions website states the aim is to produce programming that "informs, elevates and inspires" and that the team will "utilise the power of storytelling to embrace our shared humanity and duty to truth through a compassionate lens".

Additional reporting from Reuters